Book #3 is out!

I can't believe how fast the past couple of months have gone, but today HIGHLANDER UNCHAINED hits the stores. So it you are out and about let me know where you see it!

Eastern Promises . . . and Viggo full monte!

Now if that isn't a movie recommendation, I don't know what is. :) Friday night was movie night for the McCarty household. While my kids went to see Ratatouille with their grandfather, my husband and I went to see Eastern Promises. We were both really looking forward to seeing this movie and were not disappointed.

Now, it's not for everyone--particularly those with weak stomachs. I actually had to look away a few times. It's the story of a woman--a midwife--who is trying to track down information about a young girl who died in her hospital after giving birth to a baby girl. If the midwife (played by Naomi Watts) doesn't find the girl's family, the child will end up in London's child welfare system. Her search leads her into the heart of the Russian mafia where she meets an enigmatic and perhaps brutal mobster (played by Viggo) who she become attracted to. It's a great movie and there is one very memorable scene that everyone is talking about where Viggo fights off a couple of bad guys wearing nothing more than his tattoos.

The other movie on our short list is 310 to Yuma. Any other recommendations?

Today over at the Divas I'm blogging about the gritty, not so romantic side of history and the issue of accuracy and anachronisms. Hope you'll check it out and let me know what you think.

Yes, That's Nathan Kamp On My Covers!

I'll own up to knowing the names of a couple romance cover models over the years--aside from the iconic Fabio, Rob Ashton and John DeSalvo come to mind. I have no idea how this happens, but somehow I think if you read enough books you're bound to pick up one or two along the way. I'd never sought out the name of a cover model before, until Nathan Kamp--specifically Kinley MacGregor's SWORD OF DARKNESS.

And then I started to notice him . . . everywhere. And not just on romance covers. He also popped up in some catalogs I get at my house like Champion and Gorsuch.

Apparently, I'm not alone in my fascination. "Stacy" on Amazon has an entire list devoted to Nathan Kamp covers. Many readers have written and mentioned him by name on my covers. I've even heard a couple people say that they'll buy any book with him on the cover. I've probably been guilty of that once or twice without even realizing it.

My current favorite NK cover is Jo Goodman's IF HIS KISS IS WICKED, but I also love Jackie Ivie's TENDER IS THE KNIGHT.

What about you . . . do you know any cover models by name? Any that make you pick up a book? What is your favorite NK cover?

Romance B(u)y The Book on Lifetime.com

Michelle Buonfiglio has tapped me as a guest on her gorgeous new site on Lifetime, featuring HIGHLANDER UNMASKED. I'll be blogging on Thursday, but some of the material is already up so make sure to check it out. You'll need to register to comment, but it's really easy (like blogger) and isn't used as a sales tool. Hint: don't put any spaces in the user name.

Book #2 HIGHLANDER UNMASKED Hits the Stores Today!

If it feels like it was just yesterday that HIGHLANDER UNTAMED hit the stores, you aren't alone. Hard to believe that a month has already gone by! HIGHLANDER UNTAMED is still hanging around on the USA Today Best Seller list for third consecutive week--thanks to all of you who have helped make my first book release such a thrill. I hope you'll enjoy Alex's story just as much!

Jami is interviewing me today over at FCD's so make sure to stop by and check it out.

The Next Best Day to Christmas

One of my favorite commercials of all time is the STAPLES ad where the dad is cruising down the aisles dancing to the tune of "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year." Yes, Virginia, it's back to school time--and I'm dancing. My husband I refrained from cracking open the champagne yesterday, but boy were we tempted.

It's amazing how the presence of two kids can throw a schedule (and a deadline!) into complete disarray. I feel like for the entire summer I've been fighting to keep my head above water and now I can finally breathe.

When did summer "vacation" get so exhausting? It's not like I was home entertaining them all day. For the most part I had them enrolled in summer programs, but it seemed like every week it was something new--and that usually required driving them all over the place. It probably didn't help that we took two big vacations and I spent a week in Dallas at conference. No wonder I'm tired.

So now I get to look forward to at least a couple months of quiet mornings and uninterrupted work time--until Christmas rolls around. Pure bliss. I guess this probably makes me ineligible for the "Mommy of the Year" award?

HIGHLANDER UNTAMED hit #92 it's first week!

It's been a very exciting week (understatement, anyone?) Thanks to everyone for your support and for heading to the bookstore and buying HU those all important first two weeks. I still can't believe it . . .

The Annoying Sound of Ripping Fabric

A couple of weeks ago I took my children out to dinner and ran into a friend. When I excitedly told her that my first book was going to be released in about a week, she asked what kind of book and I replied, historical romance. Well you can guess where this is going, right? She replied something along the lines of, "Oh, one of those bodice ripper books."

Cringe.

Now this wasn't the first time I've had this reaction and Lord knows it won't be the last, but it always jellies me, and I never know quite what to say. As was the case in this instance, the speaker said it with no animosity or snarkiness, and I think she genuinely thought she was being nice in sharing my excitement. Not wanting to make her feel bad, I think I smiled and said something neutral and polite, giving no indication that I viewed her "bodice ripper" comment as in any way derogatory or as an inadvertent slam against the hundreds of hours I'd spent researching and writing said book.

First, I want to make a distinction. I grew up reading the classic, early romances and I am by no means trying to say that a comparison to those early books is inherently negative--in fact, I love the emotional, sweeping "old school" stories and alpha (note: not asshole) heroes. What has changed though, and I believe for the better, is our understanding of women's characterization in romance. Today's heroines are strong, independent, take charge gals. Rape or "forced seduction" as was common in the early romances is the exception, rather than the rule. What I am reacting to is the grouping--or should I say dismissing--of an entire category of books as nothing more than stories of gratitous sex and men ripping women's clothing off.

Here is what Wikipedia has to say on the subject:

"The covers of these novels tended to feature scantily clad women being grabbed by the hero, and caused the novels to be referred to as "bodice-rippers." A Wall Street Journal article in 1980 referred to these bodice rippers as "publishing's answer to the Big Mac: They are juicy, cheap, predictable, and devoured in stupifying quantities by legions of loyal fans." The term bodice-ripper is now considered offensive to many in the romance industry."

So what are we to do, how should I react, when a perjorative description like "bodice ripper" has entered the vernacular and seems by the world at large a perfectly acceptable way of referring to a genre. Should I have deadpanned that I actually don't have any ripped clothing in my books? Should I have tried to "educate" my friend about the fact that romance novels today are very different today than they were in the 70's? But that somehow seems wrong--I love some of those early books and don't want to disparage them to try to give legitimacy to what I do.

Frankly, I don't need the legitimacy. Not that it wouldn't be nice. But I'm very proud of the five (and 2/3!) books that's I've written and IMO anyone who has completed a novel is way beyond the countless multitude who think that they can write a book. It's a hard business folks, no matter what you write, but I think romance writers have an even more difficult job. After all, everyone already knows the ending--so you better do something special to keep people turning those pages.

I'm not sure I know the answer. Do we romance authors take stuff like this too personally? Do we, as Willie said, "protest too much?" Do our covers (and "clinch" covers in particular) contribute to the problem? I try not to get defensive and let the comments go, but then I wonder if my silence speaks acceptance.

July 31st is finally here!

I'm thrilled to announce that HIGHLANDER UNTAMED is now available in stores. And if that isn't enough reason to hit Amazon (see link at right), today, the official release date of my very first book, is also the release date of "300" starring Gerard Butler. Coincidence? I think not. So if one sexy Scotsman isn't enough, now you can have two. Gerry, as I affectionately refer to him, actually inspired the hero in my third book HIGHLANDER UNCHAINED (available Sept. 25th).

Make sure to pop on over to the Divas blog today where I'm being interviewed by my CP Jami Alden. I'm giving away a special prize (hint: think kismet).

RWA, Texas Style

Hard to believe I've been home from Dallas for over a week. The national RWA conference takes place once a year and is the biggest gathering of Romance Writers in the country. I have no idea what the final tally was this year, but there had to be at least 3,000 members there. I went to my first conference in NY in 2003 and since then I've traveled to Reno, Atlanta and now, Dallas. Next year will be extra special because RWA is coming to my hometown--the beautiful city by the bay, San Francisco.

So what's the big deal? Why take a week off from family, spend over a thousand dollars, and visit Dallas IN JULY.

Take a peak at the wonderful pictures taken by fellow Diva, Candice Hern, in the series of posts from July 12th-July 18th on the diva blog and you'll understand why. There is simply no better opportunity to hang with fellow authors (old and new), meet industry professionals (book buyers, librarians, reviewers), get face-to-face time with your publisher and agents, and, as always, learn. Whether it's learning about the industry or sharpening your craft, conference is chock full of informative workshops. This year I didn't have time to attend all the workshops that I wanted to, but the ones I did hit were great. The bookseller's panel in particular was worth the price of admission. :)

This year I also had the special pleasure of signing my very first book. Ballantine brough in pre-release date copies of my first book, HIGHLANDER UNTAMED, for me to sign at the literacy event and the publisher giveaway. It was one of the high points of my career so far.

I'm already looking forward to next year!

Home Sweet Home

Well, I'm back. Ireland was gorgeous and Dallas was a blast, but exhausting. I'm blogging about setting and posted a few of my pictures from Ireland over on the Divas tomorrow, make sure to check it out. This one of the Cliffs of Moher is one of my favorites.

Check back soon for my recap of Dallas.

My Favorite Things Scottish

This wouldn't be much of a Highlander blog without a regular Scottish feature, would it? So I've decided to start a new list on the side bar of "My Favorite Things Scottish." And who better than to top that list than Gerard Butler. I think I've seen almost all of his movies now and my two favorites are: Timeline (I don't care what the critics say) and 300.

For those of you who haven't seen the movie, here's a funny 300 video poking a little fun at the plethora of beefcake.



Also, I'll be taking a break for a few weeks for famiy vacations and the RWA conference, but I'll be back on July 15th with some fun conference and vactation updates.

Happy 4th of July!

The Summer of Love 40 Years later

Today I'm blogging over at the Divas about the enduring legacy of the Summer of Love--its music. Make sure to check it out. Here's a video to get you in the mood...



Enjoy!

Why Highlanders?

I think this about sums it up, don't you? Strong, tough, gritty, undeniably alpha--these are the kind of heroes I write about.

My husband actually has this t-shirt. We bought it at the Highland Games in Pleasanton a few years back--great beer and great advertisement. Wish I'd thought of it.

Another Great BBC Production

In my never ending love affair with the BBC (and its costume dramas in particular), I've added a new feature to my blog. In the right column below the book links you will see a list of "Recommended BBC productions" in rough order.

My favorite BBC miniseries of all time (and if you looked at the "my favorite" section of my website you'll see that its my favorite movie of all time) is the joint A&E production of Pride & Prejudice, followed closely by Elizaeth Gaskell's North &South and Almost Strangers. I'm fortunate enough to get BBCAmerica, but all of these are also available on DVD.

Which brings up another favorite topic: two of the greatest inventions in the "make my life easier" category: Netflix and Tivo. (You'll probably hear my wax poetic about both of these things from time to time). It is thanks to both of these products that I've been able to watch so many of these great shows.

Last night we watched the first episode of another great production (OK technically an HTV production): Robin of Sherwood. Once you can get past the 80's haircuts (my husband dubbed him Robin of Journeywood) it's fantastic--much grittier and more mystical than we are used to seeing. I'm looking forward to watching the rest.

Today I'm blogging about author websites over at the Divas, so come on over and check it out. I'd love to hear what you think are the most important things to have on a website.

My Favorite Anti-Hero

Only one more episode. Sigh. It's hard to believe after eight years there will be no more Tony Soprano.

Is the Sopranos the best tv show of all time? I don't know, but it certainly would be in my top five. Much has been written about what makes it so spectacular, and I won't try to summarize it here, but the one thing that has always fascinated me as a writer is the appeal of the anti-hero. How is it possible that I could relate--and at times sympathize--with someone as morally corrupt as Tony Soprano?

Therein lies the brilliance of the writing, particularly in characterization.

Tony is the quintessential "anti-hero." According to Wikipedia an antihero is defined as: An anti-hero in fictional works will typically take a leading role, performing acts which might be deemed "heroic" (at least in scale and daring), but using methods, manners, or intentions that may not be so - indeed they are often underhanded or deceitful.

As the head of his family, Tony is the heroic "alpha" male: the tough, take-charge leader with a strict sense of duty and responsibility. As Tony himself said: "All due respect, you got no fucking idea what it's like to be number one. Every decision you make affects every facet of every other fucking thing. It's too much to deal with almost. And in the end you're completely alone with it."

But he is also a vicious, cold-blooded murderer who compulsively cheats on his wife. The "anti" part of the equation and qualities that I don't usually find compelling in a hero. :) This odd duality was brought succinctly to a point in a recent episode when a rival wiseguy threatened Tony's daughter at a restaurant. As viewers we could all sympathise with the fear of what Tony must have felt to have his daughter threatened. What did Tony do? What any hero would do and took care of it--in this case by beating the guy up. But he did it with such brutality and violence that there was no hiding from fact that Tony is not, and can never be, a hero.

But I'm going to miss him.

Official launch day is finally here!

I'm thrilled to be able to welcome you to my gorgeous new website and personal blog. For the past year I've been blogging every other week with the Fog City Divas, but this will be my first solo foray into the blogosphere.

I hope to post at least once a week--or more, if the mood strikes. So make sure to check back often.

Until then, I'd love to hear what you think of the new site!

Shhhh...

We haven't technically launched yet, but if you are here I'm assuming its because you've stumbled across my new website. So what do you think? It's fabulous isn't it?

I'll be back in a few days when we are all ready to go. Until then, don't forget to join my mailing list to stay informed and check out the contest page. I'm giving away and ARC to one lucky winner.