Plot Monkeys

This is our third summer here in Oregon, living in the same house. Every year in August, at a small airport located about two miles away, there is a huge international air show. This past weekend, from Friday through Sunday, was the air show. We live in an open area, where we can just step right outside, look up, and enjoy every bit of the air show — without having to pay an admission fee. In fact, the entire neighborhood is usually sitting outside with their cool drinks, snacks, and cameras to take pictures of the jets and awesome planes that fly by.

The air show is actually very cool to watch. The Army, Navy, and Marine Corps all bring their fighter jets and put on a great show. There are “flying circus acts”, and “night areobatics”, along with other death defying performances. It truly is a spectacular show (if not a bit nerve-wracking to watch the smaller planes spiral toward the ground, only to pull out of the free fall at the last possible minute — OY!). The only thing I don’t like about the air show is how loud the fighter jets are as they pass over our area. The sounds they make literally shake the house and rattle the windows — and scare the beejeebers out of the cat and dog!

So, has anyone else ever gone to an air show? What did you think?

First, thanks to everyone for all the compliments on my new website. It’s so funny how so many of you loved the blue and said it was your favorite color–I am NOT a big fan of blue–except when it’s turquoise. I find it very soothing, like all of you pointed out–like a bright Florida sky or the Caribbean Ocean. I definitely wanted the site to have that beachy vibe without being literal and I’m so glad my amazing designer, Crocodesigns, got it right in one!

Now…winners!

For a copy of NEW ORLEANS NIGHTS, including INSATIABLE, which is what my manga book was based on, is…

#22 Tiffany (email starts with smithr…)

The winner from Friday, who will receive a $20 gift card to Amazon.com is…

#87 Carolyn A (email starts with pccau…)

And finally, the winner from yesterday’s ONE THING guest blog for a backlist book from Larissa Ione is…

#13 Colleen (email starts with greensham…)

Please email me ( julie leto at gmail dot com) and I’ll make sure you get your prizes!

Now, for the funny…well, it’s not really a “funny” funny…but a story that cracked me up anyway…especially since one of the books I gave away this week is set in New Orleans…

Part of rebuilding New Orleans caused residents often to be challenged with the task of tracing home titles back potentially hundreds of years.. With a community rich with history stretching back over two centuries, houses have been passed along through generations of family, sometimes making it quite difficult to establish ownership. Here’s a great letter an attorney wrote to the FHA on behalf of a client:

The loan was immediately approved.

Today’s ONE THING guest is the wonderful Larissa Ione, the brilliant creator of the amazing Demonica series, as well as the other half of the kick-ass Sydney Croft. The Plotmonkeys are THRILLED that she is today’s guest, answering the soon-to-be age-old question, WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISH YOU’D KNOWN THEN…

I wish I knew how stressful this job can be! I mean, I knew that getting published wasn’t going to suddenly make my life one big champagne and bon-bon fest, but I wasn’t prepared for the sheer amount of stress. I’m only now learning to schedule my deadlines better, learning to not read reviews, and learning to say no. So let that be a lesson to the almost-and-newly published — give yourself a month more time than you think you’ll need for deadlines, and don’t kill yourself with time-consuming promo. Word of mouth is the best promo, and that’s something you can’t do yourself. And if you pad your deadline schedule a little, you’ve got room for special writing projects, spur-of-the-moment vacations, and unexpected emergencies!

Oh, you’re so right, Larissa…advice I wish I’d learn to take myself more often!

And readers…Larissa is offering a backlist book (US shipping only) to someone from today’s comments! In the meantime, check out her latest release…in stores THIS TUESDAY.

SIN UNDONE
Grand Central Publishing
August 24, 2010
HER TOUCH IS DEADLY

Half-werewolf, half-vampire Conall Dearghul is charged with bringing in Sin to face punishment for the plague. And she’s no stranger: He’s bound to her by blood, and the one sexual encounter they shared has left him hungering for her raw sensuality. Worse, Sin is the underworld’s most wanted and Con soon learns he’s the only one who can help her . . . and that saving her life might mean sacrificing his own.

Read an Excerpt!

Check out previous ONE THING features:

Jill Shalvis
Mary Jo Putney
Susan Crandall
Tanya Michaels
Kathy Garbera
Lori Handeland
Carrie Lofty
Claudia Dain
Carly Phillips
JoAnn Ross
Ally Carter
Brenda Novak
Eloisa James
Jo Leigh
Joanne Rock

Well, lookie there…it’s the third Friday of August! How did that happen? Clearly I wasn’t paying attention…sorry for the contest going up late.

So…$20 Amazon gift card to anyone who posts an answer to this question: Have you seen my new website? What do you think?

Winner announced Sunday, along with my winner from Wednesday! And don’t forget to stop by tomorrow for a chance to win a book from Larissa Ione!

First, THANK YOU to everyone who purchased KISS ME IF YOU CAN. The numbers are making me one very happy, grateful author! Second, I’m away, so I apologize in advance for just doing a “reminder” post for the KISS ME IF YOU CAN bookclub. I’ve already received some questions (not a lot!) so here’s the drill one more time, and remember if you send me questions you have a chance to win one of three signed copies of LOVE ME IF YOU DARE, so what are you waiting for? Read below and send me your KISS ME bookclub questions and remember to show up here on Tuesday, August 31 to chat!

KISS ME IF YOU CAN BOOKCLUB
~ Discussion date – August 31, 2010 (one month after the book’s release.)
~ Place – The Plotmonkeys Jungle, of course!
~ Time – 6 AM (EST) – until we get tired of talking!
~ Random Prizes – to be announced that day
No RSVP necessary! Just read and show up ready to discuss.

Now for the hard part. For this bookclub discussion to happen, I NEED YOUR HELP! I’ll need bookclub questions!!!! So any time after you’ve read KISS ME IF YOU CAN, send me your question ideas. Since I don’t know how many I will get, I can’t promise I’ll use them all. But I will randomly pick 3 people from all the questions I receive to win copies of the sequel, LOVE ME IF YOU DARE when they finally show up on my doorstep! So please, please send me questions or we won’t be able to have this bookclub!* (Note – I reserve the right to use any questions sent to me for the bookclub questions on my website without crediting the person who wrote it. The reason for this is web formatting and simplicity. I hope you understand and will still participate!)

Once you’ve read you can email me your question(s) at: carly phillips @ mac . com (no spaces)!

I got a box from Harlequin and inside was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen–a Manga version of my 2001 Temptation, INSATIABLE. I couldn’t wait for today’s blog post so I could show it to all of you!

Not all of it, of course. That would take up much too much bandwidth. But a few pages.

First: The Cover

Very romantic, yes?

Now, it’s been years since I’ve written this book and I make it a general rule to never read my own work once it is published. I will only be annoyed by mistakes or frustrated by sentences I could probably have written better (despite the fact that I edit until I’m blue in the face). Anyway, as it has been at least ten years since I wrote the book, I don’t remember very much about it. This was a fabulous visual reminder! And whoever the artist is most definitely read my book from cover to cover! Wish I knew who it was!

The story starts with the hero, Dominick LaRocca. He runs an Italian food conglomerate that uses recipes of his two grandmothers, Nana Rose and Nana Fae (who were named for my aunts.) They decide they’ve had enough of his single-man status and since he’s such a hunk-o-rama, they take a picture of him when he’s shirtless and put it on their most popular pasta sauce, along with label text that tells the world’s single ladies that he’s available.

See? GREAT detail. The opening scene takes place at a Food Expo in Chicago–one I’ve actually been to and let me tell you, the artist captured it perfectly!

After my heroine, a security guard, saves his butt from a mad crowd of hysterical women, he hires her to be his personal bodyguard and pretend to be his fiance so that all the women who are throwing themselves at him will go away. I love how the artist showed her at home packing…because the pets are there! Her dog, Maurice, and her cat, Tabitha II. (Did I mention her name is Samantha? Yes, it’s a running joke in the series…)

See the dog and the cat? The cool New Orleans neighborhood street…which is, by the way, EXACTLY the way the street looks (I did my research!) This artist also did fantastic pictures of the Superdome, the Hyatt Regency and Samantha’s mother’s Garden District house, which I’ll show you in a bit.

Speaking of Samantha’s mother (who is named, of course, Endora), she is a well-known psychic. Using her skills, she sends her daughter a package to the hotel room where she’s staying with Nick. Inside is a ring, a generous supply of condoms…and I think perfume. I can’t remember. Anyway, while he’s taking a shower, a woman breaks into the room and into the shower and Samantha has to save him while dressed only in her underwear. I love how they did this scene (which was intended to be action-packed, but also funny. I think the artist captured both!)

This fifth panel…well, to be honest, I’m not entirely sure what’s going on because there are children in the picture. I don’t usually put children in my books, so I have no idea who these two moppets are. (Does anyone remember???) But I love the representation of Sam’s mother as a gorgeous Gypsy type and I adore the background with the house.

I could go on and on, showing you all every single page. I love this book like nobody’s business for reasons I can’t even explain…except that maybe INSATIABLE was a very personal book for me because it was the first time I’d really used my own family experiences to write a book. (Though the grandmothers were named for my aunts, they were actually based on my own grandmothers).

In the end, after resolving conflicts I don’t entirely remember, Dominick ends up bringing groceries to Samantha’s house and cooking for her. Look:

Wasn’t that fun? I’m in such a great mood reliving this book, I’m giving away a copy of NEW ORLEANS NIGHTS, which is the re-release of INSATIABLE and it’s companion book, PURE CHANCE, which is Samantha’s sister’s story. Her name…Serena. Of course. I’ve got the book in the envelope right here…so there should be no delay in my mailing it out. For once.

Just post a comment!

So I’m feeling really blah these days. Not sure why–dog days of summer maybe? Just exceptionally tired all the time. And the back is actually better, so I’m pretty well unmedicated, unlike a couple of weeks back.

Whatever the reason, I just need something to pump me up. So I’m looking for input–what do you do to get yourself going?

I have weaned myself completely off caffeine, so I’m not talking about a chemical lift. (That was tough, believe me…doctor’s orders!) So what do you recommend? I’m up for menu changes, vitamins, etc.

PS: Anybody else’s kids go back to school yet? Mine go back nexxt week. Where on earth did the summer go?!?

Every few months the family and I try to getaway for a few days to spend some quality time together. (No computers allowed, LOL!). When we lived in California, our favorite getaway was Las Vegas. It was a three and a half hour drive away, and we always had so much fun there. There is a ton of stuff for families to do in Vegas, so it’s not all about gambling anymore. Some of our best memories as a family are our trips to Vegas.

But now that we’re here in Oregon, we’ve turned into nature lovers. We love the mountains, the gorgeous waterfalls, and the beaches. The Oregon coastline is absolutely stunning, and it’s become our favorite getaway. This past week, we packed up the girls and our dog and headed to Lincoln City and Newport, and drove up along the coast with plenty of sight-seeing stops along the way. It was fun and relaxing, and we had a great time. The girls, and our dog Sandie, love the beach, so we spent a lot of time walking in the sand, digging up sand crabs, looking at all the creatures in tide pools, and looking for sand dollars and seashells. Sandie chased the birds and we played “chicken” with her when the waves washed up on the shore. LOL. While Sandie loves going to the beach, she isn’t a water dog and HATES when the waves get her all wet.

Two days away was enough to relax and rejuvenate us all. We had a blast. Just look how happy Sandie is in this picture!

So, do you have a special place you like to escape to for a few days? The beach? A mountain cabin? A favorite retreat that always gives you the rest and relaxation you need?

The winner of Leslie’s Jungle Madness Friday is…

CHELSEA B! Comment # 34!

Congratulations Chelsea. Please send me your snail mail addy so I can get your books ordered. And let me know if you have the first two books in the series, and which Lara Adrian you’d prefer instead. My email addy is:
author @ authorleslieparrish . com
(no spaces.)

And the winner of JoAnne Rock’s backlist book is… ALINA D! Comment # 5!

Alina, please write to Joanne at jrock008 @ gmail.com (no spaces) with your snail mail information and the title of the backlist book you’d like.

Congrats to you both!

Now, because I have heard no fabulous new jokes to share, I’ll open the floor to YOU. Somebody, quick, tell me a joke!

Today’s ONE THING guest author is the amazing and versatile, Joanne Rock! Joanne is prolific, thoughtful, and talented…everyone should listen to what she has to say on anything, but this topic in particular!

So…Joanne…what is the ONE THING you know now that you wished you’d known then?

One thing I wish I knew as an aspiring writer? To have more faith in my creative ideas! Before I sold my first book, I think I discounted some of my creative instincts as “not marketable enough” in an effort to write work that could get bought. While a little of that thinking is good– I mean, you don’t want to write so far outside the mainstream that no one will give you a second look– I do wish I’d given myself more freedom to take chances. I look back and see myself bursting with creativity at that time and I wish I’d captured a bit more of that rough edginess, the enthusiastic spurt of ideas that come from a mind overflowing with the hunger to tell stories. We never regain quite that same perspective once we are more tempered by the business side of publishing. And that’s not to say that established writers don’t come up with awesomely original, edgy stuff! I just think there’s something very magical about those early years as a writer. Have faith in your Muse. Even if you don’t follow up on the ideas that are more “out there,” I urge new writers to capture their wildest story imaginings on paper. You might find that, even if you don’t have the writerly skills to pull off that idea as a newbie, it might be just the right kernel for a story that you could pen in another five years. You’ll be grateful for that wealth of raw material that came from your young Muse, and you’ll find the story snippets all the more resonant because they originated from the deep well of untamed creativity that drove you to become an author in the first place.

Joanne is giving away a backlist title (US shipping only) to a random commenter today. So say something nice!

She has three books coming out between now and the end of the year…the first of which is a super-sexy, sports-themed (yeah!) Blaze. Read more about it!

Double Play
Harlequin Blaze, August 2010
The rules of this game are about to change– tonight!

Strike 3?
It’s a hot, fast fling with incredible sex! Only it’s soon coming to an end. Because temporary sex, even the earth-shaking variety, never leads to a home run. Unless these two players can let their guards down in time to let them both win this game…

Check out previous ONE THING features:

Jill Shalvis
Mary Jo Putney
Susan Crandall
Tanya Michaels
Kathy Garbera
Lori Handeland
Carrie Lofty
Claudia Dain
Carly Phillips
JoAnn Ross
Ally Carter
Brenda Novak
Eloisa James
Jo Leigh