September 2003 Newsletter

It is 2:30 a.m. in the morning here in Oklahoma and I just got THE call.  My daughter-in-law, Kim is in labor and the first grandchild is on her way.  Savannah Elizabeth Price is about to make a grand entrance into the world and just as soon as I finish this newsletter, I am on my way to Dallas.  Forgive me if I make this one a short one. The new grandma is outta here.

Sandi Price

http://www.romanceauthorspage.com

School’s started, the clouds are thick and the rain is starting.  One glance out my window confirms it’s autumn.  Each season of the year holds its own fascination, but I have to admit autumn is my favorite for a variety of reasons.  One of which is . . . Cedar Cove.

The third book in the ongoing Cedar Cove series, 311 PELICAN COURT, is out this month, and you’ll find an excerpt on my website.  In case you hadn’t noticed, you can tell the number of the book within the series by the house number:  e.g. 16 LIGHTHOUSE ROAD (first book), 204 ROSEWOOD LANE (second book), 311 PELICAN COURT (third book).

Okay, here’s the BIG NEWS:  Ta da. . . very soon now there will be a number of CEDAR COVE products available through my website.  We’re talking absolutely top of the line quality coffee cups, aprons, note cards, candles, Seagull Plops (chocolate variety) and tote bags.  We’ll sell the products via www.debbiemacomber.com in the Cedar Cove Store and also by mail.  I’ll send out a newsflash as soon as the products are available and the info is online. 

We’re so excited around here, we can hardly stand it!

Have a fabulous month, and I’ll check in with you in October, when THE SNOW BRIDE will be out.

Warmest regards,

Debbie Macomber

A BIG OCTOBER FOR LAURA ABBOT http://www.nettrends.com/lauraabbot

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 October starts out with a bang!  I’ll be heading to Kansas City to give a program for my friend’s book club.  The timing couldn’t be better because MY NAME IS NELL (Harlequin Superromance, #1162) will be out mid-month.  Hopefully  I can entice them to buy the book by teasing them with the story of Brady Logan and Nell Porter, two “lost souls” who find one another, only to have a secret, belatedly revealed, threaten to tear them apart.

My NAME IS NELL Harlequin Superromance7 October 2003

More fun in later October when my Kansas City friend and her husband will join us for a trip to Jessieville, Arkansas, for a leisurely few days at our favorite bed and breakfast, coincidentally the site of the inspiration for MY NAME IS NELL (see the reader letter in the book).  Besides the inn’s hospitality, there should be some Halloween fun afoot!

 

I have a sneaking suspicion that October will also find me busy with the line-edit of THE WRONG MAN, my March Superromance.  Still, I plan to find lots of time to enjoy the clear blue skies, sparkling waters, and brilliant foliage of Northwest Arkansas.

 

Laura Abbot 

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SHARON SALA WRITES . . . BAWDY? http://www.nettrends.com/sharonsala

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Hey Ya'll,

It went from a hundred and one degrees to barely in the eighties. From lows at night of in the nineties to the fifty degree marks. I'm telling you this because this is why you might have heard that great big loud YIKES when I stuck my toes in the swimming pool the other day. Sigh. I spent all summer fighting algae growth and just when I get it really good and cleared up, it's going to be too cold to swim. Oh for the good old days when I thought nothing of getting in the pond with the muddy water, fishes and snakes... and the occasional old cow who had to come see what all the noise was about.

OUT OF THE DARK October 2003

I have a new book coming out in October called OUT OF THE DARK. It's a Sala book released by Mira and for all of my faithful readers who still claim that JACKSON RULE is the book of mine they most love, then I'm going to challenge you to say that again after reading OUT OF THE DARK. I had such a difficult time writing it, but only because of the subject matter, and yet I'm probably most proud of it for the same reason.
I hope it touches an echoing chord in your hearts as it has mine.

My grandson turns two years old on the 28th of September. This is the little baby who was born premature, who had the serious lung infection, RSV, before he was six months old, and who had no hair or eyelashes for ages. He's a whopping 40 pounds. Way over three feet tall. Wears a size eight shoe and size five toddler clothes. Yep. We went from itty bitty to oh boy and are so thankful. His daddy is a very tall man and my daughter is above average height, so his size is easily understandable, but Grammy sure does have a hard time picking him up. He's still a little fellow, only his size is intimidating. <g>

I also have wonderful news to share with you regarding my Auntie, who's been in chemo treatments for cancer for the past six months. Before the treatments started, she'd just undergone a third surgery for a third cancer, during which spots on her liver were found, in the lining of her pelvis, and back in her colon, where it had been a year and a half before. So we took her for a round of tests after her fourth round of
chemo and after CAT scans, blood tests, etc.... NO CANCER WAS FOUND ANYWHERE, not even in the liver where it's very rare to see remission or cure. She's 78 years old and was just about ready to give up, believing that nothing was working. Now, she has a smile on her face and even though she's still horribly weak, is living with hope when before there was none. Just wanted to share that with you... plus the fact that when the doctor told us I did the Snoopy dance. Made my mother, my Auntie, and the doctor laugh. But I have no shame, not when it comes to miracles.

Now that we're into my favorite time of year, which is fall, I feel liberated from the heat and the sunburns and the new layer of freckles. I rejoice in this day and wish all of you a great season of cool nights and crisp mornings and a long, happy life.


Love to all,
Sharon Sala
aka
Dinah McCall
 

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BARBARA MCCAULEY - OODLES? http://www.barbaramccauley.com

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Ah, autumn is here.  Warm days, chilly nights, the crisp scent of fall leaves.  The eager anticipation of Halloween, pumpkin patches and trick or treaters.  Flannel sheets come out and patio cushions are put away, and I say goodbye to another summer.  And as hot as this past summer was, I'm thankful to put it behind me!  

I've put my Aloha basket together and ONE LUCKY WINNER will be chosen October 2.  Come check out my website and take a look--this one's my favorite!  A palm tree photo album, an Aunt Sadie's candle that smells like the beach--really! and a bag of chocolate  macadamians--all in a wooden box container. 
 

YOU JUST MIGHT WIN THIS ONE!

Where did summer go?  Actually in Arizona--Scottsdale anyway--it lingering.  Temps are in the triple digits still, but when I walk my five miles every morning around 5:30 am I can actually feel a nip in the air.  Some of you would laugh, because even at that hour the temperature is in the 80s, but trust me, I'm climatized.  Evenings are wonderful; it actually goes down into the 70s.  We eat outside, go for walks, drive with the convertible top down, just like the rest of the country.  Soon, once temps lower to the 60s, we'll be lighting the outdoor fire place and cuddling up to it with a cup of hot rum.  Well, maybe not, but Cabernet will taste better by the glow of a fire.

Other than a drive to Santa Fe--it's 500 miles, but I'd gotten a new car and wanted to road test it--and ten days in San Diego, I mostly stayed in the area this summer and braved the heat.  The San Diego trip was interesting.  We stayed in the beautiful and historic Inn at Rancho Santa Fe,  (not to be confused with Santa Fe, New Mexico) and for the most part it's very posh, but those of us who run with the dogs were given special accommodations, not quite as posh.  I spent a lot of my holiday trying to keep Sergio and Tiger--my six pound Yorkies--from being eaten by bruisers who weren't afraid of the gauntlets the Yorkie Brothers threw down every time they spotted another dog on their territory.  We did, however, manage to play golf a few times, go to the beach, attend the horse races at the fabulous Del Mar Race Track and eat far two many wonderful dinners, even if they did consist mostly of seafood. 

I'm ready for the "season" to start, no question.  All of life in Scottsdale revolves around golf and as I type, I'm watching a big crew scalp the course that's just beyond my back yard.  Lots of dead grass, pollen and chemicals in the air at the moment, but within a few days the new Bermuda grass will be sewn and we'll be impatiently letting nature, by way of gentle sun with a boost of the underground watering system, turn the waste land into a field of green.  In a month, we and two hundred and fifty of our friends will be scurrying around in little carts digging up the new course with bad iron shots.  It happens every year if we can just get past summer.

I'm between books at the moment, trying my best to stick with a self promise to take a hiatus until January 1st, when I always start a new book.  Genesis Press has slotted SLIGHTLY IMPERFECT, the sequel to BROKEN, for August '04 and the follow up book, SINS OF THE FATHERS, (I'm calling it a trequel) for April '05.  Both will debut under Genesis's revamped Genesis-Fiction imprint with SLIGHTLY IMPERFECT being honored as the launch selection.  Already though, I'm gripped with the idea for a new book, a mainstream romance ripped from current headlines.  It will be set in Arizona, like my most recent release, UNBREAK MY HEART.  There are a wealth of stories in Arizona, so I doubt I'll be waiting until January to tell one.

I hope everyone's children reentered the school year enthusiastically and now that you have the house back to yourselves the solitude is more comforting than echoing.   I scarcely remember those days, but it seems to me I fully welcomed the solitude and still would, but believe it or not, it's harder to come by at this stage of my life than back then.  Another of life's mysteries.

Take care and happy reading.

Dar Tomlinson

I’ve just returned from Hawaii, where I kicked back and worked again after a few hectic months promoting my first contemporary hardcover, LOVER’S LANE.
 

LOVER’S LANE

Booksignings can be stressful experiences, even for the veteran writer, but this time around, mine were GREAT, thanks to old and new friends and readers who surprised me at every event.

At the Borders in Chino, CA, I was surprised by two of my former kindergarten students, Sharon Six and Ambra Dodd. Ambra is now a teacher, and she had just graduated that day with a degree as a reading specialist, and she credited ME with inspiring her to become a teacher. After a few tears, we shared some laughs, especially when she told me she had expected to find me o-l-d. I told her that I was a mere child when I was teaching.

I had two readers drive all the way from Fontana, California, to Long Beach for a signing,  I and overwhelmed by that! (The Southern California freeways can be daunting.)

Got any good ideas for contemporary settings that you’d like to see?  How about Hawaii?  Please leave me a note on the guestbook at www.jillmarielandis.com.  You just might inspire a novel 

While you’re zipping around the Internet, visit All About Romance – http://www.likesbooks.com/landis.html -- where you’ll find the interview Laurie Gold did with me.  It was great fun, and I revealed some neat information, such as the fact that Michael Crichton has a home a few blocks away from ours in Hawaii.  (I've met him, and he's a very nice guy. Hollywood seems to have found our island!)

Until next time,
Fond Aloha!
Jill Marie

Now that Pam Binder has drawn the winners in her MY SECRET PROTECTOR Bed & Breakfast contest, two very lucky readers will be heading for a weekend of elegance and pampering.

Two winners?  Yes, there were actually two contests – one for those who signed up on Pam’s website (or who entered at the RWA Literacy Reception in New York in July) – and a second contest for those who signed up and mentioned reading about the contest in RT BookClub magazine.  (See, it pays to read that magazine!) 

The winners are:

Melissa Lawson, of New London, Connecticut, who will spend a weekend at Saratoga Arms in Saratoga Springs, NY.  Award winning Saratoga Arms is an 1870 Second Empire brick hotel, located in the heart of the historic downtown, just minutes away from Saratoga Race Course, Americas oldest thoroughbred track.  Melissa used to live in Saratoga Springs and had always admired this loving dwelling.  An aspiring author, Melissa plans to do research while she’s in the area – and plans to spend some time writing, of course!  You can read more about Saratoga Arms at http://www.saratoga-lodging.com/  Congratulations, Melissa!

Amanda Paige, of Little Rock, Arkansas, will be treated to a weekend at The Empress of Little Rock. Following the Civil War, James H. Hornibrook moved to Little Rock from Toronto and established a profitable business as a saloonkeeper. Shunned from the proper Scott Street society because of his occupation, Hornibrook waited until his competitor saloonkeeper had completed his home, the Villa Marré, and then proceeded to build the most extravagant dwelling in the state. Legend has it that Hornibrook kept a card game going in the tower room of the mansion, where he could watch for raids on his establishment.  In 1897, the Hornibrook Mansion became the Arkansas Women's College, the state's first. Between the Depression and the early 1940s the house stood vacant and became a nursing home in 1948. It was a private residence and apartments until 1994, when it was restored to become The Empress. Read more about Amanda’s destination on http://www.theempress.com/.

In less then a month, Pam will be at the Romantic Times Convention in Kansas City, where conventioneers will dance into the night at her Sunday evening Pam Binder Pajama Party.  If you go to the Convention, be sure to arrive at Pam’s party early.  The first 150 who do will receive Pam Binder’s 2003 MY SECRET PROTECTOR sleepshirt.

Clearly, Pam Binder knows how to entertain her readers.  For a sampling of her entertaining novels, visit www.pambinder.com, where you’ll find excerpts of all her books now.                

One of the most buzzed-about books of this year was Deborah Smith’s hardcover, SWEET HUSH, and little wonder.  In her inimitable Southern style, Deborah created a riotous bunch of characters who could charm the apples off the trees, which is an appropriate comment, because Sweet Hush is all about apples.  In this charming novel, Hush McGillen, the owner of a Georgia apple farm, becomes the focus of national attention when her son returns from college, married to the sole offspring of the President of the United States – and she’s pregnant!  Nick, the bodyguard who arrives to watch over the First Daughter, has as many secrets as Hush, and he finds himself engrossed in the welfare of not one lady but two.

The SWEET HUSH paperback will arrive in bookstores around the country in early January, just when women everywhere sit back, kick up their feet, and treat themselves to some spoil-me fiction after the holiday rush.

SWEET HUSH

As a special treat to readers, Deborah has written a short SWEET HUSH story that will be tucked into the back of the January paperback.

Here’s the set-up for the story:  On the eve of Hush and Nick's big White House wedding, Nick has to rush off to the Middle East on a special mission to save an old Arabic friend from a minor-league Osama-wannabe, who's kidnapped him. It's top secret, so Hush, the President, Edwina, et al, have to pretend in public that they aren't worried sick.  In the meantime, comic chaos ensues at the White House as Edwina tries to control an invasion of Hush's rowdy relatives.

Before the holiday rush descends, put SWEET HUSH on your January must-buy list – and read an excerpt at www.deborahsmith.com.

By the end of the day Thursday, September 25, Linda Lael Miller just might need some throat lozenges.

DON’T LOOK NOW

That’s the day of her radio satellite tour that will find her being interviewed by 21 radio stations and networks across the country.  The subject:  DON’T LOOK NOW, her new romantic thriller from Atria Books, and Linda Lael Miller’s Scholarships for Women.

From CNN, ABC, Voice of America and USA Radio Network to Milwaukee’s WBEV-AM “Idea Exchange” (this one at 11 a.m. local time), radio producers jumped at the chance to interview Linda.  Fifteen of the interviews will be taped, and six will be live. If you hear Linda on the air in your city, why don’t you visit her guestbook on www.lindalaelmiller.com and let her know.

Linda’s publisher decided to do the radio satellite tour, in lieu of the previously announced trip to Denver, Cincinnati and Kentucky.  This way more women across the country will learn about that sexy, sassy crime-solving couple in DON’T LOOK NOW, Clare and Tony – and more will learn how to apply for Linda’s scholarships.

You’ll find the downloadable scholarship rules and application on Linda’s website, along with an excerpt of DON’T LOOK NOW, which has already scored on the NEW YORK TIMES extended list.  Watch Linda’s website for the excerpt of her November book, SHOTGUN BRIDE, the second in the trilogy featuring those rascal McKettrick cowboy brothers.  There will also be a contest posted soon for a fabulous SHOTGUN BRIDE bed tray.

Jill Marie Landis - Magnolia Creek
     Pamela McKee, Randallstown, MD

Debbie Macomber - Darling Daughters
     sabrina estrada peoria, az

Georgina Gentry - TO TAME A TEXAN
     Nicole L. Codling Temperance, MI

Linda Lael Miller - LAST CHANCE CAFE
     Susan Carey Gainesville,FL

Barbara McCauley - WHERE THERE'S SMOKE
     Shana Champagne Millville, MA

Dar Tomlinson - UNBREAK MY HEART
     Sandy Greeno Waverly, NY

Gayle Lynds - MOSAIC
    ORFELINDA SALINAS MISSION, TX

That's All for this month,
Sandi Price