A HIghlander Comes Riding . . . March 3rd!!

Hi Fierce Friends!
It’s the last week before my new time travel romance, HIGHLAND REBEL, comes out on March 3rd and I am really getting excited! I’ve had some really great reviews this week on different romance websites, and my preorders seem to be going well. I’m at #28 on the amazon fiction Books list for time travels. Since I’m up against every single one of Diana Gabaldon’s books and each of their separate printings, I feel pretty good about being #28.

There’s still time to sign up to be one of my Troubadours – just saunter over to my MySpace and read the last few blogs there, and then email me @ tessmallory@yahoo.com if you have any questions. The prizes range from a free book to a $25 Barnes and Noble gift card, and a Celtic spiral necklace! It’s easy to enter, just read the details at myspace!

Since I've gotten some good reviews, I thought I’d share them with all of you, in the hope that some of you who are reading will think, “Hmm, that Tess Mallory got some good reviews; I think I just might take a chance and buy her new book, HIGHLAND REBEL.” (in the background the song, Take a Chance on Me begins to play).

You see, Fierce Friends, I would really like to be, no, I would LOVE to be on a Best Seller’s list. Wouldn’t that be cool ? Wouldn’t that just really be a terrific thing? “Sure,” you say, “that’s fine for you, but what’s in it for me?” Well, that’s why you need to read my blog over at myspace! Yes, I’m going to be mysterious. That’s just how I roll.

Meanwhile, here are some of the reviews:

From Harriet Klausner :
“The Queen of Highlander time travel romance (see HIGHLAND MAGIC, HIGHLAND DREAM, HIGHLAND FLING and HIGHLAND ROGUE), Tess Mallory writes another whimsical tale as the roguish hero follows his love back to the era he left behind. Part of the pleasure in this delightful entry is the reaction of Ian’s brother Angus to his siblings’ return after his being away over two decades from home . . .”

From Chris at Night Owl Romance:
“Full of historical information, jaunts about the countryside, a few explosions and some rocking romance, Highland Rebel was an enjoyable read. With the secondary romance between Davey and Katie, the story moved along smoothly. With a happily ever after, including a surprising one for Ian and his family, I enjoyed the story very much.”

From Maura at Coffee Time Romance:
“I am not usually a big fan of time travel romances, but Ms. Mallory’s are always an exception. Her characters are realistic despite their situation, and she manages to go from the present to the past with no loss of that realistic feel. Ian and Ellie are wonderful characters, each with flaws and virtues. Ian’s career as a Celtic Rocker is a masterstroke, and Ellie really comes out of her shell in the 1700’s. I also liked the subplot of Katie and Davy’s romance and the secret Jacobites.”

From Kathe Robin at Romantic Times Magazine:
(Sorry, I can’t find the magazine right now, but the gist of it was that she liked it and said it would receive . . . “A warm welcome . . . “ and then gave it 4 Stars!

So, okay, whaddaya say, Fierce Friends? Ready to give Time Travel Romance a shot? After all, don’t we all wish we could somehow be swept back in history to a more romantic place and time, where we could meet a hunky warrior, find true love and save the world? Well, our world as we know it? That’s what my characters always strive to do! It’s adventure, romance, history, humor, fun and a rollicking ride, I promise!

If everyone who reads this blog bought a copy of HIGHLAND REBEL on March 3rd . . . well, hey, maybe one of my dreams would come true and I would be deeply grateful to you, my faithful readers! But even if I don't make any of the lists, I still think you’ll enjoy the read, and I'll still be honored that you chose to read it!

Remember, Love is Timeless . . .
Keep Writing . . . Keep Reading . . . Keep Loving !
Hugs, Tess

Kilted Lover Book Trailer Video

Hi, everyone, I created a teaser video for my upcoming erotic romance novella from Red Sage. I don't have a release date yet, but I wanted to share this with you. I had lots of fun making it! Hope you enjoy! Please give me your thoughts on it.



Thanks!
Nicole
http://www.nicolenorth.com/

Bringing Books to Life

Our five senses are stimulated in many ways every day. For each of us one sense plays a dominant role in how we relate to things around us. Some are more auditory. Others are more tactile-oriented. Count me among those who are visually-oriented learners. As a writer I take countless visual cues from my surroundings and daily exposures when fomenting plots and creating characters. While flipping through a fashion magazine and spotting a chartreuse-and-cream paisley scarf, I conjure the type of character who would wear such an accessory. As I pass a handsome guy in the local mall, I mentally create a prototype of a hero, his beliefs, background, world view, motivation, etc. This is one of the reasons I carry a writing tablet with me everywhere. Notes made now cue visual images later.

When I’m reading a romance novel, part of my enjoyment stems from being able to envision the hero, heroine and secondary characters. I prefer having some of the descriptive details left to my imagination. Same goes for the story setting. It’s a great deal of fun figuring out what the hero’s apartment looks like. How he dresses. If he’s the type whose trousers are creased or casually wrinkled. As I turn the pages, words provide me clues, but I play the detective and keep my mind’s eye wide open. Each story I’ve written, even those I wrote during childhood, has always played out in my mind as would a movie. Frame by frame, the action unfolds. Much as I must see the images clearly to put them on the page, I must also hear the dialogue in order to write the characters’ words. Even after I write the passages of dialogue, I read them aloud and assume the character role. If during those reviewing stages I cannot visualize something clearly, or stumble while reading the words, I immediately know something isn’t right and start revising.

One of the most fun mediums I’ve found to challenge and harness my creativity is a book video. Finding the pictures and audio clips that will give readers a glimpse of what my stories are about, and captioning those frames to provide an overview of the storyline, is quite a treasure hunt. Readers get a peek at my vision for the story.

Recently I designed a book video for my latest erotic historical romance with Ellora’s Cave, TORMENTED. Hope you all enjoy watching my novel come to life.

Have You Ever Been Tormented?



Wishing you many happy reading moments,

Shawna Moore
TORMENTED – Ellora’s Cave
ROUGHRIDER – Ellora’s Cave
HELLE IN HEELS – Ellora’s Cave
TO HELLE AND BACK AGAIN – Coming to EC in 2009
Shawna’s Myspace
Helle’s Myspace

SPEW Week!

My local RWA chapter, LARA (Los Angeles Romance Authors), has a writing challenge about three times a year. This is similar to the Book in a Week challenges, but we call ours SPEW, which stands for Stop Procrastinating Everybody Write. We have a special Yahoo group for it, so we don't disturb the other members of the Chapter with our silliness. And silly it gets.

At the beginning of the week, we post our SPEW goals - write 1000 words a day or write 5 pages a day or write for 1 hour every day or finish a bloody chapter by the end of the week. The goals vary, but we post our progress toward those goals every day. To encourage and inspire each other, we also post pictures - mostly man candy - but also shoes, chocolate, delectable coffees, anything to make us feel good and carry on toward our goals.

Some of us also include inspirational quotations - somewhat modified. "Give me liberty or give me SPEW." "I SPEW therefore I am." "To err is human. To SPEW is divine." You get the picture. This SPEW week has included a plethora of Dr. Seuss SPEW quotations (can't remember how we got there). "Thing One and Thing SPEW." "Red fish, SPEW fish, one fish SPEW fish." And on and on. It starts to get quite hilarious, especially when you're writing at 11:00 at night and you have to sneak away to your email to check out the latest quotation or man candy.

What do all the emails and the man candy and the silliness accomplish? Well, besides keeping me inspired to meet my SPEW goal (20 pages on my WIP), it fosters an amazing sense of community. I don't believe any other group of genre writers has quite the comraderie of romance writers. I see it at conferences. I read it in emails. I experience it through my local chapter and through an amazing online goals group.

So before I get back to my own SPEWing, I'll leave you with some man candy....

HIGHLAND REBEL Contest Continues . . .

What Romantic Times Book Reviews says about HIGHLAND REBEL by Tess Mallory —

“. . . Adventurous, romantic, fast-moving . . . 4 Stars!“

Hi Peeps! Welcome to the Wild World of Time Travel Romance! If you’re a stranger to this genre, let me assure you that while my books are jam-packed with the adventurous side of traveling through the space/time continuum, they also center around the blossoming relationship between a woman and a man!

In HIGHLAND REBEL, my latest book from BERKLEY SENSATIONS, the woman happens to be Ellie Graham, the Goth-influenced band manager of Celtic rock and roll star, Ian MacGregor. You guessed it - Ian is the man in this romantic adventure, and is he ever a hunky hunk. (I really think I outdid myself this time. Let me know what you think!)

Ellie is unaware that Ian is a time traveler who journeyed to the future with the help her sister, Maggie. All she knows is that she is head over heels in love with the Scottish bad boy, and since Ellie has had a fear of loving anyone ever since her parents died, she does what she always does — she runs. But this time her panicked flight sends her to an ancient cairn, where the tri-spiral (or triskele) carved into the floor takes her back to the year 1734. Ian follows, and there he learns that the brothers and father he left behind have become part of the dreaded Black Watch! It is up to him to save his family, his country, and the woman he loves . . . he is the HIGHLAND REBEL!!

Woo! How’s that grab you? ) In a good way, I hope. Speaking of good things — I’m having a contest, and rather than repeat a bunch of stuff here, please go to my blog on myspace at www.myspace.com/tessmallory or the blog on my fanspace at www.myspace.com/tessmalloryfanspace to find out how to win a free book, a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble, and a Celtic necklace just by talking up my books on message boards!!

I love to hear from my readers — write me at tessmallory@yahoo.com

Remember . . . Love is Timeless! Keep Reading! Keep Writing! Keep Loving!

Hot Kisses and Sexual Tension

"The decision to kiss for the first time is the most crucial in any love story. It changes the relationship of two people much more strongly than even the final surrender; because this kiss already has within it that surrender." Emil Ludwig

I hope all of you had a wonderful Valentine's Day! Since it's just passed and my Turn Up the Heat! workshop is just around the corner, starting March 2, I thought I'd talk about writing hot kisses into your romance stories. This is a tiny excerpt from my workshop.

The first kiss is an important step in any relationship or romance story. It’s an early destination of what the sexual tension has been building up to thus far. And the kiss also takes the sexual tension to a new, higher level of intimacy. For those who write romance, your reader has been anticipating the first kiss between your hero and heroine since page one. Make it a delicious reward, a feast for the senses. Put the reader right there, kissing your hero because that’s what she wants to do if you’ve heightened the sexual tension enough (and made her fall in love with him.) Let her experience the kiss along with your heroine. That doesn’t mean all kisses need to be from the heroine’s point of view. Far from it. Male point of view kisses can be highly sensual. No matter whose point of view the kiss scene is in, give the reader what she wants. A sizzling hot, yummy kiss.

A question for you: Which book, TV show or movie contains your favorite kiss scene along with heightened sexual tension? If you're a writer, do you enjoy writing kiss scenes (why or why not?)

Workshop: Turn up the Heat! Heightening Sexual Tension and Sensuality in Your Manuscript

Presenter: Nicole North

Date: March 2 - 27, 2009

Description: Editors want to buy spicy-hot romance stories now more than ever before. How do you do it? In this class we will discuss all aspects of sexual tension and sensuality and how they relate to the developing romance in your story. You'll learn tips for successfully building sexual tension over the course of the hero and heroine's relationship from first glance, through climax, to happily ever after. Several examples will be used to illustrate different nuances of hot romantic chemistry and how to employ them in your own story. Learn how to avoid clichés and use sexiness in fresh new ways. Strengthening sexual tension will take your story from ho-hum to so hot and delicious your reader can't put it down. We'll do exercises for hands-on learning. (Please be aware this course contains explicit and frank discussions of sexuality.)

**Topics covered**
Using the five senses more effectively
Sexy talk
Word choice
First kiss
Foreplay
First love scene
How to rebuild sexual tension after sex
Why point of view is important
Hot characters
Combining physical attraction and emotion
Body language
Differences between romance and erotic romance
Revising to make a sensual romance manuscript spicy or erotic

Fun Extras
Visual inspiration
Multimedia examples and exercises

About the presenter: Nicole North writes sensual and erotic romance novels and novellas. She is the author of paranormal erotic romance novellas Devil in a Kilt, Red Sage Secrets Volume 27, July 2009; Beast in a Kilt, Red Sage Secrets Volume 29; and Kilted Lover, Red Sage. She has finaled in over a dozen writing competitions and won several awards. She admits sexual tension and delicious love scenes are her favorite elements of romance and sprinkles them liberally through her stories. What others have said about her works: "This author handles sexual tension very well. Her characters are completely drawn to each other..." and "Wow! Talk about sexual chemistry. This story has it in spades. You're a natural in the romantic chemistry department." She has a BA degree in psychology. Please visit her website to learn more and read past student testimonials: http://www.nicolenorth.com

Cost: $25 non-members / $20 YRW members

To register please visit: http://www.yosemiteromancewriters.com/6.html

Thank you!
Nicole

Love in Song

This year, Valentine’s Day weekend proved a time for pondering. Never more than now have I been so thankful and counted my blessings. Many people have come into my life, gifted me with their love and friendship and imparted wisdom. Their smiles, kind words and our shared silly moments have filled my mind and heart to bursting point on numerous occasions.

Love means many things to me, most of them centered around sharing and caring. While lavish gifts are lovely, they cannot replace a breathtaking kiss, a heart-stopping hug, or a steadying hand during times of turmoil. They claim diamonds are forever, but the love of a special person is far more valuable to me.

My list of things I love is quite lengthy, but one thing is certain--Music has always brought me immense happiness. Whether during those moments when I was learning how to play a guitar. Or when I played certain 45s in heavy rotation on my first turntable many Christmases ago. On the most awful day, when all around seems bent on causing frustration, harsh reality is pushed away once I start playing the stereo.

As many of my favorite musical performers were part of The British Invasion, I thought it would be fun sharing some of these performers’ love songs with you all today. May these tunes bring smiles and find you singing along with them.



Love Me Do -- Beatles




All You Need is Love -- Beatles








World Without Love -- Peter and Gordon





To Sir With Love -- Lulu




My Love – Petula Clark





If I Loved You – Chad and Jeremy





Wishing you all many happy and loving moments,

Shawna Moore
TORMENTED -- Ellora's Cave (MUST-READ from Dark Angel Reviews)
ROUGHRIDER -- Ellora's Cave Exotika
HELLE IN HEELS -- Ellora's Cave Exotika
TO HELLE AND BACK AGAIN -- Coming to EC Exotika in 2009
Shawna's Myspace
Helle's Myspace