Lynn Raye Harris

Hope your holiday was grand! We had a great time with the in-laws and my parents. It was, without doubt, the least stressful Thanksgiving week I’ve spent in recent memory. I wasn’t worried about turkey and gravy and all the trimmings. Oh, I was fixing them, but I wasn’t worried. If it all turned out terrible (and it didn’t), we’d have piled into the car and gone to a restaurant.

I’ve learned over the past year that you sometimes just have to let go of all the expectations and pressure. That doesn’t mean I’m great at it, or that I always take my own advice, but this time, for once, I did. And everything turned out fabulously.

It’s really easy as a writer to get wound up over things you can’t control. Selling your book, getting an agent, discovering the secret to success. And once you’ve sold a book and have a career going, it’s easy to obsess about things like sales, list placement, and whether or not you think your next idea is any good. You can drive yourself crazy if you let those thoughts swirl around unchecked.

So let go. Focus on what you can control, which is nothing more than the writing. Focus on the writing and the story and let the rest take care of itself. I know the holidays can be crazy, and I know the demands on your time will be heavier than ever. But take time for yourself somewhere in there. Take time to just be still and quiet, to know that you’re doing everything you can and that you’ll get there so long as you don’t quit.

I had a great Thanksgiving, and I hope you did too. One other thing I got done this weekend — with the help of my husband and in-laws — was decorating the Christmas tree. There are some years where I’m running so late, due to deadlines and other commitments, that I don’t even get the tree up. And other years where I get it done at the last minute. But not this time. This time it’s done, and I’m feeling accomplished. I’m sure there will be things in the next few weeks that make me feel less accomplished, but for now I’m going to enjoy it.

Let go. Focus on what you can do and not on what you can’t. Breathe. January will be here before you know it.

I didn’t want to write this post today. I didn’t want to write it at all. But I have to write it because there is a hole where a friend used to be.

On Thursday, April 21, 2011, we lost a great writer and a wonderful lady. Beverly Barton was everything that everyone has been saying on their blogs, memorials, and tribute pages. She was warm, witty, funny, sweet, kind — I could keep going, but I won’t. Just know that she was a true Southern lady with a load of class and sass.

I first met Beverly when I joined Heart of Dixie a few years ago. Might be 4, might be 5 — can’t quite remember. She was one of the first people to welcome me to the group. She was a star, yet she took time to come over and talk to me for several minutes and welcome me. She seemed truly excited that I was there, and I have never forgotten how good that made me feel. I knew right away that I was going to love HOD.

In the years since, I’ve come to know Beverly as a friend. There are others who were closer, but it was Beverly’s gift to make everyone feel as if they were special to her. Therefore, we all hurt with her loss.

Beverly was a true diva, but only in the good sense of the word. She was larger than life. She was classy. She loved her family above anything else. She doted on her grandchildren. She wrote the scariest damn books in the world. She believed in graciousness. She used cloth napkins and real china because to use paper plates and napkins would be an abomination. She was an amazing storyteller, whether the story was written or just told as you sat around and listened to her.

She did not like to be called Bev. Not ever. Her friends knew better. She was Beverly. She had the most amazing and infectious laugh. She loved sparkly jewelry and always wore the most gorgeous pieces that were color coordinated with her outfit.

I never, ever saw Beverly looking anything other than fabulous. And I have spent weekends with her at our chapter retreat where it would have been entirely understandable to see her less than put together. While I stumbled to the breakfast table with bedhead and no makeup, Beverly at least had makeup on and her hair done.

In digging through my photos, I found this one of Beverly and me at our chapter Christmas party a couple of years ago. We were both highly amused by the fact that she’d worn green and I’d worn red — and our shoes matched our sweaters.

When I sold my first book, Beverly was thrilled for me. I never expected her to read it. But she did. And when she told me how much she loved it, I was in shock. I know she wasn’t just telling me that to make me feel good. Beverly would have never done such a thing. I was and still am honored by her belief in me.

There is a scene in the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral where one of the characters, Gareth, has died. At his funeral, his partner, Matthew, reads a poem by W.H. Auden called “Funeral Blues.” It’s a sad moment, but the reading of the poem is so beautiful. When I heard that Beverly had passed, I immediately thought of Auden’s mournful tribute.

I can’t say it better, so I’ll leave you with the poem. Rest in peace, Beverly. You are missed by so many.

Funeral Blues

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead.
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

Dear friends, it’s been a very busy few weeks! Last week I was in Los Angeles for the RT Booklovers Convention — and what a fabulous time I had! Along with visiting Hollywood and the Walk of Fame, I went to the Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach, and Beverly Hills. No trip to LA would be complete without a shopping excursion to Rodeo Drive, however.

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!

There’s another new cover in the house! Woot, woot! This is for my May book in the UK, STRANGERS IN THE DESERT. I don’t have a page here on the site yet, I don’t even have a cover blurb — no idea what Mills & Boon have come up with to describe this story!

But the cover is *perfect*! The heroine has been living a Bohemian life at the beach, and she has wild blonde hair streaked with natural highlights. I think they got the hair on this model absolutely right.

And what can I say about the hero? Does he not just look delicious and sheiky?

I really, really love what Mills & Boon have done with the UK covers. I was hesitant at first, because I do kind of hate change and I liked the clinch just fine — but these, when they are right, are so VERY right. I’m a happy author right now. (Oh, except for those revisions I’m still working on…..)

These pictures were taken a while ago now (Sunday night), but it was up to about 4 inches the last time I looked out the window — and still coming down. And while I know this cracks up the Yankees, it really does cripple the South when this happens. I do know how to drive in snow, having learned when I lived in Germany, but it’s not so much the driving that does it. (Though that’s part of it because most of these people have no training.)

It’s the lack of snow removal equipment and proper tools for melting ice. They sand the bridges around here, which is just nuts. I don’t know why they don’t have a supply of salt or urea on hand, but they don’t. Or maybe they salt/urea the heavily traveled areas and sand the side roads. Whatever, all I know is the last time they sanded the bridges, it was a joke.

We’re expecting up to 10 inches they say. And that really is quite amazing for us. I just hope it melts really quick. Otherwise, we will be stuck in our houses for days. Schools are canceled, no work for Hubby, the city is shut down, and my Mojo Lunch with Kimberly Lang is postponed. This, dear friends, is a tragedy! We were going to the yummiest little bistro, darn it. Hopefully, we’ll get to go later this week!

I think the snow is pretty, but I wish it would go away. It’s not like in Germany where the snow came down and life kept on going anyway. No, here we’re stuck. No lunches out, no runs to the post office, no impromptu shopping trips. No visiting with friends, unless they live next door and you can walk. I could walk to Kimberly’s house, but it’s a bit farther than next door and I’m not doing it. She’s not coming here either. Lunch is postponed for sure.

I suppose I’ll start work on the next book! It’s due in a couple of months, and I already have a great idea that’s really making me think about it all the time. I have the hero and heroine, their core problem, and I’m really excited about it. I love it when that happens, when the idea takes over and begins to really speak to me. It doesn’t mean the book will be easy to write, but I have hope it will come to me easier than others have.

And now I’m going to go bundle up and read for a while. It’s cold, the snow is coming down, and I’m not going anywhere for a while. Hope you are safe and warm in your corner of the world, that you aren’t snowed in, and that you’ve got a fabulous book to read and/or write!

UPDATE: Morning pictures of the snow!

My husband has been chastising me for not doing part two of my post. He’s right, of course. I get so busy that the days just sort of slip by and I don’t realize it’s been a week. I ended on the evening before the Association of Mills & Boon Authors’ luncheon. Now I’ll tell you about the luncheon day.

Jennie and I slept in as long as we could. We were still suffering the kind of jetlag that makes you wake up in the middle of the night and not sleep for hours while it’s dark. And, interesting note, but the building beside ours was an office building. When I woke up at 2AM, people were still working! Seriously. The building was mostly dark, but there were a few intrepid souls at their desks at that late hour. I have no idea what kind of business it was.

Anyway, Jennie and I got up and got ourselves dressed, then headed out on the Tube to the Charing Cross Hotel, where the luncheon was being held. I wore a nice dress and heels, but I admit to wearing flip flops until we reached the hotel. Then I pulled the shoes from my bag and transformed from short-ish to tall (4 inch heels will do that!). We climbed up the elegant staircase to the second floor where we could hear the sounds of women talking. There were so many authors gathered! And I met so many people I can’t even remember them all. I met Natasha Oakley, Nina Harrington, Julia James, Kate Hardy, and Elizabeth Power, for instance. That was within the first few minutes — it becomes a blur after that. (Kate Hardy is my new best friend – she told me she loved The Devil’s Heart, which made me want to follow her around pitifully and ask her to repeat it, but I refrained. TDH will be out in North America in April 2011, btw!)

At noon, we sat down in our assigned places and had a lovely lunch. After lunch, we moved seats for dessert (or pudding, as they say over there). There were speeches. There was wine. There were pictures.

Here’s a pic I snapped of two gorgeous ladies, Sharon Kendrick and India Grey. I’d met Sharon (in purple) in DC, but only met India the night before at the Presents dinner. Both women are so lovely and charming, aren’t they? (Though Sharon did steal my coat. She set me in a panic when my coat was missing after lunch, but I figured someone had thought it was theirs; I just hoped they would bring it back. She did, of course, and we had a good laugh.)

Then I met Lucy King, the Feel the Heat winner (the competition immediately after Instant Seduction, which I won). Lucy looked gorgeous, and she has the most seductive speaking voice imaginable. Kind of like Kathleen Turner back in the day.

Meeting Lucy was fabulous, but I’m really thrilled with this next picture. Me and Sara Craven, who I’d met at dinner the night before. She is a wonderful, hilarious, amazing woman. I hope I’m half so interesting when I get to be her age.

And here’s a reunion photo of me, Jennie, and Carole Mortimer, who I’d met for the first time in Orlando.

The luncheon lasted for hours, it seemed, and then we were off for a couple more hours before returning to the hotel for a champagne toast that Mills & Boon was giving us. Jennie and I walked over to Trafalgar Square, went book shopping, and meandered over to the hotel where Kate Walker and Michelle Reid were having several ladies to tea. We joined them for a while, and then it was back to the Charing Cross hotel for champagne.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur. I talked to so many people — and people I’d hoped to meet slipped away before I ever got to do so. I have to go back next year to meet the ones I missed! After champagne, several of us went out for pasta. Jennie, me, India, Heidi Rice, Abby Green, Fiona Harper — and I’m sure I’m forgetting someone, drat it. But we had so much fun. And I learned that the Trafalgar Square area of London is rocking no matter what time of night. Pubs are so busy that people are crammed on the sidewalks with their pints of lager or Guinness or whatever. No one seems to mind it either. That would never happen in America — liquor laws and all that.

But that’s why I love to travel and see how other cultures do things. It’s refreshing and eye-opening, and it makes the world so much more interesting than if we all did everything the same. Where have you gone lately that they did something differently? Doesn’t have to be another country — could just be the next town. I’d love to hear about it!

More on the London trip, with more photos, soon. Yes, I swear it: soon.

And the winner of a signed backlist book from the last post is Jami! Jami, send me your details at lynn AT lynnrayeharris DOT com.

Finally, I am getting around to telling what happened during my trip to London for the Association of Mills & Boon Authors’ luncheon! Fellow Presents author Jennie Lucas and I hatched a plan that worked perfectly. First, we planned our flights so we’d arrive and depart Heathrow within an hour of each other. Then we rented a flat with a gorgeous view of the Thames, Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, and the Tate Modern. From our roof terrace, we could see the dome of St. Paul’s — though we spent so much time doing so many wonderful and fascinating things that we never actually spent any time on the terrace. Ah well!

Here’s the Globe at night from our flat, btw. There’s also a tour boat in the foreground.

The first night there, we had dinner at a restaurant where we sat at a window table and gazed out at this. Can you believe the view?!

Jennie and I were so tired, but we were determined to stay up as long as possible and go to bed at a decent UK hour. We sat here, eating, drinking wine, and talking about how tired we were and how glad we were to have finally arrived after such a long trip. Sitting with a view of St. Paul’s was completely surreal, and just what we both needed to feel like we were on an adventure.

The next day (Wednesday) was our trip out to Richmond. I’ve posted elsewhere about our time at the Mills & Boon offices, so will skip on to other events!

Thursday morning, Jennie and I met up with Kate Walker and Abby Green and took a train to meet the fabulous Sharon Kendrick. Here’s me and Jennie with the Winchester cathedral in the background.

And look at this marvelous lunch that Sharon cooked for us! It was absolutely delicious, and I can’t tell you how wonderful it was to sit around a table with these women I admire so much and talk writing and books and life. It’s like being admitted to an exclusive club that you’ve always wanted to be in. For those of you who adore Sharon’s books, I got to see her writing room where she makes all that magic happen.

After a great lunch and conversation, we caught the train back to London and headed back to our respective hotels/flats to prepare for the dinner that Kate and Michelle Reid were hosting for the Presents authors that night. I have no pictures of the evening, though I hope to get some from the others who promised to share!

We had a marvelous time, and I got to meet so many people for the first time. India Grey, Sara Craven, Michelle, Natalie Rivers, and Sarah Morgan to name a few. After dinner, the hotel gave us a private room where we were able to sit and chat until about midnight, at which time Jennie and I decided we were tired and needed to get back to our flat if we were going to be presentable for the luncheon the next day.

And that’s it for Part 1 of my London trip! Soon, I’ll be back with more photos and more adventures to share. Now tell me about an adventure you’ve been on lately! One lucky commenter will win a book!

So where was I? I think I’m up to Thursday. Woke up bright and not too early, got dressed, and headed for the Mills & Boon meet & greet. This is where I got to talk to other authors, the editors, and some of the Harlequin executives. It only lasts an hour, but the hour flies — especially when I spent at least 20 minutes of it talking shoes with Shirley Jump. That woman is gorgeous, y’all — and she knows her shoes! Shirley and I could go shoe shopping anytime.

I also typed an update for The Pink Heart Society into Michelle Styles’s mini while there, and even managed to stay over into the next meet & greet that was hosted by some other Harlequin entity while I talked to familiar faces as they came in. I seriously didn’t know I’d landed in another meeting. It was hilarious to realize I was there 20 minutes beyond the M&B time, but I quickly scooted off at that point.

Next came lunch and Nora Roberts’s speech. First, our very own Carole Mortimer (Harlequin Presents author extraordinaire) got an award for her 100th book — though she’s way beyond 100 now. The Presents authors gathered at a table close to hers to cheer her on. Then Nora took the stage and wowed everyone with her straight talk and her advice to “embrace the hard.” Writing is hard work. Publishing is hard work. It’s never been easy and it never will be easy. To succeed, you have to embrace the hard. It was a fabulous speech. If you’ve never been to conference, I highly suggest that when you do go, you march straight to the always-scheduled “Chat with Nora Roberts” and soak in that woman’s wisdom for an hour. Amazing lady and very inspiring.

After lunch came the wonderful, amazing, fabulous Presents tea hosted by Jane Porter. We went to the Grand Floridian resort, which looks like Churchill Downs to me, and sat in a beautiful tea room where they brought us sandwiches, tea, scones, and desserts. I was so full by the end of tea that I knew there was no way I would eat dinner later.

After tea, I met old friends in the lobby and chatted for a couple of hours before I had to change for a champagne party thrown by Carole. After the champagne party, I had another reception in another hotel and then the Harlequin PJ party where I talked to more people and finally met Wayne Jordan — who smells really, really good, y’all! I think Wayne thought I’d been tipping back the drinks, but I hadn’t and I swear he smells wonderful.

So, it’s a mind-boggling schedule, isn’t it? I was busy from the time I woke up until I went to bed that night — and, unfortunately, Janette and I decided that talking until 2 am was a good idea. Why, I don’t know, because we both had to get up for the Harlequin booksigning early the next morning.

I still don’t have a camera cord, but here are a few pictures that people have been kind enough to share with me.

From left: Kate Hewitt, Janette Kenny, and me at the meet and greet.

Sandra Marton, me, Kimberly Lang, and Jennie Lucas at Jane Porter’s Presents tea

The whole gang at Jane’s tea.

Have you ever been to high tea? Or have you ever been so scheduled that you don’t even have a down moment to yourself? Let’s talk conference, tea, or schedules — or whatever you want, really! And yes, I’m giving away more prizes — books, swag, and maybe even a tote bag. Leave a comment for a chance to win!

Edited to add: The winner is Kathy Schindler! Kathy, the random number generator must have known all about your last minute conference issues, because your number popped right up! Email me with your address so I can get the books to you. lynn AT lynnrayeharris DOT com

Though I am completely mired in getting this book finished in the next two weeks, I took a short break this weekend to attend my chapter’s annual luncheon. Heart of Dixie puts on a fabulous luncheon, y’all! And I’m not just saying that because I have to. We have a huge ballroom, a sit down meal, and lots of prizes — not to mention fabulous guest speakers.

This year, Julia London was our speaker. Long before I was published, I was a Julia London fan. In fact, one of my favorite contemporaries of all time is a Julia London book: Beauty Queen. I love this book with a deep and abiding love! BQ was the second book in the Lear family trilogy — all the books were good — but something about BQ really resonated with me. Rebecca Lear, the former Miss Texas with no discernible skills, a young son, and a rich husband who divorced her and left her a mess, is just wonderful to see in action. You’d think it’d be hard to sympathize with a woman this beautiful, but in fact it really is easy because Julia makes this character so likeable. When Rebecca meets Matt Parrish — they have a misunderstanding over a quesadilla — things really get interesting.

I have hauled this book around the world, and when I realized Julia was coming to Huntsville, I took it down off the keeper shelf and carted it to the luncheon. Julia very graciously signed it for me — and I didn’t realize it was out of print until she told me. This book should be available on the Kindle! Everyone should have a chance to read the fabulousness that is Beauty Queen!

Okay, so I got Julia to sign my book. We chatted for a bit, and then it was time for the doors to open. I shared a table with the most wonderful people! Lonnie Payne and his wife Tabetha have been coming to this event for 10 years. They were also accompanied by Heather Hart and her mother (the only lady whose name I didn’t get!), and Patricia Lloyd (attending her 2nd luncheon) joined us as well. Rounding out the table were my mother and her friend, Margie.

We had a great lunch, and then it was time for the basket giveaways. When I went up to draw a winner for my basket, I drew Julia’s name! I hope Julia likes Harlequin Presents. My table won about 8 baskets between them, which was awesome. Apparently, Lonnie comes along because he has this knack of winning raffles. He doesn’t read romance novels, but he supports his wife’s love of them — and he won three baskets!

After the basket raffles, we had a book signing — and then several of us stayed and went to dinner later with Julia. It was a great day, and though I was completely worn out, I needed the break from this book. So now I’m back at work, but I’m glad I had that little bit of time away where I could chat with readers and other writers and have a generally great time.

With the peeps at my table

Julia London and me

Signing books

For the writers amongst you, I’ve put the links to my series on how to write a Harlequin Presents in the sidebar. Scroll down to the “For Writers” category, and all the posts are listed there to make it easier to find in future. Hope you enjoy.

I’m still buried in this Russian book, but things are looking better. I was browsing the web for images for my inspiration file, and I came across these that I want to share with you. (Yes, these were taken by talented photographers who are not me.)

I believe this is from the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, but I’m not quite sure. (It might also be from the Smolny Convent.) Years ago, and I won’t say how many, ahem, I had the privilege of traveling to Russia. We flew to St. Petersburg first (still called Leningrad, if that gives you an idea), and spent 3 days there before boarding an overnight train to Moscow, where we spent another 3 days. It was an amazing trip. The palaces are beautiful, and the landscape was prettier than I expected it to be. Fortunately, we were there in May, and it was quite warm. It also never got fully dark at that time of year.

This next picture is of Peterhof, Peter the Great’s palace on the Gulf of Finland. We got to tour it, and I have a photo of me standing on one of the bridges over the canal with this palace in the background. It’s an amazingly beautiful place, full of gilt and art and antiques. My hero also has a palace, but it’s not this grand. And of course he had to buy it back from the State after the fall of communism. But looking at these photos gives me an idea of what his palace is like, though on a smaller scale.

This is the Winter Palace, also known as The Hermitage Museum. It’s a gorgeous palace on the banks of the Neva river. We spent hours wandering through the galleries. I see this photo as representing my hero’s home. The Winter Palace is actually quite grand and vast, but this small slice of it makes it look like it could be a grand house on an estate somewhere. I especially love the snow capped trees.

More info on the Winter Palace here.

I love finding photos for inspiration. It’s one of the most fun parts of beginning a new book. Thank heavens for Google! You can have photos at your fingertips and start writing about a place you’ve never been in a matter of hours. Yes, I’ve been to Russia, but I’ve never been to Argentina (The Devil’s Heart, July 2010 UK) or the Arabian desert (Kept for the Sheikh’s Pleasure, Sep 2010 UK). As much as I’d like to go to these places for real, I’m grateful for the tools that bring them to my fingertips. Even with Russia, it’s been a long time and I needed a refresher.