Join White Heat author Brenda Novak and Harlequin Books for a Twitter party Wednesday, August 4, between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. EST! Never been to a Twitter party? Not sure what a Twitter party is? Check out the Twittorial below and you’ll be a pro in no time!

• If you’re not on Twitter yet, head over and set up an account – it’s free, easy and fun! Pick a username that’s short and fits who you are, and upload a photo so other partygoers can see your lovely smile!

• Take a few minutes to play around with your new account: click @YourName to see public tweets directed to you, click Direct Messages to see private messages. Click Find People at the top of the page to search for some of your friends or favorite celebs to follow.

• Be sure to follow @Brenda_Novak and @HarlequinBooks before the party! You can follow by clicking the links or searching for their names.

To join the party on August 4, you can search #BNParty on Twitter or use our official party tweetgrid. Parties move fast, and you want to refresh often if you’re using Twitter. TweetGrid refreshes automatically. Check out Tweetgrid below – there are columns for you to see ALL party tweets, tweets just from Brenda or Harlequin and tweets directed at you!

• Ask Brenda questions or chat with other partygoers—just be sure to type #BNParty at the end all of your party tweets! (This is added automatically in TweetGrid.) This feature (called a hashtag) allows everyone to know your tweet is part of the party.

• Join the fun! No one expects you or your tweets to be perfect; we’re just happy you made it to the party! And don’t get discouraged. If your tweet is overlooked at first, ask again! The more you tweet, the more fun you have.

• Watch for questions from @HarlequinBooks to win awesome prizes including iPads, books, and gift cards!

• Please don’t post any spoilers and pay attention to the time zones, the party starts at 8:30pm EST.

• Please feel free to spread the word. We look forward to chatting with you!

by Brenda Novak, author of the upcoming Department 6 trilogy, starting with White Heat, available now!

Not really. I’d invite you to my house if I could, but that might involve quite a bit of traveling, at least for most of you. And it could get crowded. So…I’m doing the next best thing and throwing a Twitter party!

What will we be celebrating? The release of the first book in my new Department 6 trilogy—White Heat, a story about two private security contractors who must pretend to be married in order to infiltrate a dangerous cult that’s taken over a ghost town (appropriately called Paradise) in the middle of the Arizona desert.

Some of the early reviews are in. Here’s what people are saying about White Heat:

“A fast-paced romantic thriller guaranteed to keep you entranced to the climactic end.” —Fresh Fiction

“White Heat is full of passion, adventure, mystery, and red hot action.” —Coffee Time Romance & More

“…the best high action thriller of 2010…” —Midwest Book Review

“White Heat is flawless and easily a Best of 2010 contender.” —Shannon Raab, Suspense Magazine

“A chilling tale that readers won’t want to put down.” —Romance Reviews Today

Body Heat, the second book in the Department 6 trilogy, will be out August 31st and Killer Heat, the third book, will be out September 23rd. So we have a lot to look forward to.

But I digress. Back to the party. Please join me on Wednesday, August 4, 2010, 8 – 10 p.m. eastern time on Twitter.

If you’re not already on Twitter, be sure to create an account.

Then go to www.BrendaNovak.com and register for the party. Why? Because everyone who registers will receive a snail mail party pack that includes:

• Raffle tickets for all the fabulous giveaways (like one of THREE iPads, jewelry, gift cards, autographed books and more)
• $1.00 off coupon for WHITE HEAT
• A pair of 3D glasses so you can view the cool 3D book trailer on my web site (just click on the link below the 2D version and/or, while you’re there, download one of two free 3D screensavers)
• A 30% off coupon for White Heat lip gloss (created by Three Custom Color Specialists, a high-end make-up company in NYC who developed this shade just for me)
• A reminder card (okay, so maybe this last item is more practical than exciting…)

If you’re not familiar with Twitter, don’t worry! We’ll be emailing all participants a quick and easy tutorial. We’ll soon have you tweeting like a pro as you eagerly watch the announcements to see if you’re one of our lucky winners (so be sure to hang on to your raffle tickets!).

Note: Must be present to win….

Any questions? Email me at Brenda@brendanovak.com.

See you at the party!

by Emma Cunningham, Production Coordinator, Digital & Internet

Here at Harlequin, we get excited when good things happen to good authors. We are extremely proud of one of the members of the Harlequin family, Tess Gerritsen, for writing the Rizzoli & Isles crime thriller series for Ballantine Books, which was turned into a TV show that premiered last night on TNT.

In the premier episode, See One, Do One, Teach One, Homicide Detective Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon , Women’s Murder Club’s Lindsay Boxer) and Medical Examiner Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander, NCIS’s Special Agent Kate Todd) teamed up to take on Charles Hoyt (aka Warren Hoyt in the novels), the villain of the first two books in the series, The Surgeon and The Apprentice. The TV show skips The Surgeon and jumps right into The Apprentice, where Hoyt is introduced as a former nemesis of Jane’s who has escaped jail to team up with a new killer whom he has taken on as an apprentice. With some gruesome scenes and strong characters, who are more personable than their novel counterparts, Rizzoli & Isles made a promising debut last night. Memorable characters such as Detective Barry Frost (Lee Thompson Young), Detective Vince Korsak (Bruce McGill) and FBI Agent Gabriel Dean (Billy Burke) all put in appearances in the show. Jane’s mom Angela is especially priceless, brought to life by Lorraine Bracco.

Here’s what people are saying:

“There’s something about Harmon that undeniably captures the archetypal image of the tough but lovely enforcer.” – Los Angeles Times

“I can tell you with all honesty that… I really liked this pilot episode.” – The Trades

Tess wrote eight books for MIRA, available now as anthologies. Check out: Never Say Die & Whistleblower, Presumed Guilty & Keeper of the Bride, and In Their Footsteps & Thief of Hearts, now available as ebooks from Harlequin! 

In Their Footsteps & Thief of Hearts is also available in print.

You can follow Tess on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/tessgerritsen, visit her website at http://www.tessgerritsen.com, or check out Rizzoli & Isles on TNT on Monday nights at 10/9c.

by Heather Foy, Senior Manager, Public Relations

I had the chance to hit the road last weekend with authors Carla Neggers, Gena Showalter, Susan Mallery, Rachel Vincent and Emilie Richards on the Authors in Motion Book Tour and it was a blast. We had a great time riding in the “love bus” (although our driver one day was a little crazy) and it was a real privilege to see them meet excited readers.

From L-R: Susan Mallery, Rachel Vincent, Emilie Richards, Gena Showalter and Carla Neggers

Fans arrived from all over (even neighbouring states) to meet them, some with quilting squares for Emilie Richards and others with custom-made books for Rachel Vincent. All the fans got photos to remember the experience, and they left with signed books and great memories.

Thanks to all the authors on the tour! Harlequin is so proud to publish your amazing work, and you are all incredibly talented. I’d be happy to travel with any of you, and we proved that with Starbucks all things are possible!

Gena Showalter cuddling up to something Grande and iced.

And just in time for the holiday weekend, here are their latest releases from the authors on tour – ALL great beach reads!

Happy trails!
Heather

PS—Check out Rachel Vincent’s blog for more photos of the tour!

by Heather Foy, Senior Manager, Public Relations

Road trips.  Nothing says summer like hitting the road in search of fun and adventure.  This weekend, I’m lucky enough to be striking out with five of my favorite Harlequin authors for the ultimate summer signing road trip.

If you’re in the Chicagoland area this weekend, you have a unique opportunity to join best-selling authors Carla Neggers, Gena Showalter, Susan Mallery, Rachel Vincent and Emilie Richards as they make stops on the Authors in Motion book signing tour.  I’m so excited to have this amazing group of writers all appearing at the same time, and they are anxious to meet their fans.  Susan Mallery joked: “Most of us work at home in our sweats or pajamas so it’s a big deal to get dressed up with makeup and shoes!”.  Don’t miss this opportunity to meet your favorite writers, get a photo, and of course a signed book.

The tour rolls into 8 different locations between Chicago and Milwaukee and the complete schedule is below.  You can follow our adventures on twitter also at #lovebus.  Come and join our summer road trip!

by Johanna Kendel, Executive Director of The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness, 2008 Harlequin More Than Words award recipient and author of Life Beyond Your Eating Disorder (Harlequin Nonfiction, September 2010)

After a ten year battle with eating disorders, I made a pact with myself that I would everything in my power to raise awareness and education about eating disorders.  I founded The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness in October 2000 in an effort to spread the message that help is available and recovery is possible.  In the ten years since its inception, I have had the pleasure of speaking to more than 140,000 people throughout the nation, advocated for mental health legislation, and served as a mentor to many women on their journeys to recovery.

I am honored and humbled to be a finalist in the Major League Baseball/ People magazine’s “All-Stars Among Us Campaign,” which recognizes everyday people who have gone above and beyond in serving their communities.  Now that there are just three finalists left, it all comes down to votes. Which is why I ask for your help! The online voting process will last until June 20^th, and you can vote as many times as you can! Whoever gets the most votes will represent Florida at the 2010 All-Star Baseball Game in California and be featured in PEOPLE magazine!! This would be such a wonderful opportunity for The Alliance to be recognized and for the messages of positive body image and eating disorders awareness to be spread.

To vote:

1. Log on to www.peopleallstars.com

2. Click on Florida Marlins (right hand column)

3. Vote for me, Johanna Kandel (THANK YOU!!!!!!!)

So please, please vote!! Vote today, vote tomorrow, and vote again the day after that! You can even vote numerous times every day.  And please invite/encourage your friends and family to do the same! Again, thank you all for your help and support as we continue to spread the message that help for eating disorders is available and that recovery is possible.

Harlequin headquarters got a special treat today: author Pamela Callow stopped by to say hello and sign copies of her debut novel, Damaged. Here are a few pics from the event:

Copies of Damaged are stacked and ready for signing

Pamela in deep conversation during the signing

Pick up this taut murder mystery about a criminal lawyer whose legal counsel may have led to the death of a high school student at the hands of a man who calls himself the Body Butcher when it goes on sale June 1. Have a look at the trailer below!

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Editor’s Note: From May 24-28 we are featuring posts by the editor and authors of the Harlequin NASCAR series. Are you a fan? New to the series? Leave a comment and be entered to win a FREE copy! See below for details.

by Abby Gaines, author of “Chasing the Dream” in The Memory of a Kiss (Harlequin NASCAR, June 2010)

My first love—of the fast, four-wheeled kind at least—was open-wheel racing. Dirt track stuff. Nitty-gritty…mostly gritty.

I was editor of a speedway magazine called The Dirt, and at my local racetrack I became known as “the Dirt girl.” I was so grateful anyone still considered me a girl, I didn’t worry about the dirt part…

Open-wheel racing “midget race car”

I loved that job, but I never thought my interest in racing would link to my romance writing until…deep breath… NASCAR.

I’d seen NASCAR on TV, along with other motor sports, but until I heard that Harlequin planned to publish stories set in that world, I hadn’t paid much attention to what those guys were doing out on the pavement for hours at a stretch. (The races I usually watched lasted all of four minutes!)

But if I wanted to write about NASCAR, I needed to watch it. There would be big differences, I figured, from open-wheel racing, and not just the cars.

So I started watching, and got hooked right away, just like millions of other people.

But, guess what? It turns out the major difference between NASCAR and the open-wheel stuff I’d cut my teeth on is…the cars. They look different and go much faster. Okay, yeah, the tracks are bigger, too, and way more people watch the races. But there were more similarities than differences.

Such as, the driver and the racing mindset. Turns out, whether you’re hurtling around a dirt track in a midget, or eating up pavement in a stock car, wanting to win is the just the starting point. There’s persistence, focus, physical fitness, the ability to overcome setbacks…Hmm, no wonder NASCAR drivers make great romance heroes! (They make WAY better money than dirt track drivers, too, which always helps.)

Next, the families. One thing I love in open-wheel is the multi-generational involvement. Grandfathers, fathers, sons—a legacy passed through generations, but also bringing the generations together in their passion for motor racing. Turns out it’s the same in NASCAR, even though there’s huge corporate participation in the sport. There are “NASCAR families” in the administration, in the teams and, of course, among the fans. I’m a big fan of anything that brings families together!

Then there are the teams. I learned early in my race reporting career that drivers seldom say “I.” It’s always “we,” and they mean it. A driver, in open-wheel or NASCAR, knows he’s nothing without the guys who bust their guts, week in and week out, to put together the perfect car for the track conditions. Those guys’ jobs are a blend of extreme skill and extreme intuition, not to mention speed and physical fitness. Hmm, no wonder NASCAR team members also make great romance heroes!

I’m really looking forward to reading the new Harlequin NASCAR series. Yummy heroes, strong families, intense competition. What do you love about racing?

 Since we’re featuring blog posts all week from the Harlequin NASCAR series, we are going to randomly draw five commenter’s names from the week’s posts to win the latest Harlequin NASCAR release, The Memory of a Kiss, by Wendy Etherington, Abby Gaines and Liz Allison! Just leave a comment on any of the posts published this week and you’ll be entered in the draw. Unfortunately, the contest is only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. Contest closes at 11:59 pm EST on Friday, May 28th. Click here for full contest rules.

Editor’s Note: From May 24-28 we are featuring posts by the editor and authors of the Harlequin NASCAR series. Are you a fan? New to the series? Leave a comment and be entered to win a FREE copy! See below for details.

by Jean Brashear, author of Crossing the Line (Harlequin NASCAR, April 2010)

When I was first asked to be part of the Harlequin NASCAR series, my reaction was to laugh.  “Not only do I not know anything about NASCAR, but it looks like a really dumb sport.  I mean, what’s interesting about cars going around in a circle?” I said.  Fortunately for me, my editor insisted I look into it because she wanted me for that particular book.

I did a lot of research and my interest was quickly piqued…but nothing sold me quite like my first race, the Bristol Night Race, called The Hottest Ticket in NASCAR.  People kept telling me I was in for something special, but…wow.  Double wow, is all I can say.

There’s so much I could talk about, but the first should be the generous spirit of the NASCAR Nation.  People might be diehard devotees of one driver and despise another, but when it came to helping out a greenhorn too ignorant to live (aka me) every last one of them was more than willing to lend a hand or patiently explain (and okay, sometimes debate) the ins and outs of drivers and teams and strategies, etc.

I found a lot going on during the Bristol weekend besides the races, including a festival downtown and the very cool parade of haulers on Thursday night.  (If only my pictures had turned out to match the experience. Sniff.)

And speaking of experiences—drum roll, please…Jean got a HOT PASS!!!!!!  For those of you who don’t know, that is A Big Deal for us mere mortals.  It meant I could be in the pit/garage area while the cars were on the track (aka the track is ‘hot.’)  I spent most of the day on Friday watching Nationwide and Cup practice and qualifying, and it was unbelievably exciting to see in person all the activities I’d researched.  The pit/garage area at Bristol is so small that it’s jam-packed with haulers, inspection tents, tire sale area, fueling area…you really have to watch where you’re going so as not to be in someone’s way.

Jean with friend John modeling their Hot Passes.

But boy, are you ever in the center of the action! I couldn’t believe I was standing right by all these drivers I admired and was bowled over, when I first emerged from the tunnel that goes under the track, to see the cars whizzing around within mere feet of me!  (And talk about banking…they’re driving around the slope of a mountain, I swear!)

Then the Main Event—Saturday night at Bristol!  They were doing the world’s largest card stunt to get in the Guinness Book of World Records, and the opening ceremonies still give me goosebumps just describing them:  the whole stadium one big American flag, Lee Greenwood’s always-moving song, “God Bless the USA,” a giant flag being parachuted onto the track, fireworks, the children of NASCAR teams singing the national anthem and jets flying overhead…I swear, you could not help having your heart just about pound right out of your chest!

Opening Ceremonies

Then, 160,000 fans screaming as the engines roared to life—it was all absolutely unforgettable, one of the most unique experiences of my life and one I will cherish forever.

Speaking as someone who was so sure only five months earlier that NASCAR was a silly sport…well, famous last words, eh?  I might have begun as the most unlikely fan on the planet, but when I finished writing that first book, I had to alert my still-bemused family and friends that even if I was never asked to do another book, they weren’t through hearing about NASCAR.

This formerly skeptical writer is well and truly hooked!

 Since we’re featuring blog posts all week from the Harlequin NASCAR series, we are going to randomly draw five commenter’s names from the week’s posts to win the latest Harlequin NASCAR release, The Memory of a Kiss, by Wendy Etherington, Abby Gaines and Liz Allison! Just leave a comment on any of the posts published this week and you’ll be entered in the draw. Unfortunately, the contest is only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. Contest closes at 11:59 pm EST on Friday, May 28th. Click here for full contest rules.

by Rochelle Alers, author of Breakaway, the latest novel in the Hideaway series

Most of us remember our firsts: kiss, lover, marriage – for those who have had more than one – child or grandchild.  But, for me I have to add another milestone to my list: blogging.  I’m truly a virgin when it comes to blogging and I can hear Mr. T whisper my ear. ‘Rochelle, I pity the fool.’  Well, Mr. T I’m going to prove you wrong, because I’m more than ready to give up my blogging virginity!

As a romance writer I have to add another first to the list.  Although Hideaway wasn’t my first published title it holds the distinction of being my first attempt at writing a romance.  What had begun as a short story of 5,000 words, written on an electric typewriter – made virtually obsolete by word processors and today’s desktop, note and netbook computers, was expanded to 85,000 words and wasn’t published until 1995 – ten years after I’d completed the first draft.

I knew in my heart of hearts that I had a special baby even before Hideaway appeared on bookstore shelves, because like our human children, I’d believed in my literary newborn.  What I hadn’t known at that time was that other people would also like the characters that would make up the Hideaway Legacy.

Fast-forward nine years.  Readers now read about the second-generation of Coles, Kirklands and Sterlings. The fervor over the characters swelled until a Hideaway Retreat in Orlando, Florida drew more than 125 readers and writers from more than twenty states.   We borrowed the New Orleans’ motto: Laissez le bon temps rouler – “Let the good times roll,” and over four days and nights we ate drank, danced and talked about characters we knew were not real, but loved nonetheless.

Fans of the Hideaway series at the retreat

Go to www.rochellealersbooks.com to check out the photo gallery from the retreat.

Whenever I’m asked about another retreat I’m reminded of the warmth and camaraderie from that wonderful gathering.  With the assistance of my publicist, we are brainstorming hosting one for 2015.  The date is significant, because it will celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the debut of the first title.

I knew I had plots for the first four books in the series: Hideaway, Hidden Agenda, Vows and Heaven Sent, but I could not have imagined fifteen years later that I would’ve been able to develop plotlines for ten more titles.  Are there more plots? Of course.  After all, the series has to come of age when it celebrates its quinceañera and sweet sixteen.

Breakaway (Kimani Arabesque) debuts May 2010 and continues the tradition with sexy, sophisticated men and women who dare risk everything for love.  The heroes are modern-day gladiators and their female counterpart is feisty and independent, but never forgets that she is a woman.  The characters work hard but love even harder.

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You ask who are these people and why do I continue to write about them?  The answer is simple.  They are family – and good, bad or indifferent you can’t get rid of them.  I have my personal favorites, and others I would love, if given the opportunity, to rewrite and/or revise.  What is so endearing about this series is every new title garners new readers.  For readers who are new to the series, the backlist is now available, beginning with Hideaway, October 2009.

And those who want to know why I decided on multiracial, cultural and bilingual characters with roots in Florida, about my ongoing and new miniseries and single titles I ask, “Can we blog about it?”

When E.R. doctor Celia Cole-Thomas is wounded and her fiancé killed in a shootout at the hospital, the only way she can heal her body and her heart is to spend time at her mountain retreat. In her remote cabin on the Tennessee border, she isolates herself from the world—until Gavin Faulkner moves into a nearby lodge. And as hard as Celia tries to stay away, Gavin’s friendship and sensuality are slowly bringing her back to life.

An FBI special agent, Gavin has been ordered to apprehend a fugitive in the area. The moment he meets Celia, he knows he can’t pass up the chance to show this vibrant woman all the passion she’s been missing. But his dangerous assignment could shatter the fragile trust they’ve built, unless he can convince her that love’s rewards are worth the risks….