Wolff Wednesday

Not much to talk about on the Wolff front. I'm two chapters from finishing my July Superromance-- yippee-- but that means I've been buckling down and leading a very boring existence for the last few days. Plus, the good news I've been waiting for just hasn't come. Sigh. But I still have plenty to be thankful for this Thanksgiving-- my family and friends, my wonderful career, my health-- nothing like a hospital stay to scare you about that. I'm thankful that my classes are almost over and my papers are almost completely graded and oh, also the fact that most of my Xmas shopping is done, so I do NOT have to brave the stores tomorrow-- definitely thankful for that, as I usually go out early on Black Friday.

How about you guys? Any good news lately? What are you thankful for in this season of reflection and giving?

Book Tuesday: Forbidden by Karen Erickson

So today's Book Tuesday is short and sweet. I want to pimp out my dear friend, blog partner and very first critique partner's new book, Forbidden! Here's the blurb:

He always wanted what he couldn’t have…
Rick blew it, and he’s never forgotten it. It’s bad enough his best friend Jesse showed his true colors and stole Blair, the girl Rick Playing With Fire, Book 1
Forbidden desires, secret needs…that’s not what girls are made of. At least, that’s what Michaela’s past boyfriends told her when she revealed her darkest, dirtiest fantasies. She knows she’s better off without the exes, but she’s lonely—and horny. It doesn’t help that her roommate, Austin, is the most gorgeous man she’s ever laid eyes on. Too bad he’s bisexual…or so he says.
There’s a reason Austin hasn’t been with a woman in a long time. The only one he wants is Michaela. He’s fought his attraction for months, waiting for a sign, desperate to show her she’s everything he wants in a lover. One illicit kiss leads to an explosive night of sex that leaves her wanting more—yet afraid. But Austin is a patient man, more than willing to tear down her boundaries piece by piece. Exposing her to pleasures she’s never known.
Trust leads her to whisper her most deeply held fantasy. One that rouses a new emotion Austin didn’t expect: jealousy. Possessiveness. He’s the only man he wants in her life. And he’ll do whatever it takes to prove it…

It's available from Samhein publishing now and I have to tell you, you won't regret the purchase. I bought it last week and read it while I was supposed to be writing my newest Superromance-- but hey, it kept me good company while I was stuck in the hospital! Anyway, hope you enjoy it!

Movie Monday: New Moon

Okay, I'm back and will try to keep up this week! After a miserable stay in the hospital and an even more miserable time tracking the Harlequin Hor debacle, I am ready to get myself back on track!

So, for today's Movie Monday, I'm going to talk about-- what else? New Moon. With the third largest grossing opening in history (came in behind Spiderman 3 and Batman's The Dark Knight) it is a smash success-- particularly considering it's the only one of the three that didn't hit in the middle of a blockbuster summer.

I dragged my dear husband to see it yesterday, and have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I was not a big fan of the Twilight movie-- I thought they skipped a lot of the poignant parts of the book, not to mention the whole make-up fiasco. But New Moon was pretty well done-- you can definitely see the money that was thrown at it after Twilight. And I thought the sexual tension between Bella and Jacob (Kristen and Taylor) was very powerful. Of course, I know that a whole lot of people came away from the theater thinking Bella chose the wrong guy and I can't really blame them-- even after having read all four books ;)

My favorite part of the whole movie was the scene when Bella cliff dives-- I think the director did a fabulous job and there's this one shot, as Jacob pulls her away and Edward dissolves, that was just beautiful, beautiful cinematography. I also liked the way they handled the few months where Bella pretty much ceases to exist-- before I went to see the movie, I'd wondered how they would handle it. Overall, I think it was worth the $8.50.

How about the rest of you? Did anybody rush out to see New Moon? Did you like it? Hate it? Have you read the books?

Book Monday: Just One of the Guys

I have a huge fondness for first person narrators, contemporary romance, and romantic comedy-- which is probably why I fell head over hels for Kristin Higgins when I read a book of hers that I got atRWA Nationals-- Too Good to be True about a woman who's been making up boyfriends since she was old enough to know what one was.

Anyway, I was raving about her a few weeks ago-- and how I couldn't find her at my local B and N and would have to resort to buying on the internet-- when my dear friend, Sherry Thomas, came through with thebook I'm going to talk about today-- Just One of the Guys.

This is a fabulous book-- particularly if you like anything I mentioned above. Kristen's got great first person narrators, and this book is no exception-- tall, athletic, competitive Chastity O'Neill is the only daughter in a family of male firefighters and other rescue personnel. Despite her bold, brash, bigger than life personality-- or maybe becaues of it--- she's had a hard time meeting a guy who isn't put off by her self-sufficiency and competetiveness. Enter Trevor, the man she's loved since they were both children and who refuses to look at her as anything more than a friend (except, of course, for one really hot weekend during college). Add in Dr. Perfect-- the first man Chastity's dated seriously in a while-- her fear of blood and a competitor at work who is making her life as uncomfortable as possible, and Higgins has delivered up a really cool read.

Have any of you read Higgins? If so, which books of hers did you like?

Look What I Have!!!!

I got this yesterday-- isn't it yummy? It's my cover for the first book in my Dragon's Heat series written as Tessa Adams and will be available July of 2010. If you remember, I posted the prologue here a while back and will probably be inundating you with stuff from the book in the near future. I'm so excited about starting my paranormal dragon series that I could just bust.

Oh, and here's the blurb, for those of you who want to know what the book's about ;)

King Dylan MacLeod is one of the last pure-bred dragon shapeshifters in existence—and ruler of a dying race, the Dragonstar clan. It falls to him to protect his people—and their ancient magic. He has one more duty: to provide an heir.

Like all dragons, Dylan can only procreate with his destined mate—for whom he’s searched for five hundred years. His dark, rampant sexual appetite has earned him quite the reputation, all in the pursuit of his one true match.

But his search is delayed when a deadly disease sweeps through the Dragonstars, and Dylan must venture to the human world to find a cure. He tracks down renowned biochemist Phoebe Quillum, never imagining the beautiful scientist will be the mate he’s been seeking for centuries. But no sooner do they meet then Phoebe and Dylan are besieged by an obsessive, overpowering sexual desire.

Their passion turns to something truer—and they know in their souls and bodies that they’re in too deep to get out. And when Phoebe is kidnapped by Dylan’s oldest enemy, he must risk everything to reclaim the only woman he’s ever loved, or his clan will be wiped out forever.

So, what do you think?

Book Tuesday: The Christmas Present

I know, I know. This should wait until Wolff Wednesday, but when a friend forwarded her eharlequin newsletter to me with this in it, I knew I had to share-- and didn't want to wait until tomorrow!!!

Top 10 Holiday Books at eharlequin

1. Better Naughty Than Nice by Vicki Lewis Thompson, Rhonda Nelson and Jill Shalvis

2. Lone Star Seduction by Day Leclaire

3. Millionaire Under the Mistletoe by Tessa Radley

4. Home in Time for Christmas by Heather Graham

5. Under the Mistletoe by Stephanie Bond and Linda Howard

6. One Cowboy, One Christmas by Kathleen Eagle

7. The Christmas Present by Tracy Wolff

8. Secluded with the Cowboy by Cassie Miles

9. A Mommy for Christmas by Cathy Gillen Thacker

10. The Soldier's Holiday Vow by Jillian Hart

How cool is that??? I'm really excited that it's doing well, especially considering all the great Christmas books that are out there right now! It's not available in the stores, but can be bought at http://tinyurl.com/yk4qcqr right now.

Here's the back cover blurb:

Rafael Cardoza needs a lawyer. A good one well versed in criminal law is the only hope to save the wrongfully accused kid from Rafael's community center. So how does he end up with uptown divorce attorney Vivian Wentworth? The chances of her successfully defending this case are slim to none. If Rafael were smart, he'd show Vivian the door.

Too bad his attraction to her is clouding his judgment. And when he can finally see past his libido, he realizes that there's more to Vivian than her family name and her designer clothes. In fact, she's working so hard to clear the kid's name, they just might win. It's the best Christmas gift Rafael could receive…or would that be Vivian agreeing to stay with him?

Anyway, had to share. Hope everyone is having a fabulous Tuesday.

Not Movie Monday

Okay, so per my modus operandi I went MIA last week. Sorry about that, but I got semi-good news on the YA I keep talking about. An editor likes it, but wanted to see a couple more chapters ASAP, so I got right on writing them. Between that and working on my WIP (which is due in three weeks) I didn't have time for much else-- so sorry, again, about leaving you hanging! Also, it's heading towards the end of the semester and my college freshman have research papers dues, I'm drowning under tests and regular essays and trying to keep up is not the easiest thing in the world-- at least not with football, karate, mad science, music lessons-- you get the drift. Anyway, super sorry!

Today I'm deviating from Movie Monday to talk about this totally new and exciting thing happening in digital publishing-- Harlequin has launched Carina Press, a completely digital publisher independent of their regular business and the entire romance world is abuzz with the knowledge.

If you're interested-- as a fan of digital publishers or a fan of Harequin-- you can check out this link: http://carinapress.com/?page_id=9 or this one http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/ or this one http://is.gd/4QSi2 or even this one: http://www.cnbc.com/id/33785094 Just so you know, this is huge news-- some of those links are to CNBC and yahoo news, as well as romance blogs, but everyone is talking about it!

Now, I've always looked at digital publishing as a good thing-- maybe not for me right now-- but a good thing in general. Some of my friends started out there and some conitnue there now that they've made the bestseller lists. But, I'm curious, today, to hear what you think. Do you buy books from digital publishers (like Samhein or Ellora's Cave) or do you prefer the big NY houses? And if you do buy digital books, I'd be happy to take some recommendations!

Book Tuesday: The Lovely Bones

A friend of mine mentioned this book to me in conversation a couple of weeks ago, and it has been in my mind ever since. I read it a few years ago, right after it hit all the bestseller lists, and it took me about three weeks to work my way through it-- not because it's so dense and difficult to understand but because the emotions are so powerful and painful and raw that I could only read about a chapter at a time. Anyway, after I read it, I put it on my keeper shelf and never looked at it again. For a romance reader, it's quite the downer. For a woman's fiction fan, it's pure brilliance.

So, after thinking about the book for about ten days, I finally picked it back up to re-read it, expecting to be able to work my way through it much more quickly the second time around. I mean, there are no surprises in the book anymore, right? I know how ninth grade Susie Salmon is raped and murdered by her next door neighbor. I know how she looks down from her version of Heaven on the people she left behind. I know how her family falls apart after her death and how her father figures out who the murderer is even though he can't prove it and how that eats away at him until he is a broken, devastated man.

I know all this, and yet the book has already reduced me to tears at least six times (remember, please, that I am not normally a crier). It has already kept me up at night, staring at the ceiling and imagining the horror of those Susie left behind. Maybe because I'm a parent with beautiful children at vulnerable ages, maybe because I've always been too empathetic for my own good, maybe because Alice Sebold is just that brilliant of a writer, I don't know. But this book has gotten inside me-- again-- in a way few ever have. I recommend it highly, though know going in that it will wring you emotionally dry.