Buns and Roses
Romance Tea for Literacy
"The air was electric as she spied him across the room. She'd already heard about the new Renaissance rogue in town -- a culinary wizard with a passion for baking and gardening. From his first glance, she knew she would fall in love with...his buns and roses."
Don't miss the first "Buns and Roses -- Romance Tea for Literacy" hosted by the Richardson Adult Literacy Center and the Richardson Public Library, with all proceeds going to their programs. Support literacy while meeting some of today's hottest romance authors, and enjoy an elegant afternoon of tea, and, yes -- buns and roses.
"Buns and Roses" will be emceed by the entertainment critic for the Dorsey Gang on 96.3 KSCS CANDACE HAVENS, and featured speaker will be New York Times and USA Today best-selling author ELIZABETH BOYLE.
Romance authors from around the country, representing many different romance genres, including New York Times bestseller Lorraine Heath, Gena Showalter, Target Book Sense author Shanna Swendson, Arlene James, Lori Wilde, Kathleen Baldwin, Sandy Blair, Celya Bowers, Victoria Chancellor, Judy Christenberry, Gretchen Craig, Jana DeLeon, Shana Galen, Kristi Gold, Jane Graves, Jackie Ivie, Kara Lennox, Janis Susan May, Jill Monroe, Jane Porter, and Catherine Spangler. Chat with these authors before the tea, purchase their latest books and have them autographed. Buy raffle tickets to win huge themed baskets including one with a week in a shooting box in Scotland's Highlands. All guests will receive a fabulous goodie bag as well.
"Buns and Roses -- Romance Tea for Literacy" will be held at
The Richardson Hotel
(701 East Campbell Road
Richardson, Texas 75081)
Sunday, October 22 from 2:00-4:00 pm.
Seating is limited, so buy your tickets NOW! Individual tickets are only $25 or you may purchase a table with the author of your choice for $250.
Buy tickets and information
 Candy's Inside Books
A look at books, authors and movie events
Checking out October's Goodies!
Hello lovely people! There simply are not enough hours in the day to read all the great books out in October. Since it's almost Halloween, I thought about concentrating on paranormal books, but I have so many friends with great books coming out this month, I didn't want to limit myself.
I do have a special affinity for all things paranormal. I write them of course, but I also read them. In fact I read paranormals all year long, but I'm also a seasonal reader. The closer it gets to Halloween the scarier I want my books. When the December holidays roll around, I want Christmas stories.
Books are mood inducers and they also transport us to other places. They take us into a different world and let us experience it through the characters there. I love it when I get lost in a book. The rest of the universe falls away and I'm right there with the characters.
That will most definitely happen with the books you see on the following list. So let's dig into Candy's e-mail and see what's cookin' for October.
The adorable Geralyn Dawson's "Give Him the Slip" is the October lead from Signet Eclipse. Dawson says, "It's my first book in my new contemporary series about the Holy Terrors of Texas, the Callahan brothers -- Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Luke is the first book and he's an alpha male, a tortured hero with walls around his heart a mile high. Maddie Kincaid manages to breach those defenses in one night.
"I love it when a character comes to life and takes the story in a different direction from what I expect. Maddie came alive for me the moment she stepped onto Luke's houseboat carrying her pet goldfish and some surprising secrets."
Whether she's doing historicals or contemporaries, Dawson yanks you in and doesn't let go. I'm a big fan and have been for years.
My witchychicks blogmate Yasmine Galenorn's "Witchling" officially goes on sale this month. I read this book months ago, and loved, loved, loved it. I even gave her a quote for it. It's about the D'Artigo sisters who are half human and half fairy. The world Galenorn creates is one you will come back to time and again. It's sexy and the men are to die for. Oh, and some wicked funny moments.
Beth Cornelison tells me that her book "Chasing a Dream" is out in hardback. She also just sold a new book to Silhouette a few weeks ago.
Mindy Klasky e-mailed and said she has a book tailor made for me. It's called "Girl's Guide to Witchcraft." "The tagline," says Klasky, "is what can't a girl do when she knows magic? I wish it could become the motto for my life." It's about a librarian who discovers she's a witch.
Jean London's Tor romance "Retrieval" has hit big. I love the concept of this one about a woman who steers departing souls to purgatory, and the man who rally souls to fight. How fun and original is that? This is definitely one to check out.
For a super cool mix of sci-fi and chicklit check out Bev Rosenbaum's "I was a Teenage Popsicle." Geez, I'd buy this one just for the title. It's a YA adults won't mind reading at all.
If you haven't had a chance to check out "In the Company of Ogres" by A. Lee Martinez you are missing out. This guy is so funny. One of my all-time favorite fictional characters, Never Dead Ned, is in this one. This is Martinez' follow-up to Gil's All-Fright Diner, another fabulous book.
Until next time...
Read, read, read
-Candy Havens
Candy is a nationally syndicated entertainment columnist, who has interviewed just about every celebrity there is in Hollywood and written thousands of articles. She is the author of the Charmed & Dangerous series including Charmed & Ready and the upcoming Charmed & Deadly (June 2007).
Her non-fiction prose includes Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy, and essays in Alias Assumed: Sex, Lies and SD-6, and Five Seasons of Angel. She's also the entertainment critic providing the latest on TV, film and celebs for the radio station 96.3 KSCS. And she's the managing editor for FYI Television.
You can visit Candy daily at her blog or her website
 Tanzey Talk
for the latest on books and authors.
October 2006
Fall is finally here with some cooler temps, but also shorter daylight hours. It doesn't seem possible Halloween is just a few weeks away, then Thanksgiving and Christmas to quickly follow. Another year will be gone before we know it. That fact is brought home more each day as ARCs arrive for next year, and I am writing 2007 with increased frequency. The old laments seem truer than ever for me: "Where does the time go?" and "The older I get, the faster the time goes by."
Another category bites the dust with Harlequin's plan to discontinue the Silhouette Bombshell line in January 2007. The fact that this line has not been a strong performer since its inception, even though romantic suspense is a popular genre, obviously led to its demise. Here's hoping that Bombshell authors are able to find a new home for their writing.
That being said, we have news that another line will be starting in spring 2007. Daisy Maryles, of Publishers Weekly, reported September 20, 2006, that HarperCollins will be starting a new inspirational women's trade paper fiction line under the heading of Avon Inspire, with the first books set to be published in spring 2007. Avon Inspire plans to publish 10 titles annually and will include both historical and contemporary romances. The first book, scheduled for May 2007, is DEFIANT HEART by Tracey Bateman and will be the first title in the Westward Hearts series. The June 2007 title is WEDDING BELL BLUES by Linda Windsor, which begins the Piper Cove Chronicles.
This month, the paperback edition of Kasey Michaels' fourth Maggie Kelly mystery, HIGH HEELS AND HOMICIDE, will be released by Kensington. Then in November 2006, the fifth installment, HIGH HEELS AND HOLIDAYS (Kensington) goes on sale in trade paper format. This new story finds mystery author Maggie Kelly preparing to celebrate her first Christmas with Alexandre, Viscount Saint Just (her fictional Regency-era creation come-to-life as her sexy, protective suitor) when death threats and then murder mess up the holiday. This new addition promises to be as much fun as the other four.
The fourth Mageverse novel by Angela Knight, MASTER OF SWORDS, has just arrived in bookstores. And fans of this series will be delighted to know that Angela is hard at work on the fifth Mageverse book, MASTER OF DRAGONS, which is set for release sometime in 2007. It will involve Nineva Morrow, a half-breed Sidhe princess living in hiding from a vicious Sidhe who wants her dead. Kel, the shapeshifting dragon warrior, is sent to protect her. Good news for those of you who've been longing for a story centered on the fascinating Kel.
In November 2006, Sharon Sala will have a new romantic suspense release from Mira. NINE LIVES features Dallas bounty hunter Cat Dupree. As she searches for a friend who disappeared under mysterious circumstances, she's assisted by a fellow bounty hunter, the sexy Wilson McKay. Sparks fly not only between them, but from the danger they encounter in their search.
Hairdresser-turned-investigative journalist Bubbles Yablonsky is set to return November 7, 2006, when she looks into a death in the beauty parlor in BUBBLES ALL THE WAY (Onyx) by Sarah Stohmeyer. And fans of this entertaining series are desperate to find out if Bubbles and Stiletto get back together. Or has Dan made sure that won't happen? I can't wait to find out!
Also on sale November 7, 2006, is the next installment in P. B. Ryan's historical mystery series, MURDER IN THE NORTH END (Berkley Prime Crime), featuring governess Nell Sweeney. When one of Boston's finest cops is suspected of killing a petty criminal, Nell goes to the seedy and dangerous North End to prove his innocence. But her employer won't let her conduct the investigation alone.
Stevi Mittman continues her Life on Long Island Can be Murder series (featuring reluctant sleuth Teddi Bayer) with WHY IS MURDER ON THE MENU, ANYWAY? This third installment, following WHO MAKES UP THESE RULES, ANYWAY? (2/06) and WHAT GOES WITH BLOOD RED, ANYWAY? (8/06), will go on sale in January 2007 from Harlequin Next. Stevi says she thoroughly enjoyed writing eight romance novels under her given name, Stephanie. Then her writing started to take a new direction, and a series of funny mysteries set in suburbia was born. She likes to think of them as Desperate Housewives meets Jessica Fletcher.
Dee Henderson's new publisher, Tyndale House, has repackaged and re-released the first seven novels of her highly popular O'Malley series, starting with the series prequel, DANGER IN THE SHADOWS. The six books to follow will be THE NEGOTIATOR, THE GUARDIAN, THE TRUTH SEEKER, THE PROTECTOR, THE HEALER and THE RESCUER. Then watch for a brand new story, titled BEFORE I WAKE, set to be released this month. This award-winning author's faith-based stories skillfully blend suspense, family values and wholesome romance without using graphic violence and sex.
Cindy Gerard moves her next book to the steamy locale of a country rife with political turmoil and civil unrest. UNDER THE WIRE (St. Martin's), the fifth book in Cindy's very popular Bodyguard series, is scheduled to go on sale November 28, 2006. Lily never realized what she'd done to Manny when she walked away from him in the sultry Nicaragua jungle. Now, 17 years later, she's begging for his help, even if he can't forgive her.
Karen Robards takes a break from her contemporary romantic suspense novels to give readers the last (and long-awaited!) installment in her Regency-set Banning sisters trilogy. In SHAMELESS (Pocket mass market, on sale December 26, 2006), Elizabeth Banning has broken three engagements in her search for true love. Her most recently jilted fiancé vows revenge and devises a scheme to ruin her reputation. But his plot is foiled and the original plan gets all turned around. Soon Beth finds herself risking everything to win the one man who doesn't want her. Previous books include the romantic tales of Gabby in SCANDALOUS (Pocket, 3/01) and Claire in IRRESISTIBLE (Pocket, 9/02).
Julianne MacLean wrote to tell me that her next book, SURRENDER TO A SCOUNDREL, the final book in her American Heiress series, is coming out in January 2007. After that, she'll be starting a new series set at a palace in London during the Victorian period. She had the name of the palace and series picked out, but then learned that another author had also picked the very same name for her new series. Julianne is now racking her brain to come up with a romantic and regal name for the palace and is asking readers for help by running a contest on her web site -- deadline is October 25, 2006.
The nerds return to a bookstore near you in January 2007 when MY NERDY VALENTINE (St. Martin's) by Vicki Lewis Thompson hits the shelves. This time a nerd acts as a decoy boyfriend to uncover the culprit behind sinister Valentine cards being sent to the girl of his dreams. With this fake relationship masking some very real lust, can love be far behind once he deals with the stalker?
In the back of the mass market edition (August 2006) of Susan Elizabeth Phillips' MATCH ME IF YOU CAN is an excerpt from her upcoming new hardcover NATURAL BORN CHARMER (on sale February 6, 2007). The hero of this new book, Dean Robillard, had a small role in MATCH ME IF YOU CAN. And yes, he's another Chicago Stars quarterback.
In January 2007, Victoria Alexander will start a new Regency-set series from Avon with A LITTLE BIT WICKED, followed in February 2007 with WHAT A LADY WANTS. As her website describes, "In 1854 London, four friends, all seriously opposed to marriage, form a tontine investing one shilling each and a bottle of cognac. The winner is the last man to marry." For those of you who don't know, a tontine is "A system of annuities in which the benefits pass to the surviving subscribers until only one is left." And, yes, I had to Google that term up to make sure I understood it correctly.
In January, NAL will publish a trade-size edition containing two previous works by Mary Jo Putney. The new book, titled DANGEROUS TO KNOW, will include Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know (a novella in RAKES AND ROGUES from 6/93) and THE DIABOLICAL BARON (Onyx, 11/87), Mary Jo's first book and a collector's item.
Kelley Armstrong says it's now official -- Book 7 in her Otherworld series will be issued in hardcover format in May 2007. Tentatively titled NO HUMANS INVOLVED, it's narrated by Jamie Vegas, Zoe's friend mentioned in BROKEN (Spectra, 5/06) whose special talent is raising the dead. While working on a TV special, Jamie is plagued by ghostly happenings that are even weirder than she's usually accustomed to. Investigating the mysterious manifestations, Jamie finds she'll need as much Otherworld help as she can get, including from Jeremy, the werewolf, who's always by her side offering protection.
The Rogues World book that Jo Beverley is writing has been moved up from September 2007 to a June 2007 release date. This Rogue book is about Dare's sister, Lady Theodosia, and a certain Lord Darien. Darien, previously known as Horatio Cave, was at Harrow at the same time as the Rogues, but a year younger.
Fans of the unique and gripping paranormal Crimson City series take heed: in January 2007, Love Spell will release a new anthology, SHARDS OF CRIMSON (featuring novellas by original Crimson City authors Liz Maverick, Patti O'Shea, Carolyn Jewel and Jade Lee), which will be a continuation of the Crimson City series. The stories in this anthology will revisit some of the major secondary characters from the original Crimson City books.
When I contacted Brianna Yamashita, Manager of Public Relations for Dorchester, about the Crimson anthology, I asked her if they had anything similar coming in 2007. She told me, "We do have some exciting new things coming up next summer, including our Immortals series, a 4-book paranormal series that's similar in some ways to Crimson City. As we get closer to that time, I'll definitely be sending you more on this." Now, we just have to wait and see what they have in store. And you'll hear it from me as soon as I know. Just another reason to...
Stay turned 'til next month...
Tanzey
 Jen's Jewels
Get the lowdown on your favorite authors with Jennifer Vido.
There's nothing quite like curling up on the couch on a rainy day (and we sure have had a lot of those lately) and crack open a hot and steamy Harlequin Romance. Sure, I like to read the classics (not in a long time, though!), mysteries, and captivating works of fiction to escape the pressures of work and family as I try to get everything done before the next day begins. In my opinion, there is a place for every genre of literature because what we choose to read really depends on what's going on in our lives at that time. The saying "The grass is always greener on the other side" also applies to books. It's nice to read about something we don't have or perhaps read about a place we can only imagine visiting. Television can be entertaining, but books get your heart pumping and your imagination flowing!
I first encountered Tina Leonard through a promotional e-mail announcing her latest release. As you know by now, my first book of choice is ALWAYS a romance. I'm a sucker for a happy ending. And unlike many of my friends (Stacy comes to mind here), I love paperbacks. Everything about them is perfect. I can throw them in my purse for an emergency read because we all know; the worst thing is being somewhere with time to kill and not have a book to read! But also, romance novels are a quick read with the required happy ending. What's not to like?
As for Tina, she is an accomplished writer who knows the ins and outs of the romance business. With over thirty novels under her belt, her fans know a good thing when they read it and always come back for more. Also, it doesn't hurt that she's a really sweet person with an adorable family. I'll be honest. My first Tina Leonard book was her latest, My Baby, My Bride, which I really enjoyed. It's the first book in her new series, which we talk about in the interview. So, as part of the column, Tina has agreed to give away a bunch of her titles so that we all can get to know her writing, myself included!
Please go grab a cup of steaming green tea (it's really good for you!) and get to know Tina Leonard. Don't forget to email me with the answer to the trivia question at the end of the column so that you can win a book! Good luck!
Read the Tina Leonard interview...
Until next month...Jen
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