Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and what better way to celebrate with some free romance reads! Contributors were asked to write to the same prompt, with each story representing a different sub-genre. I was beyond thrilled when I was invited to represent “steampunk”! For those of you not familiar with this hot new sub-genre, let me break it down for you.

The “steam” part is basically referring to the gadgets, machines and/or inventions, which are a staple of the sub-genre. Think mechanical animals chock full of gears, time machines, brass goggles and airships. Then take those machines and put them into Victorian England or perhaps the Wild West in order to create an alternate history. The new Sherlock Holmes movies, The Prestige and Sweeney Todd all have steampunk elements and are wonderful representations of the steampunk aesthetic.

Now for the “punk” part. This refers to the revolutionary aspect of the tale. There will typically be something about the characters or their plight that bucks the social norms of the times.

In Bold as Brass, my “steam” is a pair of brass goggles that can see exactly five minutes into the future. My “punk” is a heroine who is an inventor and scientist with the guts to go after the man she loves, no matter what society thinks.

Here’s a little taste:

Charlotte poked around for some heartache over the betrayal, but all she found was anger. In any case, it wasn’t as if she’d ever loved him or expected his love in return. She wanted a family. He had the title, she had the money, and they got on well. Alistair hadn’t wanted her, so what did it matter who she married?

John slipped the weapon into his pocket and tried to turn her toward the door, jostling her with the cloth covered revolver. She made a silent vow to work on her instincts.

She looked down her nose at him. “I would appreciate if you would not do that again.”

“Not the rest, John. Just you.”

You can read the rest free at Harlequin.com!

Editor’s Note: Psst, you can read more about steampunk on the Harlequin Blog. We’ve had Carina Press authors (including Christine!) blog about the genre before. Check out the steampunk tag for more!

If you’ve resolved to just read good books this year, then we’ve got a round up that you might want to read.

Meet the Fortunes of Texas at Harlequin.com Community

The Fortunes of Texas have landed in bookstores and we blogged about it earlier this week. Now you have a chance to meet these ladies and gentlemen of the Lonestar State in the Harlequin.com Community! Meet the characters and the authors behind them all week!

Harlequin Escape Winter Reads Sale

Oh, that dull winter sun is starting to kill my soul. Thankfully, Harlequin’s having a special sale to rekindle one’s imagination and remind us all what hot sunshine really feels like! Spend $15, save $5 on featured titles in our Escape Reads sale! Enjoy these titles in ebooks, too! Quantities are limited. Escape Reads sale with coupon code ESCJAN12. Expires January 31, 2012, 11:59 p.m. EST.

Carina Press Extended Excerpt

Are you a fan of Carina Press on Facebook yet? Then you probably already know that the new extended excerpt for this week is from Prehistoric Clock by Robert Appleton! Click here access the read. It’s book 1 in the Steam Clock Legacy series.

Airship officer Verity Champlain is well-respected by her crew. But after a vital mission nearly goes wrong, she is having second thoughts about her career.

Lord Garrett Embrey is on the run. The Leviacrum Council, the secretive scientific body that holds sway over the Empire, executed his father and uncle and now they want him dead too.

Professor Cecil Reardon is consumed by grief. Since his wife and son died he’s been obsessed with his work, and now he is on the verge of an extraordinary scientific breakthrough: his machine is about to breach time itself, to undo fate’s cruel taking of his loved ones.

But the time jump doesn’t go according to plan, and part of London winds up millions of years in the past. Verity and her crew—Lord Embrey, Professor Reardon and others stranded with them—must pull together to survive in a world ruled by dinosaurs…and to somehow get home.

Julie Kagawa Video from BEA 2011

Our featured video for this week is a Justine Magazine interview with Julie Kagawa, author of the Iron Fey series!

Harlequin Community Author Spotlight

Our new author spotlight on the Harlequin Community is Carla Cassidy! All week we’re talking with Carla about her books. Carla Cassidy is an award-winning author who has written more than 55 books. In 1995 she won Best Silhouette Romance of 1995 from Romantic Times Magazine for Anything for Danny. Carla has been a professional cheerleader, an actress, and a singer/dancer in a show band before settling into her true love…writing. Find out more on the Harlequin.com Community page.

Health & Wellness Book Sale at Harlequin.com

New Year, New You week on the Harlequin Blog may be over, but our sale continues! Discover our featured Health & Wellness titles and save 30%! Enjoy these titles in ebooks, too!

FREE Chain Reaction (Carina Press) Extended Excerpt

Download the free extended excerpt of Zoë Archer’s Chain Reaction on the Carina Press Facebook page!

Elite 8th Wing pilot Celene Jur was taken captive after a mysterious device temporarily disabled her ship’s controls. Three solar months later, when Celene receives intel on the man who built the device, she’s ready to get the bastard. Only problem is, the higher-ups think her mission partner should be Nils Calder, a tech-head who can understand the disabling device. The attraction between them is electric, but Celene needs a soldier who can watch her back as she exacts her revenge.

Nils knows his department is nicknamed NerdWorks. Pilots like Celene think the closest tech geeks come to combat is all-night Nifalian chess tournaments. But behind the NerdWorks insignia on his sleeve Nils is an able fighter, ready to prove himself and gain Celene’s trust.

The desire between them is unexpected, but with the fate of thousands hanging in the balance, the hotshot pilot and the tech genius must succeed in their mission—no matter the cost.

Organize Your Mind, Organize Your Life Book Trailer

The key to a less hectic, less stressful life is not in simply organizing your desk, but organizing your mind. Dr. Paul Hammerness, a Harvard Medical School psychiatrist, describes the latest neuroscience research on the brain’s extraordinary built-in system of organization. Margaret Moore, an executive wellness coach and codirector of the Institute of Coaching, translates the science into solutions. Organize Your Mind, Organize Your Life is available from Harlequin Nonfiction.

1. $2 off Debbie Macomber Christmas Cookbook

Loved the Christmas Eve Eggnog recipe I posted this week? Do you have a big Debbie Macomber fan on your Christmas list? Why not gift them with the Debbie Macomber Christmas Cookbook? From Dec. 14 – 21 you can save $2 off the cover price of the book with this exclusive coupon. The book is full of both recipes and crafts that you can use to create new traditions or provide fun alternatives to your own.

2. Carina Press Here Be Magic – the new Fantasy blog from Carina Press authors!

From December 17th through December 24th, Here Be Magic (a blog comprised of Carina Press fantasy and paranormal authors) will be running an amazing contest to celebrate the season of giving. Prizes include a brand new Kindle Fire, a virtual basket filled with over two dozen Carina Press titles, and a $25.00 gift card to Amazon or Barnes & Noble (winner’s choice). No hoops to jump through, all it takes is a comment, so swing by http://herebemagic.blogspot.com/ starting December 17th to enter!

3. Carina Press’ Sea of Suspicion is now on sale in print!

Toni Anderson’s Sea of Suspicion is now on sale in print at Harlequin.com. We love when Carina Press titles move into print. We hope you’ll check out Toni’s novel!

Marine biologist Susie Cooper traded her life in America for a dream job on the rugged Scottish coast. Now all she lacks is the right man to start a family with. After their first meeting, she knows sexy Detective Inspector Nick Archer isn’t what she’s looking for. He’s the type of guy whose idea of commitment is staying the whole night.
Nick has returned to St. Andrews for one reason only—to fulfill his vow to find his wife’s killer. Relentless in his twelve-year quest for justice, he has no problem using Susie to get close to his primary suspect: her boss. But the passion between them smolders, and as it ignites, Nick finds himself torn between his past and his present—with Susie.
When one of her boss’s students is murdered, Nick’s investigation draws Susie into a web of madness and betrayal. They will have to learn to trust each other if they’re going to catch a killer…and come out of this alive.

And if you’re interested in more Carina Press titles in print, Marie Force’s Fatal Affair is still available.

4. Harlequin.com: Holidays@Harlequin: 12 Deals, 12 Gifts

Well, it’s hard to believe, but the 12 deals of Christmas are over. HOWEVER! There are still plenty of Gifts to come, so you should keep checking back to the Santa Tree for more deals. Visit Harlequin.com to check on today’s!

5. FREE Linda Lael Miller Cowboy Wallpaper

Alright, the moment you’re waiting for! Thinking about changing your desktop wallpaper to something a little more manly? How about this FREE wallpaper from Linda Lael Miller’s McKettricks of Texas series? Sexy as all sin and did I mention that it’s totally, utterly FREE? You can download it from Facebook today!

Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins book trailer

I leave you today with the new (to me!) book trailer for Kristan Higgins’ Until There Was You (HQN Books). Kristan’s a big name around the Romance Mothership because her covers have been graced by some adorable pups. Check out the video to see more from Mumford, the latest “star” of her novel! (Rumour has it the next canine cover model is going to be pretty large too! Any guesses what kind of pooch it will be?) And in case you’re wondering, Kristan Higgins’ novels make great Christmas presents!

People often ask how I come up with story ideas for my romances, and the secret is:  some careful matchmaking—but not in the usual way.

In real life, we spot a handsome bachelor and immediately run through a mental rolodex of all the single women we know.  We consider physical attributes, knowing they’ll need to be sexually attracted, and common interests, realizing they should enjoy the same hobbies and activities.  Then, if we don’t anticipate any future conflicts, we become matchmakers.

But that’s not the kind of matchmaking I’m talking about.

Romance authors need to first create two wounded characters who couldn’t be worse for each other, then force proximity, pump up the sexual tension and torture them until they are forced to change.   It’s not until each character grows and wounds are mended that the couple is free to truly love.

The trick is to start out with two flawed people.  Let me give you an example using my December Special Edition, A BABY UNDER THE TREE.

After Shane Hollister’s ex-wife insisted upon a divorce, she moved out of state, taking their toddler with her.  Six months later, the little boy was killed in a car accident.  Shane was crushed by the loss.  In fact, he took a leave of absence from the Houston police department and moved to Brighton Valley to put some distance between him and his memories.

So who would be the worst possible match for him?

Why the woman who is having his secret baby—a virtual stranger to him.

Newly divorced Jillian Wilkes has her own sad memories and betrayals to deal with.  After spending one glorious night with a handsome stranger, she finds herself pregnant with his baby and vacillating between telling him and keeping the precious secret to herself.

Shane and Jillian have commonality—they both desire a child and a family.  But their wounds, internal conflicts, and methods of dealing with life are at odds.  The plot pushes them together, and as sexual tension increases, they are forced to change into two people now perfect for each other.

It’s not always easy to torture characters and force them to grow.   And it can be tough not to step in too soon and fix things for them.   But it’s important to create a story that makes them face those old fears, wounds and baggage because, in a romance, it’s not the set-up that produces a perfect couple, it’s the journey they must take.  Then, by the time the black moment erupts, those characters will finally be ready for and worthy of true love and a happy-ever-after.

I’m thrilled to be blogging with you today on Harlequin.com for several reasons.  First of all, A BABY UNDER THE TREE, which kicks off another Brighton Valley series, is available now.  My online story also begins this week.  RED ROCK CINDERELLA is a great lead-in to the new Fortunes of Texas series coming out in January.  I hope you’ll check out both of my stories, as well as the new Fortunes of Texas series while you’re at Harlequin.com.

• Fans of Karen Harper, we have a special treat for you. In the ebook edition of Fall From Pride, you’ll receive an exclusive free short story: Phantom Amish. Karen stopped by earlier this month to blog about Fall From Pride.
• Speaking of free novellas, Haunting the Night by Mara Purnhagen (Harlequin Teen) is available now! For those keeping up with the series, the events in Haunting the Night take place a few weeks after One Hundred Candles. For information on how to download the novella, “Like” the Harlequin Teen Facebook fan page. Check out the synopsis below:

Charlotte Silver has been through hell.  Her mom’s in a coma. She may have caused the death of a young man.

And now her friend Avery wants her to tackle going to Prom? Not going to happen, even if she is dying to spend some alone time with her boyfriend, Noah.

Instead, Charlotte needs to find some answers to a few nagging questions—why was her family attacked? Will her mother survive?

And is there a creature from the Other Side coming for her? Soon enough, Charlotte’s search for the truth becomes a race against time.

But she may just find the sign she’s been looking for all along….

Let me know if you need anything else.

• Exciting news from author of the Lady Julia Grey series Deanna Raybourn! She’ll be returning to Mira Books for a three-book deal starting in May 2013. Her first novel is set in Kenya in the 1920s and “features a flapper heroine with a string of scandals to her name and a hero who will make you rethink Brisbane as a literary crush. No lie.” Congrats, Deanna! We’re very excited about the news. It might give me another opportunity to ask you to write a blog post about the fashion inspiration for your next novel.
• In contest news, Fresh Fiction is giving away a copy of Carla Negger‘s Saint’s Gate plus a Stonewall Kitchen cast-iron, non-stick Belgian Waffle Maker, Wild Maine Blueberry Syrup, and Wild Maine Blueberry and Champagne Blueberry jams! Recently Carla stopped by the Harlequin Community to blog about her new release.
• Finally, I’ve been sitting on this Harlequin book trailer for some time now. It features the new eight-part Harlequin Presents miniseries The Notorious Wolfes. If you’re intrigued, you should stop by I Heart Presents blog for all the details on the series.

All this week the Harlequin Digital Team is going to be trying out some of Sarah’s recipes with their families. Each day we’ll post a blog post from a team member with the recipe they’ve tried, a tip from Sarah and a discussion question, which you can answer in the comments. Each day we’ll also be giving away a Peas and Thank You prize pack! Each prize pack will include:

• One 11 ounce ceramic mug w/ sealable lid
• An apron
• A reusable shopping bag
• A sweet lil’ pea bib.

All you have to do to win is comment on the day’s blog post. We’re giving away five prize packs in all.

Here’s what we’ll be test-driving this week:

Monday: Chickpea strawberry mango salad with Farah and her nieces

Tuesday: Banana chocolate chip millet muffins with Debbie and her husband

Wednesday: Picnic tortilla pinwheels with Amy and her husband

Thursday: Fabulous French toast with Jenny and her husband and daughters

Friday: Tried-and-true whole wheat pizza crust with Eleanor and her husband and son

Stay tuned later today for the first blog post from Farah!

For more information about Sarah Matheny, you can visit her blog, Peas and Thank You, find her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter. Peas and Thank You the book will be available in bookstores July 26, 2011.

Bodyguard Vince Russo had one mandate: protect superstar Carrie Rivers at any cost. He figured the most complicated thing about the mission would be dealing with a diva…until the bomb exploded.

Now Vince’s quick thinking is the only thing keeping them ahead of a dangerous stalker who’ll stop at nothing to get at Carrie and her little girl. But being in close quarters with the beautiful singer is severely testing his focus, and he begins to wonder which is the bigger threat—the crazed fan…or their sizzling chemistry?

Love Inspired fans, take note! “Love in Faith”, the February edition of Charisma Magazine is dedicated to our favourite inspirational romance imprint. We recently published one of the articles that’s included in the magazine on the Harlequin Blog. Love Inspired assistant editor Emily Rodmell wrote a piece on the rise of contemporary Amish romance called Love: Plain and Simple.

The entire edition of Charisma is available right now digitally. And after you’ve finished reading the articles, stop by www.tryloveinspired.com for a free download!

Did you ever watch a movie or read a book and realize that a minor character has completely stolen the show? Yeah. Me too.

On a totally unrelated note, it has come to my attention over the course of the last year and half worth of emails, messages, and informal polls that Tod is the undisputed favorite character in my Soul Screamers series.

Raise your hand if you’re surprised.

Yeah, me neither. He was one of my favorites early on, and what was supposed to be a one-scene role for a side character intended to help Kaylee and Nash on their quest for Netherworld domination mission to understand who and what they are became a strong supporting role in the first novel. And after that…well, my readership has spoken. You all (or so I’m told) want Tod.

Thus, “Reaper” was born.

Throughout the first three novels in the series, I intentionally withheld the story of Tod’s death for a couple of reasons. First, I didn’t want to lock myself into anything I might later wish I could change. This is only one of the many nuggets of writing wisdom I’ve learned from a very painful trial-and-error process. ‘Cause yeah, I’ve written stuff I wish I could take back.

But second of all, I knew early on that I would want to write Tod’s story in a novella. In fact, My Soul To Lose (the online-only prequel novella) was almost the story of Tod’s death. (It was also almost the story of Kaylee’s mother’s death.) But wiser minds prevailed and I wound up writing something that gives insight into Kaylee’s mind, which I think worked better as an introduction to the series.

So Tod’s story got shelved. Which was a good thing, because I didn’t know how it would go. That’s right, I didn’t know how Tod died until I was…several pages into the “Reaper” novella. Why? Because Tod’s death is very important to the Soul Screamers series. It’s a pivotal moment for the entire Hudson family—it shaped who Nash and Tod are now, and they both play very big roles in Kaylee’s life. So his death had to be…big. Important. It had to mean something. It had to change life for everyone around him.

For a while, I kicked around the possibility of some kind of weird, random death, a la Pushing Daisies. But all of those possibilities felt contrived. So I jumped onto Google and searched for the most common cause of death among American teenagers and I went with that. Because until he died, Tod was your average (super hot—this is fantasy) almost-eighteen-year-old boy. And to give him an extraordinary death wouldn’t fit the bill. All of the extraordinary things about Tod happened post-death. And they just keep on happening.

Curious? Yeah, I’m not gonna tell you. You’ll have to read the story. And just to tease you a little more…though “Reaper” takes place shortly after “Fearless” (the Sabine story in the Kiss Me Deadly anthology), the end of “Reaper” is actually the beginning of the Soul Screamers series, and it ties most of the main characters together, before they ever knew they were connected…

Fortunately, you won’t have to wait to find out what I mean. “Reaper” is out right now (and it’s FREE)!!!