Cover for May book!

I've actually had this cover for a while, but I'm under a wicked deadline (and just got line edits for my August book, which will be due any time now). Anyway, here's the cover for SECRET AGENDA. I kind of hate that they didn't put the heroine on the cover, as she's a fiesty redhead with loads of attitude, and I'd have liked to see how they portrayed that.

Instead, we get sexy former Pentagon lawyer Evan Pike on the cover. Can't say I've got any complaints about that!

One thing I'm not that happy about, though is the back cover copy:

THE TRUTH WAS BOUND TO COME OUT, BUT HE HATED BEING THE ONE TO TELL HER...

He'd faced down danger multiple times, but now Pentagon liaison Evan Pike had to deal with the ultimate confrontation. Telling Megan Randall that her late husband had been murdered by his own government was difficult. Keeping their association strictly about business, however, was proving impossible. Especially once Megan's life was put in jeopardy.

On the run with a stranger, Megan wondered how her quiet life had changed so drastically. Having Evan as her protector was comforting and she knew he'd do anything to keep her alive. But he was also a man who had her questioning her belief that she'd never love again. And that was even more dangerous....

See, the problem with that blurb is that it makes Megan sound like some innocent flower of a widow whose life was quiet and event-free before Evan blew into her life, when in fact, Megan works as a security agency operative and is far more at home carrying a weapon than Evan the lawyer is. She's strong, feisty and utterly capable of taking care of herself, and for a fair amount of the book, she's keeping Evan out of trouble.

So I hope the blurb doesn't turn off readers looking for a kick-butt heroine.

Secret Identity - now with a cover!

I've been a bit out of pocket for the last three weeks, dealing with a bad case of cellulitis in my left leg. I'm still not back at my day job (though I'm working it from home), and I've been doing a lot of extracurricular napping to regain my energy. All that to say, I've been a complete slug at the whole blogging/social media thing.

But I do have something to share: the cover of my March 2012 book, Secret Identity! Wanna see it?

I'm pretty pleased with the cover. The hero and heroine look about how I pictured them, and the cave they're in is mostly right (though there's entirely too much light coming through the entrance).

I really love this heroine. She's tough, prickly, wounded and dangerous. I hope y'all love her, too.

Salt and Pepper

My friend and fellow Intrigue author, Aimée Thurlo, stops by Spinsters and Lunatics today with a guest blog post. She and her husband also write a mystery series featuring Navajo detective Ella Clah. To visit their website for more information about their books, click here.

Please give Aimée a warm welcome and be sure to leave her comments!

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At the Chez Thurlo, I’m the slob and David’s the neat freak. He claims he’s just organized, I say compulsive. Think of the Odd Couple and you’ll be right. He’s Felix and I’m definitely Oscar. This, of course, has a definite impact on our lives as co-authors.

Like many other writers, David and I work to complete a number of pages daily, as opposed to working regular office hours. We’re pretty good about staying on target even with our divergent styles, but one thing never fails - the closer a deadline gets, the crazier our lives become. If anything is going to go wrong, it’s practically guaranteed that it’ll happen then.

I can vividly remember one incident that specifically illustrates this and the differences between David and me. David and I have separate offices and different responsibilities at home. This is how we manage to keep from driving each other nuts. Many months ago, I was working on a real tight deadline for an article I’d promised to write for a local newspaper. The computer had crashed the night before, but no worries, I had my printout and was ready to put it into snail mail. Problem was, I was also working on a book at the time and I’d totally run out of room on my desk. Not wanting to leave the pages on one of my copious stacks, I balanced the printout carefully atop the waste basket beside my chair and left the room.

David came in, and you guessed it. It was trash day, so out went the pages. Mind you, it should have been on my desk, but since I was going to mail the article later that morning, I didn’t want to get it mixed up with my current draft of Chapter Four of our new novel.

After my panic subsided, I eventually managed to reconstruct most of the article from memory and get it delivered on time, but I think I aged twenty years that morning.

I should now explain that one of my individual quirks is that, after first draft, I work almost exclusively on paper. At the end of the day, I then enter all my penciled in changes, sometimes scribbled in multi-colored inks to make it easier to follow, into my trusty laptop.

Naturally, my partner has a different system and writing routine. David, who teaches science part time, is the most orderly human being on this planet. Everything is in its place. He edits on screen, and even files folders alphabetically instead of by first, last, or company name! Sure, I have order in my office too, but you need a good memory and a trained eye to find a document, or, as David sometimes suggests, the ability and/or heavy equipment to take a core sample.

Every time David comes into my office he trips over a dog, a dog bed, or a pair of shoes. Oh, yes, my office does resemble a kennel/shoe store/closet. Perfection. Everything I love, except for chocolate, is close at hand, and maybe that’s why I consider my office ‘cozy’. David likes to think of his workspace as, well, an office. Whatever.

It’s clear that our methods of working and our styles are vastly different, but when we write, at least we manage to do so with one voice. That’s partly because we’ve been married for forty-one years, and despite our personalities, or maybe because of them, we fit into each other like two pieces of a puzzle. We complete each other’s....paragraphs.

Take one of my all time favorite Harlequin Intrigues, Winter Hawk’s Legend, as an example. It’s a landmark book for us since it our 30th for Harlequin. What makes this book special is that it’s about family, and how love can grow unassailable even between two people who ostensibly have nothing in common. I live that every day, so a piece of my heart went into that book.

And not coincidentally, that family thread continues on with our October release. Black Thunder, our newest Ella Clah mystery, features a unique heroine who is devoted to her immediate family, her clan, and her tribe. Her love of police work is rooted in the Navajo concept of harmony. To walk in beauty, the goal of a good Navajo, all the components of life have to be in balance. Evil requires good to keep it in check, so, to Ella Clah, police work is a way of restoring harmony for her tribe and her family. Like most of us, she fulfills a variety of roles in her day to day life.

I hope you’ll get the chance to pick up both of these special books and give them a read. If you do, share your thoughts with us. We’d love to hear from you.

On sale this week...

A SOLDIER NEVER BREAKS HIS PROMISE....

Agent Harlan McClain has his target in sight. But he’s not pulling the trigger. Instead his assignment is providing Stacy Giordano—the governor’s aide—with security. An easy job for a former marine sniper. And yet, the guarded single mother’s beauty and devotion to her exceptional child soon have Harlan reshuffling his priorities. In the dead of night, in her bed, he promises to keep her and her son from harm. But when an unexpected crisis arises, Harlan is suddenly torn between keeping his word, and taking out a killer.…

Available in book stores starting October 4th. If you intend to buy the book, please buy it the first week if possible. Harlequin Intrigues don't stay on the shelves that long, and if you buy the first week, you might spike my sales enough to help me hit one of the bestseller lists! Wouldn't that be fun?

Okay, it would be fun for me, anyway. :)

Also, don't forget that I have three ebooks still available.

The first two are chock full of intrigue, romance and adventure. And my newest, MURDER IN LOVERS' LANE, is short but sweet, with a dollop of humor, oodles of romantic tension, a very hot kiss and a promise of even more Brody and Hannigan mysteries (and romance!) to come.

Q & A with Jake and Mariah Cooper on Intrigue Blog

I posted a little Q & A with the hero and heroine of Hitched and Hunted, my book that's currently on the bookshelves. (Have you bought your copy yet? Let me know what you think of it!)

I try not to spoil the book too much, but hopefully the Q & A will give you a little extra insight into the characters and help you enjoy the story that much more.

Also, you can ask them some questions of your own, if you're interested in doing so. I'd love to have a few more comments on the post!

RT Book Reviews - 4 1/2 Star for Cooper Vengeance

RT Book Reviews gave Cooper Vengeance, my June Intrigue, 4/12 stars and a lovely review:

COOPER VENGEANCE (4.5) by Paula Graves: It’s been 12 years since his wife was raped and murdered, but J.D. Cooper hasn’t stopped investigating the cold case. When Deputy Natalie Becker’s sister is murdered in the same small town where his wife grew up, evidence leads him to believe he’s closing in on the killer. Natalie suspects her brother-in-law, but she’s willing to join forces with J.D. to get their man. After years of working alone, J.D. finds himself distracted by his partner — which turns dangerous when the murderer starts targeting her. The final installment of the Cold Case miniseries neatly ties up all the loose ends and delivers a shattering, blood-drenched conclusion.

Cooper Vengeance is the final book of the Cooper Justice series, and the final book of the miniseries Cooper Justice: Cold Case Investigation. And don't let the "blood-drenched" conclusion worry you—the right guys do the bleeding. ;)

It's possible, I suppose, that my new Cooper series, coming in 2012, may end up going under a variation of Cooper Justice, since the Cooper cousins are also deeply involved in matters of justice. So perhaps I've spoken too soon when I say the series is over. We'll see.

If You CAN Quit, Do It...

I hang out at the eHarlequin Submission Care forum a lot, even though I've been published for five years now. I spent a lot of time there before I sold, talking to people who were in the same boat I was, and I like to post there still, sharing what I've learned since selling and encouraging writers who've hit a rough patch.

But there's something I always say when someone gets discouraged and starts talking about quitting altogether.

I say, "If you can quit, do it."

Sounds like the very opposite of encouragement, doesn't it? But I consider it a pep talk.

If you can quit, then you're not a writer anyway, and you might as well just stop and go find what you love to do and give it your passion and your attention. Writing is a hard business. It can be a cruel business. If you're trying to do it and you're just not meant to do it, then it can be a crushing business.

It takes passion, determination, guts, confidence and discipline to be a successful writer. It takes a tough hide, a tender heart and an open mind, which can be hard to cultivate simultaneously. Some people just aren't cut out for it, and to continue beating your head against a wall that you're never going to knock down—that you were never meant to knock down—is a waste of time, talent and passion.

So if you can really put down the pen, cover the typewriter or shut off the computer, for goodness sake, do it! You're not meant to be a writer, and you're wasting time that you should be devoting to the things you are meant to do. Go find your passion and live a rich, fulfilled life.

But if you can't walk away, then realize you're in this for the long haul, and if you're having trouble breaking through, it's time to get serious about what you're doing wrong. It's time to catalog what you're doing right. It's time to examine your motives for writing—maybe your writing efforts are focused in the wrong direction. It's time to examine your attitudes toward criticism—are you taking other people's suggestions to heart? Are you taking them too much to heart? Have you found your voice?

I think every writer, even a successful published one, needs to stop once in a while and take stock of what you're doing. Sometimes you can get in a writing rut even when you're selling. Maybe you should try something new, just so you don't get hidebound. Or maybe you should push yourself to increase your output so that you can get your name out there more.

If you're an unpublished writer who's been trying to break in to the same line or publishing company for a long time, without success, examine your options. Maybe your voice is all wrong for the line you're targeting. Maybe you should consider trying a different line, even if it takes you a little out of your comfort zone.

For me, I was targeting Silhouette Intimate Moments (the line which will be known as Harlequin Romantic Suspense a little later this year). I spent several years trying to break in there, with no success. Even the book I finally sold, Forbidden Territory, was written with Silhouette Intimate Moments in mind. Fortunately, I lucked into an Intrigue editor who recognized that I had an Intrigue voice. In her first revision letter to me after she purchased my book, she showed me what it took to write for Intrigue, and in the process of fulfilling those expectations, I realized that I could write Intrigues, which I'd avoided out of fear that I couldn't come up with the complex plots the line requires.

So, if you can quit writing, do it. But if you can't, then shake things up a little and see if you can find a new way to approach your desire for publication.

Want a little preview of Bachelor Sheriff?

As most of you know, my fourth Cooper Justice book, Bachelor Sheriff, comes out this month from Harlequin Intrigue. The hero is the youngest Cooper brother, Aaron, who you met in the first and third Cooper Justice books. Aaron is a former high school football star turned deputy sheriff. When the story starts, he's recently been promoted to an investigative role after doing time on patrol and later on a joint DEA task force.

The heroine, Melissa Draper, was a high school classmate of Aaron's. But if you're thinking high school sweethearts reunited, um, well, no. Melissa may have nursed a secret crush on Mr. Popular, but Aaron's memories of Melissa are a little hazier.

Funny that it turns out the girl he barely remembers from high school is quickly becoming the girl he can't get out of his head...

Anyway, for your reading pleasure, here's an excerpt from the beginning of the book, just to whet your appetites:

Jasper's low whine jarred Melissa Draper awake. Blinking to clear the sleep from her eyes, she peered into the inky gloom at the foot of her bed, where the Beagle-mix puppy usually slept. But Jasper wasn't there.

Her heart quickening, she sat upright. "Jasper?"

She kicked off the bedcovers and shivered, surprised to find the room had grown frigidly cold during the night. From the doorway, Jasper whimpered softly.

Melissa turned on the bedside lamp. Nothing happened. The digital alarm clock on her bedside table was also dark.

The power must be out. That explained the cold.

Outages weren't unusual where Melissa lived. Fallen tree limbs, lightning strikes—any number of events could cause a break in her power supply. She'd bought a gasoline generator last year for that very reason.

She kept a flashlight in the bedside table drawer. She found it and turned it on. A beam of light sliced the darkness, bouncing off a light haze.

Then the acrid smell of smoke hit her nose.

"Come, Jasper." She grabbed her robe and entered the narrow hallway. The puppy kept pace as she headed for the stairs.

As the smell of burning wood and plastic assaulted her in a bitter cloud, her heart rate soared. Now she could hear the faint shriek of the smoke detector going off downstairs.

Her house was on fire.

The hallway smoke detector went off right over her head, making her jump. Leaning against the wall, her hand over her galloping heart, she tried to think what to do next.

The phone in her room depended on electricity, but her cell phone usually worked, even this far out of town. It was in her purse downstairs. She had to get to it.

Gagging on the acrid haze, she crouched low and hurried to the top of the stairs. She paused there, peering down the steep stairs, her head swimming. She hated heights, even in full daylight when she could see each step down. With the bottom floor barely visible through the smoky haze, the dizzy sensation was that much worse.

Clinging to the rail all the way down, she reached the first floor unscathed. The smoke seemed to be coming from the back of the house, near the kitchen. Had she left the stove on?

She dropped to her knees, crawling through the thickening smoke toward her purse on the foyer table. Purse in hand, she groped her way to the door, reached up and twisted the dead bolt.

Nothing happened.

She tugged at the dead bolt again, but the lock didn't turn.

Beside her Jasper started to bark wildly, startling her. "It's okay, buddy, we're going to be okay." She could get out through the windows, breaking one if it didn't open.

First, she had to stay calm and think, while she still had time. What could she save before the fire consumed it?

Her pro bono files were in a metal file cabinet down the hall, but there were copies of those on disks in a safe-deposit box at the bank, plus digital copies of vital records on her laptop as well. The work files in the cabinet were just copies of files stored at the law office. There were some photos she didn't want to lose, but she wouldn't risk her life going back upstairs for them. Clothes, food and appliances could be replaced by the insurance check. All she had to save were her purse, her notebook computer and her dog.

She swung the long strap of her purse over her neck and grabbed the attaché case containing her notebook computer. "Let's go, Jasper."

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted movement outside. Turning her head, she saw what might have been a shadowy figure disappear past the far window facing the front porch.

She froze for a second, until a popping sound coming from the kitchen spurred her into action again. She dug her phone from her purse and dialed 911, reaching out to calm her frantic dog. "Jasper, shh…"

A female voice answered. "Chickasaw County 911."

"This is Melissa Draper. I live on Tuckahaw Road, south of the bridge. My house is on fire." Reaching up, she tried the door again. The lock wouldn't budge. "I'm also having trouble getting out of the house."

After a brief pause, the woman replied, "We've got units on the way. Is there a first floor window you can open?"

Melissa peered up at the windows that looked out on the porch. The memory of the mysterious shadow gave her a moment's pause. Had someone set the fire deliberately? Maybe cut the power to the house?

Was he outside, waiting for her?

She'd have to take the risk.

She pushed to her feet. "I'm putting the phone in the pocket of my robe. Just a minute." She swept the window drapes aside. Moonlight washed the front porch outside with cold blue light, dimmed by a light haze from the fire at the back of her house. From her vantage point, she saw nothing and no one moving outside.

She unlocked the window and tugged at the sash. Decades of old paint put up a fight, but she finally heard a soft crack over the wail of the smoke alarm, and the window rattled open. She unlatched the screen and pushed it onto the porch. It fell with a soft clatter.

"Come on, Jasper." She picked up the trembling dog and lowered him out the window onto the porch. Pulling up the hem of her robe, she crawled out the window in a hurry, hauling her purse and attaché over the sill with her. She landed with an awkward thump on the porch beside her frantic, barking puppy.

"We're out," she said into her cell phone, her gaze sweeping the front lawn for any sign of intruders. All she saw was winter-browned grass spreading twenty yards square, hemmed by woods on both sides and the narrow lane in front.

"You need to get away from the house. Head to a neighbor's house if it's too cold to wait outside," the 911 operator suggested.

Melissa's Volkswagen GTI sat in the driveway, a safe distance from the house. She and Jasper could wait there.

On her way to the porch steps, she paused by the door. Shining her flashlight on the dead bolt, she caught her breath when she spotted a small stick wedged into the keyhole. That's why she hadn't been able to unlock the front door.

Had someone put the stick there on purpose?

In the distance, wailing sirens broke the silence of the dark night. Melissa kept moving, clicking her fingers at Jasper and hoping he was unnerved enough by their current ordeal to follow her rather than haring off in all directions the way he usually did when he was off his leash. To her relief, he stayed close, hopping right into the car when she opened the door.

The car's interior was frigidly cold, making her wish that she'd considered her warm winter coat one of the necessary things to save from the fire. She doubted the cold engine would generate enough heat to make a difference before the firemen arrived, so she didn't risk it, huddling close to Jasper, grateful, for once, to have his warm puppy breath in her face.

A column of thick black smoke roiled from the back of her house. No flames visible yet, but a faint glow tinted the rising smoke and she tried not to think too hard about what parts of her house might be burning to the ground while she waited for the firemen to arrive.

She checked the car door locks one more time. Someone had stuck that twig in the dead bolt. Might have been a prank, but what if it wasn't? If Jasper hadn't started whining when he did, she might not have awakened until fire had engulfed the entire house. The time wasted trying to open the sabotaged door could have been the difference between living and dying.

But who would have done such a thing?

Ready to pick up your copy of Bachelor Sheriff? You don't have to wait for it to
show up in your bookstore. Click the link to the right and buy your copy from
eHarlequin right now.

(Full disclosure--I receive a commission for any sales resulting from the click-through).

Text Copyright © 2010 by Paula Graves. Cover Art Copyright © 2010 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited. Permission to reproduce text granted by Harlequin Books S.A. Cover art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved. © and ™ are trademarks of Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.

Book Contest WINNER!

And the official books read total for the long weekend?

:::drum roll:::

Three! Congratulations Pamela Keener for guessing right first!

I know it's not a big total, but my niece Ashlee decided to make this weekend a big Paula/Ashlee bonding weekend. We watched the whole first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on DVD, so that ate into a lot of my reading time.

I finished the book I mentioned in the update, plus Once a Cowboy by Linda Warren (Harlequin Romance) and The Baby's Guardian by Delores Fossen (Harlequin Intrigue).

Pamela, I'll email you to discuss the prize options. Thanks, everyone else, for playing along. I'll be having a lot more contests in coming months, as I have two books coming out in August and September. :)

Yay, turned in a book! Now let's have a contest!

The April 2011 book is winging its way to NYC, so I have two whole days, plus a long weekend, to read! Whoo hoo! So in honor of my rare chance to read, I'm going to throw together a little contest: how many books can I read by the end of day Monday?

Here are the parameters: I work full time today and tomorrow (and I didn't bring a book with me today to read on my lunch hour, darn it), but I'm off Saturday, Sunday and Monday. I have 7 pages a day to write each day, Saturday through Monday, but 7 pages don't take me a full day to write. And most of the books I'll read this weekend are probably going to be Intrigues, so we're talking short-ish books.

Got the details? Start guessing!

The first person to post the correct (eventual) number in the comments wins your choice of an autographed copy of any of my back list books I still have (I think I have at least one copy of all of them except my first book, although some of the copies may be large print), or a $5 gift certificate to any online retailer (bookseller or otherwise) who sells gift certificates online. (Because I'm lazy that way) :)

I'll check back in on Monday night to let you know the number and who won. And if you have any book recommendations, Intrigues or otherwise, share them with the peeps!

UPDATE:

One book finished. A while back, I downloaded several of the free e-books Harlequin offered to celebrate their 60th anniversary (the books are still available for download in .pdf format here). I read one of them, Married by Mistake by Abby Gaines. Sweet, funny, charming book. A marriage of convenience book done in an innovative and mostly believable way. If you like your romances sweetly spicy with plenty of charm, this is a good one.

Now to pick the next book to read...

Well, would you look at that...

Bachelor Sheriff is available for pre-order from Amazon.com.

What's it about?

When Melissa Draper wakes to find her house on fire, her first assumption is a wiring problem, not that someone's trying to kill her. She's not the kind of woman who stirs passions, good or bad, and she likes it that way. She's seen enough drama to last a lifetime, from her troubled childhood to her pro bono legal work for local women's shelters.

So when sheriff's deputy Aaron Cooper tells her the fire seems to have been set deliberately, Melissa's first instinct is to laugh it off—until the next attempt on her life leaves her shaken and full of questions. Who wants her dead? Could it be someone connected to her work with the women's shelter?

And does she dare say yes to charming, sexy Deputy Cooper's offer of 24/7, personal protection?

Pre-order now, pre-order often! :)

Blogging a couple of places today

In the spirit of a couple of my past blogs on the Intrigue Authors' blog on eHarlequin, I'm interviewing Kristen Tandy, the heroine of my February Intrigue, Chickasaw County Captive. Kristen has quite the tragic history, and in the interview, I touch on some of her past as well as ask her some personal questions that may illuminate more about her character.

Have you read Chickasaw County Captive? Would you like to know more about Kristen and her relationship with Sam, Maddy, her detective partner or anything else? Drop by the comments and ask her some questions yourself. I'll be giving away a free Barnes & Noble gift card or your choice of any book from my backlist that I have available.

Also, at some point today, I'll have a blog post up on the Writerspace blog. The topic of that one is "A Few of my Favorite Themes"—the themes I go back to again and again in my books. I think the themes you choose is part of your voice as a writer. The ones I list tell you a lot about me, and about the kinds of books I write.

I could be wrong, but I think I'm giving away books on this one, too. (Some of these guest blog posts are becoming a blur!)

UPDATE: The Writerspace blog post is also up now. No comments yet. :(

Sunday Night

Mark your calendars, my peeps. I'm chatting live on Writerspace on Sunday, 8 p.m. Central Time. (9 Eastern, 7 Mountain, 6 Pacific)

Just go here to the Writerspace Chat Room, pick a username and come chat with me! I'm giving away books and I'll answer any question you have about my books, about me, about writing--whatever. Well, almost any question. I know you people. I don't entirely trust you people. ;)

And by the way, here's my updated calendar for the next few months. I'll be adding stuff as I go, but mark your own calendars (or bookmark this post and follow the links):

FEBRUARY 2010

2/7/10 - Writerspace Chat - 8 p.m. CT
2/9/10 - CHICKASAW COUNTY CAPTIVE - available for purchase at most major booksellers
2/9/10 - Blog on Romance Magicians Blog
2/10/10 - Wednesday Writers Workshop on S & L
2/11/10 - Blog on Intrigue Authors Blog
2/12/10 - Writerspace Blog
2/13/10 - Blog on Pink Heart Society Blog
2/14/10 - Writerspace Valentine's Soiree - 7 p.m. CT
2/17/10 - Wednesday Writers Workshop on S & L
2/19/10 - Blog on Intrigue Authors Blog
2/24/10 - Wednesday Writers Workshop on S & L
2/25/10 - Blog on Intrigue Authors Blog
2/26/10 - Blog on WritteninInk Blog

MARCH 2010

3/3/10 - Wednesday Writers Workshop on S & L
3/10/10 - Wednesday Writers Workshop on S & L
3/17/10 - Wednesday Writers Workshop on S & L
3/19/10 - Blog on Intrigue Authors Blog
3/24/10 - Wednesday Writers Workshop on S & L
3/31/10 - Wednesday Writers Workshop on S & L

APRIL 2010

4/7/10 - Wednesday Writers Workshop on S & L
4/14/10 - Wednesday Writers Workshop on S & L
4/16/10 - Blog on Intrigue Authors Blog
4/21/10 - Wednesday Writers Workshop on S & L
4/28/10 - Wednesday Writers Workshop on S & L

MAY 2010

5/5/10 - Wednesday Writers Workshop on S & L
5/12/10 - Wednesday Writers Workshop on S & L
5/14/10 - Blog on Intrigue Authors Blog
5/19/10 - Wednesday Writers Workshop on S & L
5/26/10 - Wednesday Writers Workshop on S & L

JUNE 2010

6/2/10 - Wednesday Writers Workshop on S & L
6/9/10 - Wednesday Writers Workshop on S & L
6/16/10 - Wednesday Writers Workshop on S & L
6/18/10 - Blog on Intrigue Authors Blog
6/23/10 - Wednesday Writers Workshop on S & L
6/28/10 - Paula's Birthday
6/30/10 - Wednesday Writers Workshop on S & L

Blogging on Intrigue Authors today

Just a heads up that I'm blogging over at eHarlequin on the Intrigue Author's blog today. I think this might be a fun one--I post some deleted scenes from three of my books. Sometimes you just can't fit everything in that you want, or sometimes the scene just doesn't quite fit in the end.

So drop by and see what was left on the cutting room floor.

Comments, as always, are appreciated!

Blogging on Romance Magicians

I'm blogging today on Romance Magicians, the group blog of my local RWA chapter, Southern Magic. The topic? "What is it with the fishing thing?" I talk about the Cooper Justice series, and what inspired me to create a new series featuring a loving, boisterous family who run a fishing camp and marina in northeast Alabama. Drop by, give the whole blog a read. There are a wonderful bunch of writers posting there.

Plus, I'm giving away a $10 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble.

Thank You All.

I want to thank everyone who has been so supportive of my Blog Days of Christmas blog blitz. I've noted in previous blogs that I'm not a natural blogger, mostly for the same reason I'm not prone to journaling. I just don't like to talk about myself that much. Self promotion is difficult for me, but I've come to realize that my books won't get read if I don't get the word out somehow.

I do love hearing from my readers and fellow writers, however. I enjoy getting to know y'all through the comments, and I hope you'll keep coming back throughout next year. I plan to blog a little more regularly next year, because I've enjoyed this blog blitz a lot and I feel like I've made a few new cyberfriends this way. I'd also love for you to tell me in the comments of this post what kind of blog posts you'd like to see more of. Writing tips? A day in the life of a writer? Cat stories? Links to silly You Tube videos? I'd love to know what you're looking for in the blogs you read, so I'll know better how to provide the right kind of content.

Tomorrow, I'll post the final list of winners of the blog blitz, so check back for the results. And if you're on Facebook or Twitter, why don't you friend me or follow me? I'm pagraves on Twitter. I'm Paula Graves on Facebook, and there's a link to my Facebook fan page right here on my blog.

And while I'm being all self-promoty, don't forget you can order CASE FILE: CANYON CREEK, WYOMING right now on eHarlequin. It will be available on Kindle on 1/1/10 and will be available in bookstores and online at other book stores on 1/12/10. Romantic Times BookReview gave CASE FILE: CANYON CREEK, WYOMING 4 stars, calling it "terrifyingly intense."

CHICKASAW COUNTY CAPTIVE goes on sale on eHarlequin on 1/1/10 and is available elsewhere on 2/9/10. It should be available 2/1/10 on Kindle. I just learned that Romantic Times gave CHICKASAW COUNTY CAPTIVE 4 1/2 stars! "Peppered with multiple suspects, glaring tragedy and searing passion, this first-rate book has a conclusion you won't soon forget. "

Finally, if you read these two books and love them, be sure to mark your calendars for August and September 2010, when the next two Cooper Justice books become available from Harlequin Intrigue. ONE TOUGH MARINE will be out in August and BACHELOR SHERIFF in September. And remember, if you like my writing, tell a couple of romance-reading friends about my books and direct them here to my blog or to my website. Word of mouth is the best kind of advertising. (Plus, they can go to my website for a free read and see for themselves if they like my writing).

Thanks again, everyone! You've made the Blog Days of Christmas a lot of fun for me! Please check back--I have guest blogs and also some Writerspace chats coming up, and I'll be posting the information about them here as well as on Twitter and Facebook.

Carol of the (Hand)Bells.

A while back, before my knee and back problems made standing for long periods of time too excruciating to bear, I was a member of my church handbell choir. It was a lot of fun and at times, quite challenging. It's rather like being one (or, really, two, since you usually play at least two bells at a time) of the keys on a piano keyboard, and for music to happen, every key has to do their job just right or it all falls apart.

Anyway, when it works well, it can be beautiful to listen to and also fun to watch. So, here are a few handbell performances of Christmas music that I enjoyed listening to on You Tube.

Sleigh Ride



Carol of the Bells



Nutcracker Suite on handbells



God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen



And this one has nothing to do with Christmas, but dude. It's Stairway to Heaven on handbells. I couldn't leave it out in all good conscience.



How about you? Have you ever played in a handbell choir? Any fun You Tube handbell links you want to share? Comment and you could win a copy of Rita Herron's HIS SECRET CHRISTMAS BABY.

Also, I'm blogging today over at the Intrigue Author's Blog at eHarlequin. Please drop by--it's all about the kisses.

December Intrigue Spotlight

His Secret Christmas Baby by Rita Herron

Investigator Derrick McKinney's quiet bachelor life was shattered when the son he just learned existed was abducted right out from under the watchful eye of his beautiful guardian. And although she was left unconscious and heartbroken, someone feared Brianna Honeycutt saw more than she claimed, placing her life in danger. Working together, Derrick now had to push aside the long-buried attraction he'd always felt for Brianna. More determined than ever to end this nightmare and put a smile back on Brianna's face, Derrick vowed he'd stop at nothing to bring his baby home in time for Christmas….

About Rita Herron.

December Intrigue Spotlight

Beauty and the Badge by Julie Miller

When girl next door Beth Rogers pounded on Detective Kevin Grove's door in the middle of the night, she awakened not only the cop, but also the die-hard protector. His spunky neighbor had uncovered scandalous secrets about a murder and someone was threatening to silence her…permanently.

After one heartbreak too many, Kevin was ready to call it quits. With his brawn and tough-guy looks, no woman had been able to see the caring soul that lurked beneath. But with one look into Beth's frightened eyes, the true-blue hero couldn't turn her away. Now, with every step leading them closer to danger, the safest place was in each other's arms.

About Julie Miller.

Back when I was a kid...

I wrote earlier about how much I loved Christmas morning as a kid. Most of the reason, of course, was that I couldn't wait to unwrap all those presents I'd been anticipating.

So today, I'm going to share some of my favorite toys of Christmas past.

Baby Tender Love

Although I went tomboy in my pre-teens, when I was a very little girl, I was obsessed with dolls. I loved them, especially the ones that were more "real." I didn't like the hard plastic dolls. Give me the soft rubber skin of Baby Tender Love. I still remember how I lit up when I realized Baby Tender Love had soft nylon "skin" that almost felt like a real live baby. I started badgering my parents to get me one for Christmas, and I suffered great angst waiting to find out if they would actually do it. When I found Baby Tenderlove lying under the tree, I was ecstatic.

G.I. Joe with Kung Fu Grip

Technically, this was actually my brother's Christmas gift, but it didn't take long for me to commandeer Joe for my own purposes. You see, Barbie needed a boyfriend. And Ken? Kent wasn't gettin' it done. My Barbie had it bad for G.I. Joe with Kung Fu Grip. He was hairy, scarred and carried a big gun.

Clearly, I was prepping to write for Intrigue even back then.

Silly Putty

They had me at "You can even pick up pictures..."

Misty of Chincoteague doll

This was during my horse phase. I loved the book Misty of Chincoteague and absolutely had to have the figurine. After all, Barbie and G.I. Joe needed transportation, and Joe categorically refused to ride in the pink Corvette.

So, what about you? What were some of your favorite Christmas gifts when you were a kid? Tell us in the comments and I'll draw for someone to win a copy of Dani Sinclair's December Intrigue, Police Protector!