The party's over, the clean-up's all but finished, and I need to bury myself for a couple of weeks to finish a book...although I may return to ask a question re an article I need to write (if I have time!) Meanwhile, I'm posting a little excerpt from The Bought-And-Paid-For Wife (Aug 06).

Tristan had chosen a table at the end of the terrace, where, in secluded peace, he could pretend to enjoy the food and the shimmer of reflected moonlight off the darkened waters of the sound. Where he wouldn't be scanning the door for the distinctive shimmer of moonlight blonde hair.
Still, he sensed her arrival several minutes later. Without turning he knew her footsteps and felt the quickening of anticipation in his blood. When he started to rise from his chair, she waved him back down. Her warm smile was all for the waiter who fussed over seating her--not opposite but catercorner to him.
"So madam, too, can enjoy the view."
She thanked Josef and while he took her order for some ridiculous frou-frou coffee, Tristan kicked back in his chair and tried not to notice that she still wore the same pink sundress.
Because she hadn't yet gone home? Because she'd spent all this time at Old Poynton...doing what?
Only walking? Only talking?
The questions--and the possibility in the answers--snarled through him, sharp and mean. For a long moment he continued to stare at her, waiting for Josef to leave. Waiting for her to acknowledge his presence. Waiting for the impulse to ask those questions to pass so he could speak with some civility.
He took a sip from his very civilized sauvignon blanc. "Traffic bad?"
She'd been fussing with her purse, setting it just so on the table, but she looked up sharply.
"You said an hour."
"Have I held you up?" Her expression was polite, her voice as cool and dry as his wine. "If you have another appointment, you should have said when I called. I didn't mean--"
"My only appointment is upstairs, with my bed. It's been a long day."
Across the table, their gazes met and held. Comprehension flickered in her eyes, like an unspoken wince of sympathy. "I'm sorry. You must have started the day yesterday, in Australia."
And didn't that seem a long time ago? He should have been wiped out but instead he felt energized. By her presence, by her proximity, by the subtle drift of her perfume in the still night air. But mostly by the promise of another skirmish in their ongoing battle.
"I'm sure you didn't come here to talk about my long day." And there was something in her eyes or in his primed-for-combat blood, that pushed him to add, "Or my current need to get horizontal."
"No." She answered without pause, without dropping eye contact, without responding to his deliberate provocation. "I didn't."
"So. What do you want?"
"I want to see the letter."
Tristan arched a brow. "You don't believe it exists?"
"Is there any reason I should?"
"I've flown ten thousand miles today on the strength of it."
"So you say."
Rocking back in his chair, he met the steady challenge of her gaze. "If the lover doesn't exist and the letter doesn't exist, why are you worried?"
"Do I look worried?"
"You're here."
Irritation flared in her eyes but before she could respond, Josef arrived with her coffee. She smiled up at the young waiter, her annoyance instantly concealed by an expression as warm and friendly as when she'd opened the door that afternoon. Then Tristan cleared his throat and the subtle reminder of his presence wiped all the warmth from her face. Exactly the same as when she'd found him on her doorstep.
"I am here," she said tightly, "to see this letter. If it exists."
"Oh, it exists, duchess. Same as your lover." Turning the wine glass through his fingers, he waited a second before continuing. "A little young, isn't he?"
A frown marred the smooth perfection of her face. "Josef?"
"Loverboy. At Old Poynton."
"How do you..." Her voice trailed off and her eyes widened as the inference took hold. "You followed me this afternoon?"
"Inadvertently."
"You accidentally followed me? For fifty miles?"

Read rest of excerpt

Then nominate her for the Harlequin More Than Words award.

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Each Harlequin More Than Words award recipient will be honored by:

* $10,000 to advance the work of her associated charity

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* An all-expenses-paid trip to the award ceremony for her and a friend

* A novella inspired by her life and work, written by one of Harlequin's most acclaimed authors.

For more details visit the More Than Words website.

Speaking of real-life superwomen... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TRISH!!!

...a couple of months before I do, which is a shame because it would have been fun to sight one of my books in a foreign country. But, really, I do not want to spend any of my precious hours in Paris scouring newstands for my books, do I? Too much else to see and do and absorb and assimilate. Anyhoo, here are the covers. The Rugged Loner is a single book, The Rich Stranger and The Ruthless Groom are paired in a Duo format.

















I really like these covers, perhaps because I missed seeing the people in the North American originals. Although the UK one for Loner is definitely my #1 favorite.

The list of authors participating in this year's RWA "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing is up. I didn't count 'em but the RWA website says there are over 500. The huge event, on Wednesday July 26 from 5:30-8:30 p.m., opens the 26th annual national conference of RWA. It's in the Atlanta Marriott Marquis hotel so if you're anywhere in that neighborhood, you won't want to miss it. If you're a writer attending national for the first time, my best tip is to print the list and highlight the authors you'd like to visit with. Make a list of the books you want to buy. Otherwise it is very easy to bust the budget and/or miss meeting some of your favorite authors. I'll be there and, personally, this is right up there as one of my favorite conference events.

I believe that's a literal translation of The Rugged Loner in its Italian rendering. This is the cover that goes with--my very first nekkid-couple-beneath-the-sheets cover. They do look mighty familiar, don't they? *g*

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I do get a kick out of seeing the foreign translations as they start popping up on Harlequin's international sites. And although I sometimes toss the title into a translation engine, I have never been tempted to see what the translator does with the words between the covers. Call me an ostrich, but I do not want to know. It's just another thing out of my control once the book sells.

1. If I leave ironing for my cleaning lady, I will have front creases ironed into my jeans.

2. Handbags have many uses. Some are more "newsworthy" than others.

3. I "won" several cool items in the Brenda Novak auction, including some of these Shari's berries I've heard so much about. Aren't they something? I'll probably use them as a gift, seeing as shipping to me may be a leeeeetle problematic. Also bought a couple of autographed book packages which I just love adding to my collection.

4. For my Atlanta trip I can't "buy" an upgrade to business class using frequent flyer points as I've done on my last 2 trips. The rules have changed. :-( I can request an upgrade, which I've done, but I won't find out the result until check-in.

5. According to the blog of Harlequin VP Isabel Swift, all Desire, Blaze and Presents titles will be available as e-books from July. This is cool beans for me on two levels: The Bought-and-Paid-for Wife will be my first e-book release. And I'll get to read the books when released in America without having to pay exorbitant shipping charges or waiting until their Australian release.

Fellow Aussie author Fiona Lowe, who writes for HM&B Medicals, visited the Australian printery which prints for Harlequin (and many other publishers) to see her first book printed and bound. She's posted about the process, with pictures, on her website. I love seeing how things work...when it's to do with books, anyway. Mechanics, computers, electronics--forgeddaboudit!