Congratulations to all of our authors who are in this week’s New York Times bestseller list.
Trade:
#28 Duets by Nora Roberts (Silhouette, week 4)
Paperback
#15 The Man You’ll Marry by Debbie Macomber (MIRA, week 4)
#23 Forbidden Falls by Robyn Carr (MIRA, week 4)
#24 Shattered by Joan Johnston (MIRA, week 3)
Enjoy a sample of some of our bestsellers with the Browse the Book widget!
by Robyn Carr author of the Virgin River series from MIRA books.
I’ve received thousands of letters over the past couple of years from readers who ask me, Where is the real Virgin River? Readers want to go there, move there, because the people in this little town are supportive of each other. It disappoints me to have to explain that Virgin River exists only in our hearts and minds. I know some of the reasons my readers love it there—most of the characters have such integrity and honor; they’re stand-up folks who aren’t afraid to get involved when help is needed. But it’s a fictional town nestled into a factual setting; the people are only real when we make them so by our own intentions and deeds.
Of course I get to live there every day; I’m working on the 12th, 13th & 14th Virgin River novels right now, scheduled to be released in January, February and March of 2010, with more to follow. I’ve come to know the kind of person the readers love and want to be close to, the characters who will be drawn to Virgin River. I have learned what kind of character will be drawn to the little town and want to make a home there.
I usually have to tell my readers to unpack those boxes, they’ll never find the place—it’s buried deep in my imagination.
Not this time. Now it’s time to offer my readers a chance to live in Virgin River! Harlequin has created a contest in which the grand prize is becoming a character in one of the 2011 Virgin River novels! So—pack your bags! All you have to do is tell us why you should live there.
Head to BeInVirginRiver.com to enter the contest to become a character in Robyn’s next Virgin River novel! You can also read the first chapter of Robyn’s latest novel in the series, Forbidden Falls.
by Staness Jonekos, author of The Menopause Makeover from Harlequin Nonfiction
I have a confession – menopause is the best thing that ever happened to me! Except for marrying my Prince Charming! 
Ready for the shocking news? Menopause and marrying the man of my dreams happened at the same time!
After 30 years of dating in Los Angeles, I was finally engaged for the first time. My wedding day was about to be ruined by hourly hot flashes, itchy skin, crankiness, fuzzy thinking and monthly weight gain. My poor fiancé proposed to one girl and was about to marry Bridezilla.
Depressed that everything normal in my life was changing, I focused on planning my wedding day. Using a wedding planner book filled with checklists, calendars and to-do lists, I was able to plan the perfect wedding.
Then, something incredible happened during my wedding dress fitting. The tailor was letting out the seams to accommodate my new fat, menopausal body, as I was chatting about how easy it was to plan the perfect wedding using a planner book. Then I asked myself, “Why isn’t there a planner for menopause?” I just wanted someone to tell me what to do so I would feel and look good again.
There were no menopause planner books online or in bookstores. It was months to my wedding day, so I created my own 12-week program. It was during this process that I realized menopause was a gift.
Being angry that my uninvited wedding guest, menopause, had kidnapped my dream wedding, I discovered something that changed my life. Menopause was more than fluctuating hormones, it was an opportunity to reinvent myself. Once I navigated the confusing hormone options, I had to address my overall health and happiness.
Redefining how I ate and exercised improved my health. Updating my beauty regimen boosted my self-esteem. Addressing my emotions and relationships gave me the opportunity to find balance. Embracing my spirituality held the key that opened the door to happiness. This combination of changes resulted in the ultimate mid-life makeover.
Staness’s “before” and “after” shots! Doesn’t she look amazing?
Years ago when my only monthly concerns were PMS and an occasional pimple, I would hear people joke about hot flashes and women going through “the change.” I have news for them – those women are busy making changes that will make their life and YOUR life better.
Menopause was a wake up call to ME. I wrote The Menopause Makeover so YOU would have a map to find and celebrate the new you!
Editor’s Note: Still not convinced by Staness? Check out the book trailer for The Menopause Makeover below then head over to the Harlequin Community to follow Community Manager Jayne and community members as they go through their own 12 week count down to Fit and Fabulous!
Groundhog Day is officially over and, even though both Punxsutawney Phil and Wiarton Willy predicted six more weeks of Winter, I’m not going to let it bother me. You know why?
Because I’m a true romantic who believes that love conquers all. And I love chocolate and red roses and diamonds. That and, we have a new Valentine’s Day theme on the blog that looks fabulous! Have a look at the new design and, while you’re there, perhaps you’d be interested in finding out how we can give you a Happily Ever After?
Now to find that box of bonbons…
by Lora Jaggassar, Manager eHarlequin.com
I don’t know about you, but Winter gets me down. The weather is cold and bleak. And why does it feel like Spring is eons away!? (Maybe because it is…)
But one thing I can appreciate about the cold weather is the excuse to stay in, get under a cozy blanket (or Snuggie) and read a great book! And not just any great book, but a story where I know that whatever happens, happiness will ensue! Yes, I’m one of “those people.” I admit that I like happy endings. Whatever makes the grey blah days seem brighter, right?
That’s what I love about our books. I can pick up a paranormal story or a heartwarming romance or even something with a little (or a lot) of sizzle and no matter what, there will be a happy ending! I like to think we have an invisible “Happily Ever After” stamp on all of our books!
If you need help finding your next great book, check out our Happily Ever After feature this month. I promise that you’ll find a happy ending with all of these stories! And to sweeten the pot (and help you stock up), I’m happy to offer a free featured book when you buy 3. That’s 4 books for the price of 3!
by P.D. Martin, author of the Sophie Anderson thrillers
A few weeks ago I started a new project that probably verges on madness – certainly that’s what many fellow authors are saying! 
Coming Home is a mystery/thriller with one key difference…each week readers vote for how they want the next chapter to unfold, and six days later their plot choices come to life on the screen. Every Sunday night I post the most recent chapter and the questions for the following chapter. Then, at the end of the short voting period, majority rules and I write that chapter.
The next round of voting is this Sunday (Chapter 9). Anyone and everyone can vote – you don’t need to have read my previous books and you can ‘catch up’ by simply reading chapters 1-8 online (for free). At the end of the process I’ll have a Sophie novella, which will be available for free on my website as a PDF file (after some editing and formatting). You can also subscribe to my website to receive a weekly email reminder to vote.
This project is extremely exciting and scary for me. It gives me a chance to write a Sophie story I’ve longed to write – the tale of Sophie’s brother’s murder 28 years ago – while also challenging me creatively with the voting system. After all, I’m curious to find out what I have to write next!
P.D. Martin – Phillipa Deanne Martin – is an Australian author with a background in psychology. She has written five novels featuring Aussie FBI profiler Sophie Anderson — Body Count, The Murderers’ Club, Fan Mail, The Killing Hands and Kiss of Death (not yet available). Phillipa’s books are page-turners with lots of forensics and profiling and have been described by The Sydney Morning Herald as: “The Silence of the Lambs meets Medium, with a passing nod to Cornwell.”
You can view book trailers of her current and upcoming novels on YouTube and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
Check out the trailer for P.D.’s latest release in the Sophie Anderson series, The Killing Hands here:
by Julie Kagawa, author of The Iron King from Harlequin TEEN
I’ll be honest: writing guest posts for me is hard. I think I started and erased the beginning of this post a dozen times before something finally stuck to the page. I don’t know why it’s so difficult to talk about myself. It would be easier if I was a world traveler or big game hunter or once ran with the bulls in Spain. Then I could say something like: “I’ve wanted to hunt lions ever since I was two and rescued my doll from a rogue cougar in the backyard,” and everyone would ooh and ahh and hang on every word I said.
And I’ve gone off on a bit of a tangent, haven’t I? Right, back to what I’m supposed to be talking about. My name is Julie Kagawa, and my first YA novel The Iron King will be debuting with Harlequin TEEN this February. It’s about a girl named Meghan Chase who, on her sixteenth birthday, discovers her little brother has been stolen by faeries, and she must venture into Faeryland to get him back. Along the way, she discovers her own faery heritage, falls in love with an enemy prince, and must face down an ancient evil to rescue her brother. It’s a fun story, with goblins and phouka and faery princes and danger and romance. And Grimalkin of course. Can’t forget Grimalkin.
A lot of people have asked me where the idea for The Iron King came from. It all started with a single character, Meghan, and the story sort of evolved around her. Meghan is a normal teen who is pulled into this dangerous, fantastic world, and how she reacts drives the story forward. The other important element of the book is the Iron fey—the faeries of progress, technology, and the modern world, and how they clash with the ancient, traditional fey like Oberon and Titania. It was a lot of fun to write, albeit a bit frantic, since I finished it as part of NaNoWrimo, where you must write 50,000 words in 30 days.
You know, I’d imagine NaNo is almost as frantic as running with the bulls in Spain. If you fall behind, you’ll get trampled, either by hooves or an accumulating word quota. And NaNo lasts for a month, whereas bull running only lasts a few minutes, depending on how soon you fall down. Okay, I’m reaching. Check out The Iron King in February, if you like. Meghan’s adventures are much more exciting.
Congratulations to all of our authors who are in this week’s New York Times bestseller list.
Trade:
#23 Duets by Nora Roberts (Silhouette, week 3)
#34 The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf (MIRA, week 22)
Paperback
#13 The Man You’ll Marry by Debbie Macomber (MIRA, week 3)
#21 Forbidden Falls by Robyn Carr (MIRA, week 3)
#28 Amazing Gracie by Sherryl Woods (MIRA, week 3)
Enjoy a sample of some of our bestsellers with the Browse the Book widget!
by Sulemaan Ahmed, Olga Kwak, Lori Meyers, Karen Queme, and Michelle Renaud
How do you celebrate sixty years of pure reading pleasure? All year, of course!
And you’d better believe that we did—there were so many ways that we celebrated in 2009 that I had to enlist the help of several people to write this post. Like all good families, we gathered together and put together a celebration of our sixty years in publishing that won’t soon be forgotten. It took blood, sweat and tears, it filled our heads day and night, but ultimately, it was worth it. It’s not every year you get to celebrate such a milestone, after all. It’s hard to see how we’ll top this anniversary off, but I suppose our centennial is coming along…
And I’m sure you’re not entirely surprised. After all, we did mention it (once or twice…). In honour of the end of our celebrations, I’d like to take the time to show and tell you just how much celebrating we did.
Come along…
by Michelle Renaud, Senior Manager, Public Relations
How far would you go to be “in the know”? According to the Harlequin Romance Report 2010: Tempted, a whopping 48% of North Americans reveal that they have peeked at a colleagues’ pay stub, admitting that they have given in to temptation and crossed the line to satisfy their curiosity.
At Harlequin, Romance is our business and we know it better than anyone. The Romance Report, now in its 21st year, is examining the topic of Temptations. We explored the notion that temptations are really about recognizing a want or need and deciding whether or not the risk of pursuing it is worth the reward.
Last year the world witnessed the downside of giving into greed, indulgence and ultimately, temptation. The current economic situation has forced us all to think hard about where we spend our money. We asked survey respondents to tell us what one temptation they could not give up, even when money was tight. Seventy-five percent of respondents said books were the number one temptation they couldn’t live without! Instead, fancy dinners, shopping and vacations were sacrificed.
Our survey also found that over 60% of men and women agreed that when it comes to relationships, they want a partner who is honest with them about temptations.
Looking at a few years ago when we focused on confessions, it seems men and women have come full circle. Rather than dealing with a confession that happens after a transgression, men and women want to know about temptations before they happen.
So whether it’s looking at a colleague’s paystub or snooping through your partner’s personal belongings, we want the truth, even if it hurts. Today it seems ignorance is no longer bliss, information is.
Tempted to know more? Have a look at the video below!
Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd
