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

Love Motels?

As most of you know I have a fixation on Japan. As a matter of fact, part of Book 3 of the V.C.O.E. series takes place there. A friend of ours, a former San Diego-an, now lives there with his family. Here's a snippet of an e-mail he recently sent regarding the Japanese "love motel."

What does this have to do with romance novels? Well, it's kinda got me thinking. I typically write about women who have some life experience, are accomplished in their own lives BEFORE they meet their destined mate. But what if both the hero and heroine are successful in their careers, but neither has any experience with the dynamics of love relationships? Or one has kids and the other is taking care of his aging parents? The issue – no privacy.

As you read, keep in mind, these are not the sleaze shops we see on the news here in the U.S. (for example, a call girl wouldn't use a love motel to, er, conduct business in Japan) could you see a couple in one of your favorite novels going to a love motel?

Here's what Pete wrote:
"One of the more famous recent images of Japan are its "love hotels," those interesting establishments which provide privacy for couples who would otherwise have no place to go to be alone. They're known by many names, including "avec," "tsurekomi yado," and "motel" (which causes plenty of confusion when Japanese go to the U.S. for the fist time), but the industry seems to be encouraging the term "fashion hotel" to promote a more positive image for the 21st century. For $40 (a 3 hour "rest") or $80 (an overnight” stay"), couples can enjoy an intimate experience with total privacy, complete with separate elevators for incoming and outgoing guests and a pneumatic tube system that lets you pay without ever meeting anyone. "

"Generally located around the outskirts of Japanese cities or near freeway on-ramps, love hotels are often centered around a theme, like the Taj Mahal or Cinderella's Castle or Alcatraz Prison. (I'm holding for a room based on the final scenes from 2001:A Space Odyssey, complete with Monolith and space pod.) While the pragmatic concept of love hotels might seem odd to some, I believe they serve an important role in society here, and even help keep families from disintegrating. In the U.S., an eighteen-year-old boy who gets a girlfriend has an incentive to move out with her, perhaps making mistakes that both will regret down the road. But in Japan, where kids stay in the nest well into their 20s (and if they're the oldest son or daughter, live with their parents forever, taking over the family home and business, if there is one), everyone has access to all the privacy they could need."

Perhaps Kenoe Hatsept (character you meet in V.C.O.E. Books 1 and 2) will end up in one of these in Book 3? Perhaps the Taj Mahal themed place? Hmmmm...

Historical Blitz

I haven't read a historical for ages. I used to love them, in fact my keeper shelf contains quite a few historicals written by Amanda Quick, Julie Garwood, Andrea Kane, Judith McNaught and Johanna Lindsey. I went off historicals a bit when they started to read as the same book with slightly different characters and were all set during the Regency time period. I've always loved paranormals (before they became fashionable) so I just read more of those to compensate.

The other day I picked up THE RAVEN PRINCE by Elizabeth Hoyt. I finished it yesterday and can't wait to buy her next book, which is due out this year. It's set in 1760, which is pre-regency, and has an older heroine (a widower) and a hero who has bad small pox scars. I loved the characters. The hero has a temper but this doesn't throw the heroine in the slightest.

I'm reading TEMPT ME by Lucy Munroe at the moment. It's a regency set book (1820) and so far it seems more traditional than THE RAVEN PRINCE but I'm still enjoying it. Obviously I needed a bit of a rest from historicals to appreciate them again.

In a bit of blatant promo I've written two historicals. The first is THE SECOND SEDUCTION. It's available now from Amazon etc and is set during Georgian times (1720 England), which is my favorite period. I actually think people were naughtier in the era than during Regency times. My second historical is called UNFORGETTABLE and it's out on Feb 21 from Ellora's Cave. This book is set during World War 2, which is my other favorite setting. Although on the surface the time was very proper, the war changed everything and love made people feel alive. Sex and love was a way of affirming life.

Do you read historicals? What is your favorite setting? Have you read a good historical lately?

Help! I Have A Book To Read...

I am officially e-spoiled. I hardly ever go to the local bookstore anymore, getting anything I need online. Well, I received a Barnes & Noble gift card for Christmas and went to the local bookstore to 'spend' it. Spotting a couple of books in the Fantasy section I've been wanting forever, I snapped 'em up and was hooked by page 2...but haven't read much further.

I'M SPOILED! So hooked on my eBook reader I've found myself re-reading books on my eBookwise rather than the new books I just picked up at the bookstore.

Why? Because most of my reading is done late at night in bed. I can read my eBook reader in the dark. If I fall asleep it'll turn itself off. I can read and flip pages with one hand. It's nice to lay on my side, propped up on pillows and enjoying my book...and not have to move anything but a finger.

I still have bookshelves and boxes stuffed with great books I've read. But until my two recent paperback purchases, all of my last one hundred and fifty or so books (I've lost count) were all eBooks.

Do you have a preference? If so, why? Most important, can you recommend a good e-diction therapist?!

TJ
www.tjmichaels.com

Frantic Friday

I've tried to think of a clever title for Friday, much like Lauren's Titilating Tuesday. At the moment I'm stuck with Friday so if anyone has a brainwave please let me know.

It's true my week has been a bit frantic. I've been working on final edits for SNAP! all week and I'm pleased to say that they're all completed. In fact SNAP! releases on Jan 15 from Triskelion Publishing.

On Wednesday I went for my normal bike ride in the middle of the day. It helps to clear the cobwebs after writing or editing each morning. I had a wee bit of an accident. I was almost home and took a corner too fast. Suddenly there was a tree in front of me, and I just didn't have time to serve or brake. Crash! Bang! Ouch!

I picked myself up and managed to move all my limbs. The rate of blood flow wasn't too bad - just a bit of a gash on the top of my foot. I checked my bike next. It was covered with dirt and seemed to work. Um, the tree I'd crashed into was a sapling. I think it suffered the most since it was partially uprooted and leaned in a totally different direction. I rode my bike home and waited into I walked inside before bursting into tears then rang hubby. He was very sympathetic but has teased me ever since. We had to walk past and inspect the tree. My husband suggested I hug it. Insert eyeroll here. Does anyone want to take a family off my hands? They're not very well trained...

Anyway, I learned something from my accident - If you think you're taking a corner too fast, you probably are!

Thankfully the bruises are starting to fade (I had some beauties!) and my shoulder is not as stiff as it was the day after the accident.

I have a new cover for the electronic version of Talking Dogs, Aliens and Purple People Eaters. I quite like it. That's my little dog on the cover - pure snobbiness with her nose stuck in the air.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Does anyone have exciting plans?

Come Rub Toes With The Founder Of...

...Samhain Publishing!

Yep, we've done it! The Dynamic Trio has scheduled the founder of Samhain Publishing, Ms. Christina Brashear, to come and hang out with us next Tuesday. Thanks in advance to the Maverick Authors who so graciously agreed to let us use their live chat room (actually, Lauren threatened them with a fork, but don't tell anyone).

Now, this is gonna be fun! Well, TJ, how do you know? Because Crissy is a hoot! Not to mention there's not a sane one among the Dynamic Trio. Some of ya'll were lulled into thinking I'm sane. But that's only becuase I've been in edit hell and off the loops for a minute. As for Lauren (Red Tigress) and Shelley (Blue Vixen) ... well, they just look sane but, take away their chocolate and shifters and they go plain bananas.

We'll be chatting, pimpin' books and giving away stuff so join us!
When: Tuesday, Jan 16th at 9:00pm EST
Where: The Maverick Authors Live Chat Room

(http://www.maverickauthors.com/chatroom.html)

A Diary of Books Read for 2007

I've noticed lots of bloggers mentioning the number of books they've read during 2006 and their favorites. To date I've read lots of books. I don't keep a list (except inside my head) and have no idea of the number of books read in a given year or the breakdown of genres or format. I decided it would be cool to keep a running list for the year so I have stats for 2007. I thought a simple spreadsheet would be the thing.

I read Nice Mommy~Evil Editor's blog fairly often and she had a post about a reading spreadsheet Rosario is offering at her blog. At first glance it's a bit complicated but it's so pretty. If you're thinking of charting your reading for the year definitely check it out.

I came to a decision - I'm going to give it a try.

Do you keep a record of books read during the year? If so, how do you record it?

Shelley

Ice Cream

I love ice cream - really love ice cream - but it's not something we normally have in our house. For one, the freezer is too small for ice cream and two, I normally spend the calories on chocolate because that's my absolute favorite :-)

A few years ago we purchased an ice cream making machine. For several months we had lots of ice cream and experimented with flavors and recipes before deciding that we needed to stop for a while. We were both getting jelly bellies, which I can assure you is not a nice look!! This year we decided we'd drag the machine out of the cupboard and make ice cream. Just once or twice, you understand, and somehow we'd fit the ice cream in the freezer.

Yum!

The favorite flavor in our house at the moment is vanilla with shreds of real chocolate plus the left over apricot glaze (most of it was used on the Christmas ham). We've cut down on the sugar a little so it's not too sweet and it is just delicious.

And a confession - we've been eating LOTS of ice cream. Jelly belly alert :-(

Who likes ice cream? What is your favorite flavor? Have you ever tried making your own ice cream?

Dang It, I'm Late!

I usually post early in the day, but today I'm actually playing mom. My day usually starts with me getting up and going to work, then rushing home so I can write or promo. Last night, my youngest came down to my room around 2:00 am after having a bout of vomiting of Exorcist-like proportions. It continued on into the day so I ended up staying home with him.

Can someone tell me where the rule is written that if your teen is up all night, then the mom has to be up all night, too? Well, written or not, that's just the way it works out. And as much as I complain about it, I wouldn't have it any other way.

But I did promise my kids that when they have children of their own that I'm going to spoil them rotten...then send 'em home! LOL!

TJ

By the way, CARINIAN'S SEEKER is coming! I happen to be in editing hell for that book, but it's coming next month! Woohoo!

Indulging the Inner Child

Yesterday I was a bit later walking the dog than usual. It's been pretty quiet around here lately and when I passed the kids playground temptation hit me straight in the eye. The swings were all free and there wasn't a kid in sight. Ah-ha! I thought. I haven't had a swing for a long, long time. I really liked the idea. I skipped over and slid onto a swing. Moments later I was happily swinging with the wind whistling through my hair. What can I say? It was fun! Meanwhile the dog seemed quite happy sniffing at all the bushes so I carried on.

Then it happened.

Two little kids showed up on their bicycles. The two boys dropped their bikes on the ground and frowned at me while I continued swinging. They started to play on a climbing thingy that didn't look nearly as much fun as the swings and kept sending me furtive looks. Heck, the dog had worked out what was going on and she kept sending me embarrassed looks. I could almost read her mind.

"Get off the swings. What sort of owner are you? You're embarrassing me!"

Finally after a couple more swings to and fro I started to feel guilty. The adult in me told me to get off and stop being such a child. I climbed off, whistled the dog and when I looked back the two boys were playing on the swings.

I had to laugh, but damn, it was fun indulging my inner child.

Shelley