We've Moved House!

We've moved house. Come and check out our new website and blog. We'd love to see you :-)

Our new address is here

Shelley

Underwear, Elastic and Words of Wisdom

A friend of mine sent me this the other day, compliments of the Oprah Winfrey Show (which I never watch). But I just love these words of wisdom from Maya Angelou.

When asked about what she's learned in life, Ms. Angelou said:

1. "I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow."
2. “I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights."
3. "I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life."
4. "I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as "making a life."
5. "I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance."
6. "I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back."
7. "I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision."
8. "I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one."
9. "I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back."
10. "I've learned that I still have a lot to learn."
11. "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

I don't usually forward chain letters, but if you like, feel free to pass this on to five phenomenal women today. If you do, something good will happen: You will boost another woman's self-esteem. If you don't...the elastic will break and your underpants will fall down around your ankles!

TJ

Facial Hair for Heroes

Heroes and their physical appearance have figured on my mind recently since I'm starting to write a new book. After thinking about it I realized that every single one of my heroes so far has been clean shaven. That's about twenty-five books worth of clean shaven heroes with a sprinkling of stubble here and there.

It's not that I have any objections to facial hair on men. My husband has a moustache, and I don't mind a beard if it's well-groomed and not too bushy - sort of a goatee type. Bushy, Santa Claus beards - no. Not going there.

My husband grew a beard when we did an overland trip through Africa. By the time we reached London he looked wild and woolly. Definitely not a nice look although it did come in handy on Christmas day. He looked the part when he dressed up as our Santa Claus and distributed presents. Apart from the gray that is. In Africa our Santa's beard was on the ginger side!

What do you think about facial hair on your romantic heroes?

Beauty and The ... Jerk?

When I read a romance, I read for the fantasy of the story. I want something that won’t remind me of all the stuff I deal with on a daily basis. But while reality bites, there has to be a bit of life thrown in so I can relate to and/or understand the characters.

Heroines are important in any story, but today I wanna talk about men.

The hero in any book plays half the part, which means he's got a major role, in whether I'll escape reality and curl up with the story until my eyeballs cross or I fall asleep. I have yet to see a book cover with an ugly man on it. But what do you do when the hero on the cover of the book doesn't quite match up with the hero inside the book?

What do you mean, TJ? Do you mean the guy on the cover is six-foot-four, drop dead gorgeous with rippling abs and, er, certain other desirable body parts, while the hero in the story is five-foot-four with a face like a pit bull?

Not really.

What I mean is when I'm finished reading the blurb and drooling over the cover, I expect a story where the hero and heroine have a hell of a ride to happily-ever-after. Now that doesn't mean the hero can’t be flawed. Doesn't mean I can't do a haunted, broken, trying-to-figure-out-life kind of guy. Now, what the hell does that have to do with romance?

If the hero is more beautiful inside than outside, it's still a story I can get into. In the end, it’s all about the jerk factor. And that factor is different for everyone.

Hero + Gorgeous + Alpha + Vulnerable = Oh baby!
Hero + Broken But Strong of Heart + Not So Gorgeous + Willing To Go All Out = Oh, baby!
Hero + Gorgeous + Jerk = TJ Moving On To The Next Story

What adds up to an awesome or not-so-awesome hero for you?

Oh, Come On Contest Winner

The names have gone into the hat...and the winner is (drum rolllll) ...

KimW!

Since you're shivering from the cold where you live, you'll receive a download of Spirit of the Pryde. Nice and warm where the lions have come out to play :D

Kim, please e-mail me at tj@tjmichaels.com with the format you'd prefer.

You have one week to claim your prize.

Tootles, ya'll!

Unforgettable by Shelley Munro

My next release, UNFORGETTABLE is out on Feb 21. It's sort of crept up on me and I hadn't realized release day was so close until I saw my cover on the Ellora's Cave coming soon page. My website isn't even updated yet, although my web lady has the info and the update should be finished in the next few days.

Unforgettable is a historical set during World War 2. It's a story that has niggled at me for ages, demanding that I wrote it.

Here's the blurb:

1941. Britain is at war and under threat from the enemy. Life is fragile and love is more important than ever.

Margo can’t forget Johnnie. A chance meeting brings an opportunity to correct past mistakes, to show him they belong together. Bombs rain down on the city and they take refuge. It’s a night of discovery, of passion and bittersweet love laced with danger and the realization that Johnnie must return to fight the enemy. Margo is thrilled, but in the morning old problems resurface and she faces one final test to prove their love is unforgettable.


Also out last week: SNAP!

Snap! is available now from Triskelion Publishing in e-format and the print version is now available for preorder on Amazon.

Snap! is a humorous look at what happens when Alice receives an unexpected inheritance. Once Alice learns her inheritance is a condom company her life becomes full of complications...

It's All About the Romance

I've seen a few posts online lately about readers purchasing books labeled as romances but on reading them they discover there's nothing romantic about the book. i.e. no satisfying happy-ever-after ending. This leads to a cheated feeling on the part of the reader, and it probably doesn't help the author's sales either since unhappy readers tend to vote with their wallets.

As a reader I stick mainly to romance with the odd foray into mysteries, fantasy and science fiction. At the moment I'm reading The Better Part of Valor by Tanya Huff. It's a science fiction and anyone who has read this story will know there's no romance. But, the seeds of possibility are there. Although I'm enjoying the book, I keep thinking, "Go on. Get the heroine involved with that human guy. I know she likes him." This is the second Tanya Huff book I've read recently and I thought the same thing all the way through the book. To be fair, the heroine is pretty busy fighting aliens and keeping her team of marines alive. I don't suppose there is much time for her to hook up romantically even though I keep hoping.

For a book to qualify as a romance, it needs a relationship between two people that grows throughout the book and ends in a happy-ever-after. That's my definition, at any rate, and the way I classify a book as a romance or as something else.

What do you think about the way some publishers are labeling their products as romances when they're not really a romance at all?

How do you define romance?

Shelley

Oh, come on! (Contest)

Ya'll, I have so had it with the snow. Now only is there still snow all around my house from the first blizzard before Christmas, but there's been snow every weekend for the last four weeks. I don't typically like Colorado summers because they're so darned hot, but I'm actually looking forward to a bit of heat.

What's happening with the weather in your neck of the woods?

For everyone who posts, your name will go into a hat. If selected and you happen to live in a part of the country that frickin' freezing, your prize will be a download of SPIRIT OF THE PRYDE, set in the balmy Spring weather of Wyoming.

If your name is drawn and you happen to live in a part of the country that's good and warm, I'll send you a download of Gift Wrap Optional, set in the snowy Colorado mountain.

Happy Upcoming Spring!

TJ