I’ll be posting a competition soon for you to win a copy of Defiant Mistress, Ruthless Millionaire, but in the meantime, I thought you might like to read an excerpt. Here’s a link to Browse the Book:
5 November, 2009
1 November, 2009
Where do ideas come from?
People often ask me where I get my ideas from. To be honest, sometimes I just don’t know. Other times, yeah, I can pinpoint a picture of a house, or a line in a song, or a news article that led my mind on that wonderful twisted path that authors follow to create a story and characters. Like the series I’m working on at the moment, which has a working title of The Heart’s Truth trilogy. I originally pitched a royal trilogy, something with a real fairy tale edge to it, something not quite of our modern world, something with a three hundred year old legend and a curse against a family of privilege by a woman who’d been horribly wronged. For Silhouette Desire, yes, I know that probably was a bit of a reach, but with some suggestions from our line’s Senior Editor and my then Editor, the trilogy outline transmogrified into something else. Something we could all happily work with. 
I am a home body at heart and for me the home is the heart of everything to do with a family, so for my fictional family on my fictional Mediterranean island, I needed a home. Searching on the web for homes and interiors is a part of my work that I truly love and you can imagine how my imagination soared when I found this castillo, and thus, with the benefit of my ever active imagination, the heart/home of my fictional del Castillo family was born.
I understand the books are tentatively scheduled for July, August and September next year. I’m currently working on Book 2, which is part of the reason why I’m a little scarce here these days.
So, if you’re a writer, would you like to share where you get your ideas from?
28 October, 2009
Blogging on eHarlequin about movies that stand the test of time
Hi! I’m blogging on the Silhouette Desire Authors’ Blog on movies that stand the test of time. There are some great suggestions from the comments on movies to watch and enjoy.
Come and visit and comment to be in to win a copy of one of my books, together with a cute little kiwi keyring!
Click this LINK to join to the discussion.
19 October, 2009
Safer Communities Together with the NZ Police
This screened a few years ago on NZ’s Police Ten-7, and has recently become a huge hit on YouTube. I’m a great lover of dry humour and think it’s hilarious:
15 October, 2009
There’s a good reason why this parrot is rare…
I saw this link on one of my facebook friend’s pages and, oh boy, did I laugh! This kakapo (NZ Parrot) is definitely biologically challenged, either that, or he adheres to the policy of ‘never let a chance go by!’
All humour aside, if you’re a bird person, visit this KAKAPO LINK for more information about the bird itself.
11 October, 2009
Double Standards?
You know, I like a man in uniform probably about as much as the next girl, maybe more than some, but definitely not as much as this TV host on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. I couldn’t help but cringe and feel more than a bit uncomfortable when I watched this clip, and I couldn’t help wondering about how huge the hue and cry would be if the situation had been reversed and a male host had been as ‘flirtatious’ with a female contestant.
Personally, yeah, I get where she was coming from. If he graced the cover of one of my books I have no doubt it would fly off the shelves. I found him handsome, stunning in his dress whites, clearly he’s a high achiever being a navy pilot and he’s also intelligent. What’s not to like on the cave-girl scale of selection? But I felt she went way beyond the bounds of professionalism and basic good manners with this show. Talk about objectifying someone!
Tell me what you think.
6 October, 2009
What I’m up to this week
Hmm, this week I’m having a bit of a break between books. Well, I do use the term, ‘break,’ loosely I suppose. So far I’ve updated my website (except for the gallery–I really need to learn to make photos smaller before I change the old ones up for new ones from this year’s conferences,) seen my mum off to the airport to visit friends down country, taken my girls shopping and thought about tidying my office (a necessary evil between books or I get swamped with paper and my concentration starts to suffer.) Oh, and I’ve started reading the Twilight books–yes, I’m slow to follow trends. Threaded in amongst all of this, of course, is obsessive (moi? never!) checking of email to find out who my new editor will be. Sadly, my previous editor (since Claiming His Runaway Bride) has moved onto a new career so her authors are anxiously/curiously/apprehensively/”insert adverb here” awaiting news on who will be their new editor.
What I still have to do? Movies and dinner with some girlfriends, lunch with another, a visit to the knee surgeon for MRI results, GST (6 monthly tax) return (actually, had better get onto that today. Erk! And, hmmm, what else? Not sure, but there’s something else lurking in the back of my mind there somewhere. Ah yes, Art Fact Sheets for my June novella length continuity story in the Billionaires of Bridgehampton mini-continuity for next year.
Good thing it’s a week off, huh? I suppose I’d better turn off my laptop, get about of bed and get onto it!
What have you been up to lately? Busy? Relaxing? Having a ball?
29 September, 2009
…Put A Ring On IT!
I seem to be indulging in a plethora of posts when I ought to be finishing a book. Argh!
Anyway…
Latest obsession is versions of Beyonce’s totally awesome track. Here’s the original:
Here’s JT’s take on it (I love this, totally totally cracks me up every time–sorry about the quality on this one:)
Here’s the cutest:
And here’s the Glee version:
I LOVE ‘EM ALL! Go on, tell me you’re not smiling!
28 September, 2009
26 September, 2009
The Ukraine certainly does have talent
A friend of mine sent me this link this week. There are times when I felt astounded and awed, during the clip, and others where I felt a very eery sense of ‘what’s next?’ But there’s no question that this young lady has an amazing talent for telling a story:
