I LOVED reading all the fun answers in this spot blogaway contest. Allusions to morning breath, to slippery satin sheets, chocolate and dessert, to real Abradadabra magic and wands and levitation (ha!) all made my final selection list. Choosing one was so (ahem) hard, but as they say there can only be one winner (because I only have the one prize) and that winner is...

DRUMROLL....

Christa.

ROUND OF APPLAUSE!!!

Congratulations, Christa. I loved that you referenced the book itself with "Melbourne Cup's On" and "Mmmm, Susannah's loss."

Although you all shouldn't feel TOO sorry for Susannah. Her story is scheduled for mid 2007 and she ends up quite satisfied with her lot. ;-)

...I will be in London. Yes, THAT London, home of the Queen and Big Ben and Jude Law and all that. I have been before, for my sister's wedding in 1991, and I can hardly wait to get back and see everything I missed. Well, perhaps not everything because we only have 6 days, plus 1 day in Paris and 2 days in Hong Kong. Wheeeeeeee! Yes, I'm excited. This is the trip I won earlier this year, regular readers might remember, when I bought tickets to The Golden Slipper raceday and received a lovely phone-call two days later from a lovely man bearing the lovely news that I had WON a trip to London. I'm pretty sure I won't want to spend time in internet cafes while I'm gone -- too much to do, too much to see! -- but rest assured I WILL bore you with pictures and travelogues on my return.

A while back I bought myself a pre-loved PDA, mainly because it was the cheapest form of eReader I could access and also because a couple of Aussie authors (thanks Paula! thanks Maggie!) had this same model and offered great advice on how to use, download, which reader software, etc. I'm so glad I had their advice because I knew so little and it still wasn't easy sailing. I couldn't get the active-syn between PDA and computer to work for ages and ended up needing a techie's help. Anyway, that's sorted and I've downloaded my first eBooks. Yay! I've arrived in the 21st century, slightly late, but safely. Anyways, I think I'm going to like this. The screen is much easier to read than I expected and I love the backlighting and I love the portability and once I work out the bookmarking and other little doo-dads I'm going to love it even more. Only thing I don't like, so far, is the battery life. I just know I'm going to be mid-chapter and mid-flight Sunday night when the battery warning comes up.

At last, we see what The Ruthless Groom looks like with a face!

This is the hot cover of the German release, satin sheets and all. Danny tells me that the title Drei Magische Worte translates to Three Magical Words.

Soooo, what three magical words do you suppose Zara might be whispering in Alex's ear in this cover shot???

Just for fun, let's make this a spot giveaway contest. I'll send a cool prize to whichever answer I find the funnest and/or funniest from the comments. I'll make the selection on Friday (Sept 29.) Oh, and let's keep it cleanish. No words you wouldn't see in a Silhouette Desire, okay?

I've started work on a new book...which isn't exactly a new, new book, but a new version of a story I've started three previous times. I'm trying to write a fast first draft since I know these characters tolerably well. They've been lurking around in my head through and between those various proposals. Anyway, a dirty draft would allow me to get all the story down without my usual obsessive search for the right word and sentence structure and reading rhythm.

It's not easy to change one's habits, however. I keep coming back to the start, knowing I don't yet have the right opening and fussing because I want it close-to-right before I move on. Yesterday I scored a breakthrough. I realised that my opening didn't work because my heroine was "found" the wrong way. In other words, I'd chosen this situation which highlighted her conflict but didn't show her in the best light. In fact, she wasn't acting true to character.

My new opening isn't brilliant; it still needs work; but I'm getting closer. And at least I've shown her true colours. Opening line of what's currently the prologue: Susannah Horton spent the day before her wedding the same as any other Friday.

The prologue may yet go, if I can feed those details in later. I know chapter one starts in the right place and with my hero shown true to his character, although I'm still searching for a decent opening line. At the moment I have: Twenty-four hours at Stranger's Bluff and nothing had flicked the switch in Donovan's memory.

I don't buy it very often but yesterday I did. Now I know that we're paying the highest petrol (gas) prices in the state of New South Wales and for no discernible reason. Places a LOT more remote and distant from the city and seaports are paying significantly less. I didn't need to know this, since I can't do anything about it (except stay home even more than I already do.) And I wouldn't have known if I hadn't bought the paper.

Several of you suggested recipes as an addition to my blog, and since a reader recently requested the recipe of the muffins Vanessa baked in The Bought-And-Paid-For Wife, I thought that would be the place to start. Oh, and there is a batch cooling in my kitchen today. I just had one with coffee. Mmmm. Good. With the help of friends I've translated the Australian terms into something I hope everyone can understand. I've included pictures of the cherries and the coconut because they were the problematic ingredients.

CHOCOLATE, CHERRY, COCONUT MUFFINS

1 cup self-raising (self-rising) flour
1/2 cup plain (white) flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate (baking) soda
1 cup caster (granulated) sugar
1/2 cup desiccated (flaked?) coconut
1/2 cup coarsely chopped red glace (candied?) cherries
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 TBS butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup boiling water


Preheat over to moderately hot. Grease 12 x 1/3 cup muffin pan. Sift flours, cocoa and soda into a large bowl; gently stir in remaining ingredients until mixed. Don't beat or over-mix. Spoon into prepared pan. Bake in moderately hot over about 20 minutes.

Is it a throwback to the primitive days of hunting and gathering around the fire to cook and eat and tell tales about the size of the one that got away? This isn't a random question, by the way. It was provoked by a family gathering this weekend, to celebrate the christening of a new baby (a gorgeous and spirited little girl.) After a barbecue supper, the man of the house (MOTH) decided to light a bonfire. His wife set off to the house looking for paper and small kindling to get it started, but before she returned we see MOTH striding toward the towering pile of timber with a can of petrol in his hand. Every other male in the vicinity followed...and cheered as if their favorite team had just scored the winning goal (or touchdown) when the pyre went up with a whoof. What is it with men and fire?

...for naming a goofy guy with "introverted muscles" (his words) as their Bachelor of the Year.

Huh? I hear you ask. I'll let Cleo editor Nedahl Stelio explain the magazine's 2006 choice--announced in Melbourne last night--of TV and radio comedian Andy Lee. She said Lee's sex appeal was his down-to-earth personality and wit. (I've also heard him described as clever and adorable.)

"Girls are having a bit of a shift away from the superficial 'He has to be big and buff and a typically good looking guy', and really appreciate a funny guy. Personality is counting for more these days and Andy definitely epitomises the typical funny guy. He is cute, clever and smart, but he's not a loser, so that's appealing."

I've always found funny--the funny that comes from intelligence and wit coupled with a cute smile and deprecating personality--really appealing. How about you? Are you a sucker for a smart funny man...or a clever and adorable one?

I didn't get hooked on this year's series, but only because I missed the start and then I kept forgetting to watch and only caught random shows until the last few weeks. That said, through the recaps and montages, I quickly decided who I liked and who I loathed and who the contenders would be. Maybe my memory is failing me, but did anyone else think this year's final four were more even, more talented, and more rock?

Can't say I was surprised when Lukas was announced the winner. He made songs his own rather than belting out a fascimile of the original, plus he's got that same arrogance as JD Fortune last year. Didn't like either of them, but resigned myself to the fact that they'd end up winners. Sigh. Did you notice that he didn't look all that surprised to have won?

I suspect that Dilana wrecked her chances when the pressure got to her and she chucked that wobbly by the pool. I know that'd scare most men. A pity, because wow, what a voice and what a performer. Hopefully not winning will be better for her and her career.

Then there was Toby who looked nervous as heck during the show, although that didn't come through in his performance. Perhaps he was just a bit too nice, too humble, too deprecating...dare I say, too Aussie? Because that's what came across large when he spoke to the judges. "And I'm tall." Had to laugh at that, it was such a perfect demonstration of the Aussie sense of humour!

I've just read that last week's RockStar was the most watched "general entertainment" program in Australian subscription television history. Not sure what that means. What are its "general entertainment" competitors? Anyway, I'm sure the presence of an Aussie contender helped those ratings. Apparently Toby's success has also helped his Melbourne band's profile as well. Over the past week the Juke Kartel website plays have jumped from 500-1000 to a massive 10,000 to 15,000 plays a day.

RockStar fans, what did you think of the finale show? And which of the finalists do you predict will end up the biggest star?

Not that I don't like cats, it's just that I've always been a dog person and have lived with dog people and so cats haven't figured in my life. But now I'm engrossed in reading Nalini Singh's single title debut for Berkley, Slave To Sensation, and I can see myself shifting (ha, a pun!) over to the cat side.

Nalini's hero is a changeling, you see, who shifts from yummy (check out that cover pic) human form to panther. The heroine is one of a race which has worked over generations to eradicate emotions, sensations and violence from their society. Except Sascha, the daughter of a powerful Psy Council member, is "flawed". She does feel and that may just get her committed.

So, we have two intriguing characters who should be enemies but who are drawn by a powerful attraction neither trusts and by connected hot-and-steamy dreams. They're thrown together in an everyday work situation and then by a need to find a psycopath killer who is preying on changeling women. Not an easy book to encapsulate in a couple of paragraphs but a surprisingly easy one to read, thanks to the amazing talents of Nalini Singh.

Nalini agreed to answer a few questions even before I told her how much I was loving Slave to Sensation. Although she did suggest that I keep my paws off her cats. Her exact words, from memory, "they're mine, all mine!"

How would you describe your book? A paranormal with shape-shifters? Futuristic romantic suspense? A sensual psychic thriller?

Nalini: Hmm, it's a bit of all that! It's very definitely genre-blending but I think that's part of what makes it different.

Yes, it certainly is different and I am in awe of your creativity in coming up with all the elements. The Psy who have traded emotion for powerful psychic ability. A Psy heroine who feels everything she should not...and the clinically cold killer who doesn't feel anything. Where did the idea stem from, Nalini?

Nalini: I've always been interested in extrasensory abilities so that played a part. But with this book, I just kind of knew a lot of the stuff. I sat down one day and it all came pouring out. Three weeks later, I had a pretty solid first draft. An amazing, wonderful experience.

(Bron turns a most unattractive shade of envy, then picks her jaw up off the floor.) Did you say three weeks?

Nalini: Um...yes, but my first draft is really just a first draft.

If you say so, but I'm moving right along because it hurts to dwell on that envy thing. :-) I'm always fascinated by depictions of our future world, by what ordinary things will remain and what technologies will be in play. Was that fun, making up your own future world? Are you a fan of futuristics?

Nalini: Yes! I love futuristics. My favorite old shows when I was a kid were science fiction, including X-Men and Babylon 5. In terms of books, I love, love, LOVE JD Robb's "In Death" series and Anne McCaffrey's Pegasus series. It was a whole lot of fun making up my own world, especially making up words for things that don't yet exist but will one day (in my world anyway!)

You did a great job in building your world and establishing it in the reader's mind, right from the opening pages. Was that an exhaustive process? Did you need to keep a list of rules by your side while writing?

Nalini: Slave to Sensation was written quite instinctively and the world just sort of flowed (did I say I loved writing this book?!) However for the next book in the series, I had to have a detailed file of notes from book 1, so I could make sure the continuity flowed. It's my world so I make up the rules. But then I have to follow those same rules.

I love that how, despite it being a futuristic with shape-shifting cats, you've grounded it with enough of the everyday to make it all seem real.

Nalini: I grounded the book on purpose, because I wanted the world to be close enough to ours that we could imagine it existing, could imagine these people existing, both good and bad. Glad to hear it worked!

Leopards, panthers, jaguars...are you a cat person?

Nalini: I love the big cats. They'e just so sleek and somehow sensuous in the way they move. And their fur looks so touchable but they're predators to the core -- I like that duality, that idea of something so untamed having a softer side. Then there's their arrogance, their knowledge that they're the most dangerous thing out there. All great traits for heroes!

Mmm, absolutely. And apart from the yummy feline references, I adore the concept of skin privileges. Don't have a question on this, just sayin'...

Nalini: *smile*

Slave to Sensation is first in a series of connected books. Can I ask who is next... Nate? Vaughan? Dorian?

Nalini: Vaughn, sexy, dangerous Vaughn. He was amazing to write because he's so close to his animal, so rawly male. His story (Visions of Heat) comes out in March of next year and I'm dying to see the cover Berkley will come up with after what they did with Lucas.

Yup, that is one eye-catching cover! What are you working on now?

Nalini: I'm currently writing the third book in the series, Caressed By Ice, and okay, I'm getting close to shooting the hero. Talk about stubborn. He's making things difficult but he's just so yummy, I might have to let him live. ;)

And I'm sure we'll all be very grateful that you did.

Thanks, Nalini, for visiting with us and chatting about Slave to Sensation. It's out now, folks, and I really do recommend you take a look. There's an excerpt on Nalini's website. I'll own up to the fact that I wasn't a big fan of shape-shifter paranormals--there's something about that transformation thing that gives me the willies!--but after reading Nalini's sexy big cats I am a convert.

So, do we have any fans of shape-shifters or paranormals or futuristics in the house? Care to share your favourite reads, movies, TV shows?

...the newest, brightest, shiniest Silhouette Desire author, Ms. Paula Roe!

I've mentioned before, more than once, how little makes me smile wider or warmer than hearing of a new sale. After hearing of Paula's sale this week I smiled, I punched air, I whooped a bit, and then I smiled some more. Paula, you see, is not only a fabulously talented writer but she is also a creative energizer-bunny who designs websites, edits the Romance Writers of Australia newsletter, runs workshops, maintains a supremo resource of research links and articles for writers (check out her website), coordinates contests for RWA, has held a swag of executive positions on RWA, coordinated a national conference, and I'm probably forgetting stuff but I've run out of breath.

Let's just say she's done a stack of work that has helped a stack of writers and that she stamps everything she does with an energy and effervescence that is infectious. This sale is much deserved and long overdue.

So, the loud sounds of rejoicing you've been hearing over the weekend? That would be Paula's legion of friends in RWA celebrating her sale...along with the legion celebrating the fact that she can no longer enter contests for unpublished writers. *g* Paula's manuscripts have won, placed and/or finaled in just about every contest known to mankind (and possibly several unknown, alien ones) and this sale--of a story titled The Wife He Never Knew--came as a direct result of one of those contests.

Nothing much else I can say except congratulations, Paula, and welcome to Silhouette Desire.

Oh, and one more thing: I think it's only fair to let you know that when you rock onto the dancefloor at your first Harlequin party, they will play Loveshack. They always do. It's a classic.

While researching something today--and I can't even recall what!--I came across this graphic which shows the comparative size of Australia and America. I know a lot of people think Australia is a small country, possibly because of our small population, so thought I'd share this new perspective.

I'm thrilled to announce that all 3 of my Princes of the Outback books are finalists in the Ancient City Romance Authors' 2006 Anne Bonney Readers Choice Awards. Here is the complete list of finalists in this new chapter contest, which took a slightly different slant on categories. I am chuffed to see my books listed in such company. Winners will be announced in November.

Best Heroine:
Bronwyn Jameson: The Rugged Loner Publisher: Silhouette Books
Jennifer St Giles: His Dark Desires Publisher: SIMON & SCHUSTER
Robin D Owens: Guardian of Honor Publisher: Luna Books

Best Hero:
Bronwyn Jameson: The Rich Stranger Publisher: Silhouette Books
Dianna Love Snell: Worth Every Risk Publisher: Silhouette Books
Joyce Henderson: Walks in Shadow Publisher: Dorchester
Toni Blake: In Your Wildest Dreams Publisher: Warner Forever

Best Chemistry
Teresa Bodwell: Loving Miranda Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
TL Gray: The World According to Ali Publisher: Cerridwen Publishing
Bronwyn Jameson: The Ruthless Groom Publisher: Silhouette Books

Most Emotional
Annette Blair: The Butterfly Garden Publisher: Thomson Gale
Tara Taylor Quinn: The Promise of Christmas Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises
Elizabeth Sinclair: Miracle In The Mist Publisher: Medallion Press
Karyn Witmer: A Simple Gift Publisher: Dell Publishing

Most Humorous
Teresa Roblin: Hocus Pocus Publisher: Cerridwen Publishing
Kerrelyn Sparks: How to Marry a Vampire Millionaire Publisher: Avon
Dolores Wilson: Big Hair/Flying Cows Publisher: Medallion Press

...which I'd kind of forgotten about because last week, when it was still August and officially winter, the weather was WAY warm (scarily so), but once the calendar pages were turned to September we had an instant cool snap. Today the sky is grey and it's threatening to rain. I wish, wish, wish it would stop taunting us and actually drop some wet stuff because we seriously, desperately need it. (Rain dances being done, as we speak.) But it is spring and here is my spring picture from the farm, complete with grey sky and baby lambs.

Bit I am here and here! Hope you all are having an excellent day.

Yesterday we decided to go see a movie. This happens rarely enough in our household that it qualifies as excitement...or it would if not for the eternal battle over what to see. He wants something either thought-provoking or action-packed. I want to see something entertaining, preferably with romance. Son wants laugh-out-loud funny.

Usually we can find a movie to satisfy two out of three. Rarely can we jag one we're all going to love. So there comes a point in the decision-making process where I throw up my hands in despair and we stay home. Or one of us cedes by asking: "Which one do YOU want to see, honey?"

Son had the casting vote yesterday, it being his birthday-week. So we saw You, Me and Dupree. Son laughed out loud. A lot. We all chuckled, because Owen Wilson has that loveable slacker part down pat. As a bonus I got my romance and although there wasn't any action or any thought required, dh enjoyed. It won't rate on any of our All Time Favourites lists, but we all had a fine time and walked out of the theatre smiling.

And that's definitely worth the price of admission.

I'm a couple of chapters into Susan Napier's September Harlequin Presents Mistress for A Weekend, an appropriate weekendly title, don't you think?

Here is the blurb:

Nora Lang needs the most dangerous man she can find! Enter tycoon Blake MacLeod. He normally prefers sophisticated blondes that don't require too much of his brainpower. But Nora's a challenge...the perfect opportunity for a little light relief. Until she acquires some important information that he can't risk being leaked. Now Blake has to make sure Nora doesn't leave his sight--he'll make love to her for a whole weekend!

I've always loved Susan Napier's books--at one stage I hunted down her whole collection. Do not ask me why I no longer have them; it's a story that gives me cold shudders! What I most love about her books is her unique take on characters. They're never cardboard cutouts of the romance hero and heroine. There's always something quirky; something that sets them apart. (My personal favourite: the architect hero, who comes home to find his (female) butler asleep in his bed. And thinks she's his birthday present. Anyone read that one? Anyone remember the title?)

Blake and Nora are no exception. Although he's an alpha tycoon, he's not in-your-face arrogant or assertive. He's witty and sharp and charming and insidiously dangerous. Oh, yes, and did I mention melt-the-bones gorgeous? Nora is a klutz, she has freckles, and she's delightfully real. Oh, yes, and she's smart (despite the klutziness), so they strike up dialogue that makes me smile. As well as Napier's trademark sexy double-entendres, their early exchanges also include some unexpected insights into character and that only makes me like them more.

As I said, I'm only a couple of chapters in, but so far I'm along for the ride.

So, what are you reading this weekend? I hope it's not only blogs and that you take some time out to lose yourself in a book that makes you smile or cry, to laugh out loud or sigh with romantic delight.

September 1 sees the launch of two exciting new websites for romance readers.

Firstly, there's a bottle of champagne being cracked open against the side of the good ship Pink Heart Society, a blog celebrating category romance. There will be chats, interviews, books, games, a giant giveaway, and if that's not enough then there is also the promise of delicious men.

Secondly, the Nocturne Authors have launched their combined website. Site designer and Nocturne author Michele Hauf says, "you'll find a list of all upcoming Nocturne releases, a genre list of titles (so you can pick out which stories feature vamps, weres, witches, hunters, etc.), individual author pages with more info on their stories and excerpts, and an excellent contest that you MUST enter because the prize package is just awesome."

Enjoy...but don't have so much fun that you forget to call back here!