Danielle
Gina Brock
Summer
Pearl
Stacie D
Shelley Bagby

But that’s not all! Because I truly appreciate each and every one of my readers, everyone who commented on this giveaway (ending with Beth G) gets a choice of one of my backlist books! I will gift you Nook or Kindle copies if you are in the US (if you wish) or I will send paperbacks. If you are choosing a Nook or Kindle book, then you may choose any book currently available in that format (not Strangers, however, as it is not out yet). In paperback, you may choose from The Prince’s Royal Concubine, Cavelli’s Lost Heir, Chosen by the Sheikh (with Kim Lawrence), or The Man with the Money.

Congratulations to everyone and thank you for reading my books! To claim your copy, send me an email using the Contact page on this site (you can find my address there, or you can use the form. Totally up to you!) I’ll need your mailing address or your Kindle or Nook email. Tell me which book you want. For the people who won an author copy, you will be getting paperbacks, so please send your address. And that’s it! Here’s to a happy 2012!

I got lovely, beautiful author copies today! Aren’t they pretty? Strangers in the Desert isn’t due out until March, so this is way early. Which is awesome for YOU!

Because I’m going to give a copy or two (or maybe more) away here on the blog! I really love this story. It’s about a gorgeous sheikh and the wife he thought was dead. What’s not to love about that?!

The Desert King’s Lost Wife…

Isabella, the wife Sheikh Adan thought was dead, has just walked back into his life – on the eve of his wedding to another woman…

Now Adan is to be crowned King, Isabella must be his Queen – sharing his desert throne and the royal bed… But gone is the dutiful, pure girl he once knew – in her place is a defiant, sultry woman who makes Adan’s blood run hot… A woman who has no memory of being his wife…

Sound intriguing? How about an excerpt?

Isabella looked up in confusion. “Who are you?”

A shadow passed over his face before it hardened again. “Do you really expect me to believe you do not know?”

Anger and despair slashed through her in waves. It made no sense. And yet he hated her. This man hated her, and she had no idea why. Somehow, she found the strength to act, wrenching herself free from his grip.

Isabella hugged her arms around her torso as if to shield herself. She couldn’t bear to feel the anger and sadness ripping through her a moment longer. Couldn’t bear the currents of heat arcing across her nerve endings. The swirling confusion. The crushing desperation.

Grant had disappeared, but she knew it was so he could fetch one of the bouncers. He’d be back at any moment, and this man would be thrown out on his arrogant behind. She was going to enjoy that.

“Of course I don’t know you,” she snapped.

“On the contrary,” he growled, his dark eyes flashing hot, “you know me very well.”

Her heart pounded at the certainty in his voice. He was insane. Gorgeous, but insane. “I can’t imagine why you would think so.”

“Because,” he replied, his voice laced with barely contained rage, “you are my wife.”

Want one? Leave a comment to be entered! Happy New Year, y’all!

But if you do, if you wave the white flag and say, “This is not for me, I quit,” then thank you for leaving the field of battle to someone else who will, one day, find victory. Harsh? Maybe, but that’s exactly what you’re doing. If you quit, you’re making it easier for those who remain because you will not be there to compete. More chances for the others if you give up.

You might think it’s fine for me to sit here and be all snarky and superior when I’m a published author because, really, what do I know about it? I have an editor, contracts, books in the pipeline, books in stores, and books translated into other languages for people the world over to read. Lucky me, right? Oh yes, lucky me.

But you know why I have those things? Because I ultimately did not quit. Oh, but I did quit for a while — eight years to be exact. That’s right, eight years.

One day, many years ago, I decided I wanted to write a romance novel. I loved historicals, so that’s what I decided to write. I researched for a year. Wrote for another year. And then I submitted it. I had a little bit of interest — requests for fulls from agents and editors, contest wins — but in the end, the book was rejected. I couldn’t get an agent, and I couldn’t sell the book.

I was upset, of course. Because everyone (critique group & husband) told me it was a great book (it really wasn’t, but I believed it at the time). I was destined to be a writer, so why couldn’t I sell this book?! If only they would really read it. If only they would wait until I explained everything and the story got seriously interesting on page 100.

But they didn’t, so I started another book. I never submitted that book. I started a third book, which I never finished and never submitted. See, I’d begun to believe it just wasn’t worth the effort. If I couldn’t sell that first brilliant (snort) book, what chance did I have of selling anything?

So I quit. It hurt too much to keep flinging myself at the gates of publishing. I decided to go back to school, finish that pesky college degree, and then go on and get a Master’s degree. I moved to Europe with my husband and got busy traveling and going to school. It was fun! Who needed writing?

I did, because in truth I never quite stopped. I kept writing shorter stories, and of course I wrote a ton of college papers. But I just knew I’d never get published. It wasn’t for me. I wasn’t good enough to get past those gates.

But then one day I got an idea for a contemporary romance and I started to write. I just wrote the darned thing for fun! And I never did submit it. By then, the bug hit again, and I started to get involved with my work. And this time, I decided I wasn’t quitting for anything.

So I did come back, and I did keep trying — and I won a contest and sold a book. If I’d quit for good, I wouldn’t be a multi-published, bestselling author today. Don’t you think I ask myself what would have happened if I hadn’t quit? Would I have sold sooner? Would I be farther along in my career today? I’ll never know that, will I?

If you’ve suffered defeat today, hugs. You have two choices facing you right now.

1) Hang up the keyboard and the pain that comes with it. Live your life and have fun and think about writing every once in a while. Sigh wistfully when you remember that story you never finished. Think fondly of your writing pals and be amazed at how successful some of them have become. But you’re happy because the pain is over and you never would have gotten published anyway, right?

2) Don’t stop. Get mad, get sad, wail and rage and cry. Eat some chocolate, drink some wine, or run ten miles and collapse. Watch your favorite shows, indulge yourself for a few days, and then perch yourself at the computer and type onward. Finish the story you started, or start another if you can see it’s too flawed. Though, really, it’s ONE chapter — how flawed can it be? Rip it apart and start again if need be. Just keep writing. Never give up. And one day, you might be a bestselling, multi-published author too. That’s the only way to get there. Never give up.

So which choice is it going to be? It’s up to you, though I hope you’ll go with option 2.

Here’s a photo of me with Kimberly Lang and (standing) Kira Sinclair as we enjoyed a lovely glass of wine and some snacks at an outdoor cafe on Rodeo Drive. Yes, we are dressed for touring rather than glammed up, but the cafe staff didn’t seem to mind.

I have lots more pictures, and will try and share those very soon. Of course I came back to a deadline, and there’s still one suitcase I haven’t unpacked….

I had some good news while in California! Cavelli’s Lost Heir and The Prince’s Royal Concubine are both finalists in the Short Series Contemporary Category of the WisRWA’s Write Touch Readers’ Award! I am *very* excited about this news! And of course I keep pinching myself and wondering if it’s true. Then there’s the part of me that keeps whispering in that insidious voice that no one else entered…..

Writers, we are insecure balls of mush!

In other good news, my UK release Strangers in the Desert is sitting at #2 on the Mills & Boon bestseller list this week! And Heartless Rebel, part of the Bad Blood Collection, is also available and getting some good reader feedback! If you’ve come to my site looking for information about Heartless Rebel, I don’t have a page for the book yet. It’s on my To Do list! This book will be my November Harlequin Presents release, so it’s definitely on my list of things to get done soon!

In the meantime, I have a book due very soon and another one by mid-July, so I’d better stop chatting and get to work. Hope you are all having a lovely day wherever you may be! We finally have gorgeous weather in Alabama, and I am enjoying it through the window.

Let me know what’s up with you! I love hearing from you all…..

PS: The Devil’s Heart is still available wherever books are sold! Harlequin made a poster of the cover for me for RT — I carried that thing back on two flights, and it made it home unscathed. I love it!

Thanks for the comments, everyone! We have a winner – Jami Gold!

Today, I want to introduce you to someone I’ve known for a very long time — not that we knew we knew each other, ha! But Vicky and I have been at this romance writing game for many years. We have war stories, scars, tales of woe and frustration. And yet we did not give up! This is what happens when you don’t give up, btw. You get a gorgeous cover like that one right there to the right, and you get to share your fabulous story with the world.

Back in the mid-nineties, probably about 1995 or 1996, I entered my first book (a whopping fat medieval called LORD OF THE MARCH) into the Emily contest. The Emily is a prestigious contest for aspiring writers, so when I got the call that I was a finalist, I was thrilled. The lady on the other end of the line was named Vicky Dreiling. I don’t think we talked much — I was probably overwhelmed, in fact — but I remember Vicky’s kindness and enthusiasm. You just don’t forget the people who call to tell you that you’re a finalist in a fabulous contest.

I didn’t win (I might have placed second, but I can’t honestly remember) and then life got in the way and I did other things for a while. About three years or so ago, right before I ended up winning the Instant Seduction contest and going on to sell to Harlequin, I was judging a contest. And there was this entry, this fabulous entry, that gave me goosebumps. The premise was so fresh, the writing so engaging, and I remember thinking, “This is going to sell.” Then I did something I never do: I signed my name to the score sheet. Eventually, I got a thank you note (this is why you write thank yous!) from Vicky, sent through the contest coordinator. She’d included her email address, so I wrote to her. That’s when we discovered we had a lot in common, including that Emily phone call years ago and then life getting in the way of our dreams.

We actually met in San Francisco, and Vicky is just as warm and fun in person as she is through email. I enjoy getting to see her every year at conference, though it seems as if we are usually two ships passing in the night because we’re so busy.

I know I’ve told you the super long story about how I met Vicky, but I want you to understand how vital it is that you never give up on your dreams. Not only that, but the contest entry I read that day is THIS BOOK right here! Finally, finally, I get to read the rest of the story and see how it ends! Please welcome Vicky today! She’s giving away a signed copy of this magnificent book, so be sure to leave comments for a chance to win!

Now on to the good stuff, where I ask Vicky a series of random questions that popped into my head.

1. You were a Golden Heart finalist in 1996 and you sold your first book in 2009. How did you keep the faith for so long? Did you ever get discouraged?

I was a GH finalist with my first book (beginner’s luck!) and got a lot of requests. I did massive revisions for an editor without promise of contract, but the book wasn’t strong enough. Shortly after the book got rejected, my life underwent some dramatic changes. I returned to university to finish my degree and started a new career in marketing. By then, I was a single mom, so time constraints were an issue. I tried to write, but I could tell I was holding back emotionally on the page. Like so many writers, I let fear of failure keep me from what I wanted more than anything else in the world.

Eventually, life settled down, and I started writing again. However, I wasn’t consistent. Then I joined a group called 100 Words a Day for 100 Days. The interesting thing about this group is that you only commit to 100 words, so it doesn’t feel overwhelming. But it’s also a bit like reverse psychology. Because the requirement is essentially the length of a short paragraph, there’s a tendency to think, “Why should I stop? I never met a rule I didn’t itch to break.” This proved true for many of us, so the group decided members could report either 100 words each day or 100+. No bragging was allowed because we wanted to make it encouraging and noncompetitive. I wrote every single day for one hundred days and credit that group with helping me establish a regular and consistent writing pattern.

2. You were a globe-trotting corporate employee for a long time. How did your travel help enrich your writing? Do you have a favorite location?

Yes, I frequently traveled to the largest cities in the US and Europe. London is my favorite place. The business trips there involved focus groups at night, so our days were left free to explore the city. I got to see so many famous museums and landmarks. One of my favorite places is Spencer House, which was built in the mid-eighteenth century for the first Earl Spencer, an ancestor of the late Princess Diana. You can see a photo of the house on my website (listed below). Inside, the rich furnishings are breathtaking and helped me to visualize my characters in similar surroundings. During a different house tour of Apsley House, Wellington’s home, I got a great idea for my next book after seeing the giant and very naked statue of Napoleon by the staircase.

I also got ideas from formal tours such as a boat tour along the Thames, which gave me an idea to take the characters on an ill-fated barge trip. During a walking tour through the West End, I was quite surprised to find myself standing in front of Beau Brummel’s town house. At any rate, these period town houses helped me to visualize what my heroine Tessa’s town house might have looked like on the outside.

3. Who is Buttercup and why is she so important?

Buttercup is my very spoiled mini-lop rabbit, and she thinks she’s very important. I imagine she’s the only rabbit with her very own bedroom. No, I’m not joking. I had to contain her or she would get into mischief if left to roam free around the house. But keeping her in a cage seemed cruel because animals need space just like we do. So Buttercup has a see-through babygate at her bedroom door and scratches on it when she wants out.

4. How does watching reality television lead to an awesome story idea that I had to wait FOREVER to read? Seriously, it is the most clever idea, and I knew the minute I read it in that contest that you would sell!

Lynn, I was thrilled to the point of tears when I read your comments in that contest. Your encouragement really made a difference in my writing life. As for the idea for HOW TO MARRY A DUKE, it just popped into my head the first time I happened upon a reality dating show: The Bachelor in Regency England, minus the hot tub and camera crew. At first, I thought it was too crazy, but then I thought, “Oh, why not? It’s not as if you have anything to lose?” While the bachelor plot provides a lot of fun, games, and conflict, the primary focus of the book is Tristan’s and Tessa’s love story.

5. Why Regency England?

The first romance I ever read was Judith McNaught’s ALMOST HEAVEN. I’ve been hooked on Regency England ever since.

6. What’s the next book about and when can we buy it?

HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL, due out in early July 2011, features two characters from book one: the charming rogue Hawk and Julianne, the sister of Hawk’s best friend Tristan. When Hawk reluctantly agrees to be Julianne’s unofficial guardian, he never expects the formerly prim and proper Julianne to rebel. But he has no idea she’s planning to write a lady’s guide to snaring bachelors in the proverbial parson’s mousetrap.

7. Any advice for aspiring writers?

Kick fear to the curb. And as Winston Churchill said, Never, never, never give up!

Vicky Dreiling is a confirmed historical romance junkie and Anglophile. Frequent business trips to the UK allowed her to indulge her passion for all things Regency England. Bath, Stonehenge, and Spencer House are among her favorite places. She is, however, truly sorry for accidentally setting off a security alarm in Windsor Castle. That unfortunate incident led her British colleagues to nickname her “Trouble.”

You can visit Vicky at her website. http://www.vickydreiling.com/

**Winner of the BAM card and signed book is: Tracey! Email me at Lynn AT LynnRayeHarris DOT com to claim your prize! Thanks everyone for participating!

Leave me a comment and tell me what’s your favorite thing about Christmas and/or New Year’s! (Or your winter holiday of choice, if you don’t celebrate Christmas.)

I’ll run the contest through the week. All the usual caveats apply – void where prohibited, etc, etc. If it fits in an international shipping box, I’ll mail it to any country that is served by US flat rate priority mail. All entries will be added to my spam free newsletter. It’s free, I do not share your email with anyone, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

UPDATE: We have a winner! Using the handy dandy random number generator, the winner is Sabrina! Sabrina, email me your details, and I’ll get everything in the mail to you!

The most exciting thing going on at Chez Harris, for me anyway, is that you can now find THE PRINCE’S ROYAL CONCUBINE in stores! Here’s proof:

I don’t know why the book looks so orange in photos. It’s not orange at all! A reader sent me a photo too, and yep, it was orange. Have you seen the book in your neck of the woods? Is it orange?

Comment here, send me a photo at lynn AT lynnrayeharris DOT com, and I’ll enter you in a quick little blog contest for a choice of one of my backlist books and a $5 gift card to Starbucks!

NOTE: since I know you aren’t hovering in bookstores as I write this, the contest will be open for a few days.

After she left, it was back to Sherwin Williams for more samples. Then I had to wait at home in case the painter came by to see what I’d chosen (but I still hadn’t chosen!). Once my hubby got home, it was back to Sherwin Williams a third time for more paint. I bought 7 samples yesterday, and finally made a decision. The painter is relieved, I’m sure. Tomorrow, he starts painting. Whew, who knew choosing paint was so hard?

This morning, as if yesterday wasn’t busy enough, another guy from the Home Show came by. This was for a yard service and termite control. Since Hubby and I suck at yard care (weeds, fertilizing, etc), we really wanted to see what this would cost. Totally reasonable, so I signed us up. And for the termite control too.

(I didn’t buy the curtains, however, if you were wondering. Though the fabric was beautiful, I have a hard time with $2500 for curtains for two windows — tall windows, to be sure, but still.)

This afternoon, I have to go pick up the paint that the painter is ordering this morning. And somewhere in all this mess, I have a book to finish. I’m seriously getting cranky about it too. Because I figured out a plot problem and fixed it, and now it’s time to move forward. But my motion was on hold for household things, which has really frustrated me.

The best part of yesterday, however, was getting my North American author copies of The Prince’s Royal Concubine. I wasn’t expecting them so early, but when I saw the UPS man, I knew that’s what it had to be because I hadn’t ordered anything recently. So you know what this means! To celebrate, I’m giving away a copy today on the blog. Leave a comment and tell me about the best book you read recently. (Does not have to be mine, btw.) Or you can tell me about how life got in the way of something you were doing.

Update: using the handy dandy Random Number Generator, the winner is Jayme! Jayme, please email me your contact info and I’ll get the book out to you ASAP! Thanks for all the comments, y’all! I enjoyed hearing about the books you like, and about your little life detours.