Sunday Salon: Romance Comes In Many Flavors

Sunday Salon - Gather around my friends, refill your cups and let’s talk books!

When it comes to placing books in genres, I’m amazed at how many sub-genres there are and just how many ways a book can be listed.

Romance is one of those genres that can cover a vast array of sub-listing. I have only 3 examples of that today and they fall into paranormal, western and historical sub-categories of romance. May we always find a little romance in everything we do.

A DEMON DOES IT BETTER by Linda Wisdom

Doctor Lili Carter is a witch healer extraordinaire with a cat familiar named Cleo. After more than a century, Lili returns to San Francisco and has taken a job at Crying Souls Hospital and Asylum, well-known to the supernatural world.

As of late, however, there is something peculiar and wicked happening at Crying Souls. Patients are disappearing and being the curious witch she is, Lili wants to know why.

In a short time, Lili finds herself undeniably attracted to perhaps the most mysterious patient of all — a demented but seriously sexy demon named Jared. What’s behind the gorgeous chameleon demon’s late-night escapades? Before long, Lili and Jared are investigating each other—and creating a whole new kind of magic. But what other dangers are around the corner for both Lili and Jared? Who has the strongest magic?

Author Linda Wisdom has a way of creating a world filled with witches and demons that seems normal and ordinary. Her characters are realistic despite their unique abilities. While her characters may be zany and a bit ‘different,’ they are filled with love, caring, loyalty and friendship (except for the evil ones, of course).

The storyline flows smoothly and quickly. Wisdom combines steamy, sexy characters with humor, adds in a dose of danger and intrigue, stirs in a few surprises and a measure of history for a spellbinding story you can’t put down.

Author Linda Wisdom’s website is www.LindaWisdom.com. 

A Demon Does It Better by Linda Wisdom, A Demon Series, Sourcebooks Casablanca, @2012, ISBN: 978-1402236723, Paperback, 352 Pages

FTC Full Disclosure - This book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

DYLAN by C.H. Admirand

Earn some extra cash and helping out the club owner, Dylan Garahan is working as a dancer at the Lucky Star club. When he’s asked to lasso a brunette as a birthday surprise, he’s the one gets surprised. This time even his formidable strength can’t tame this filly. 

She’s wily and beautiful… and she soon becomes his new boss. Dylan’s had his heart broken before, but even an honest cowpoke has to wrestle with temptation. 

Ronnie DelVecchio had recently purchased the Guilty Pleasure store and was attempting to make a go of it when vandals struck not once but twice. Now her store needs some major repairs and a Garahan brother is suppose to be the carpenter.

While she might be fresh off the bus from New Jersey, Ronnie is a hard-edged businesswoman and has had her fill of men she can’t trust. Should she consider getting off her high horse for that big handsome rancher with a Texas drawl?

You know from the moment these two meet that it’s going to be a bumpy road to the end filled with humor and enough twists and turns to make you want to ring both of their necks while loving it all the way. Author C.H. Admirand has created characters that you feel you’ve known all your life and ones you want to get to know more.

DYLAN is the second installment in the Secret Life of Cowboys series, but is a stand alone read. There are references to the prior book (TYLER), but not so that new readers are lost. If you’re looking for a sexy cowboy to swept you off your feet as you read of ranch life, you’ve come to the right book. Looking forward to seeing what the youngest Garahan brother (JESSE) gets into next.

Author C.H. Admirand’s website is www.chadmirand.com

Dylan by C.H. Admirand, The Secret Life of Cowboys Series, Sourcebooks Casablanca, @2012, ISBN: 978-1402258077, Paperback, 384 Pages

FTC Full Disclosure - This book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

 

IRISH LADY by Jeanette Baker

Born in the slums of Belfast, Meghann McCarthy thought she had left that life far behind. Now a successful and brilliant barriester, Meghann is a woman who has made all her childhood dreams come true - becoming a rich and living in London’s classiest district. 

Yet Meghann can never quite banish Ireland from her heart, or forget Michael Devlin, the boy from the slums she once loved with a passion that nearly tore her apart. Now Michael needs her help.

Because she has never forgotten, Meghann agrees to defend Michael — a notorious Irish nationalist — when he becomes involved in a vicious court case. She’ll risk everything to save him and she’s not the first of her family to do for a man she loves. As Meghann delves further into Michael’s case, further into the history that binds them so irrevocably, she slips into the unfolding drama of centuries before…of another woman’s desperate fight to free her rebel husband from the clutches of Queen Elizabeth.

But even as she jeopardizes her hard-won success, she at last finds the true power and spirit of the Irish heritage she has too long denied…and the courage to face her love for Michael Devlin. 

This is a tale of love and turmoil weaving with the past and present. Author Jeanette Baker places the reader in the setting with her vivid descriptions and wonderful dialect. The love and loyalty will tug at your heartstrings.

Baker beautifully transitions between the present and past making the story flow smoothly as you are caught up in the adventure. The story will captivate you and not let go until the end.

Author Jeanette Baker’s website is www.jeanettebaker.com.

Irish Lady by Jeanette Baker, Sourcebooks Casablanca, @2012, ISBN: 978-1402255922, Paperback, 336 Pages 

FTC Full Disclosure - This book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

 

Do you enjoy a little romance in what you read? Do you like finding other genres – history, paranormal, western, etc. – in with your romance stories? Thanks for stopping by and have a safe and wonderful Sunday.

Author Jeanette Baker: Ireland Verses US Writing Styles

I’m delighted to welcome award-winning author Jeanette Baker back to Thoughts in Progress as she tours blogdom with her latest release, IRISH LADY.

Here’s a brief synopsis of IRISH LADY: Born in the slums of Belfast, Meghann McCarthy has left that life far behind. She’s a woman who has made all her childhood dreams come true, becoming a rich, brilliant barrister living in London’s classiest district. Yet Meghann can never quite banish Ireland from her heart, or forget Michael Devlin, the boy from the slums she once loved with a passion that nearly tore her apart. Because she has never forgotten, Meghann agrees to defend Michael—a notorious Irish nationalist—when he becomes involved in a vicious court case. But even as she jeopardizes her hard-won success, she at last finds the true power and spirit of the Irish heritage she has too long denied…and the courage to face her love for Michael Devlin. 

Jeanette travels between the U.S. and Ireland each year so I was curious how it effected her writing. This is what I asked her, “You live in California during the winter and County Kerry, Ireland, during the summer. How does your writing schedule differ in the two places, if any?”

When people ask me what Southern California and County Kerry, Ireland have in common, my first reaction is to reply, “Absolutely nothing.” Upon reflection, however, that isn’t completely true. Both are nestled beside the ocean, enjoy mild weather and claim views picturesque enough to be chosen as common themes for postcards and calendars. Both attract their fair share of the tourist trade despite an expensive standard of living and, up until recently, both experienced a real estate boom that sent the price of homes off the charts.  

Still, leaving California for Ireland is like flying to a different planet. California is home, with all its comforts, its predictability and its choices. My family lives in California. My friends are available for a leisurely lunch or a quick cup of coffee, for shopping, happy hour and yoga. Because I live in the community where I teach elementary school as well as an occasional Emeritus writing class, it is impossible for me to attempt an excursion outside my home where I don’t meet someone I know. My life is busy. Organization is difficult. Writing moments are few.

Ireland, on the other hand is an adventure, the small villages, dimly lit pubs, the music, afternoon tea, the friendly people with their lovely brogues and, for me, the biggest draw of all, a thousand years of history.  It is also, for an American, extremely inconvenient. Garbage disposals are nonexistent, as are window screens, Splenda, ice in your drinks, coffee refills, maple syrup, temperature controlled buildings and Starbucks. 

I know my way around the tiny, traffic-clogged streets of Tralee, the town where I stay. I’ve learned to drive on the other side of the road, negotiating the roundabouts with my manual transmission. I convert Farenheit to Celsius like a pro, grocery shop daily and grow fuschia and hydrangeas like the natives, but I’m still a stranger, a blow-in, they call me, one of those who is not and will never, be “a local.” Except for my soon-to-be husband, the primary reason for my annual trek, I know no one beyond a pleasant, “Hallo,” and I like it that way. In Ireland, my days are my own. In Ireland, I write. 

My house sits on the edge of town, a town established in 1283 by Dominican monks. I wake to the drizzle of a soft rain and spread Kerry Gold butter and marmalade on my toast. I look out the window and watch happy cows munch on green hills. Disregarding the rain, men in tweed caps cycle the narrow streets and women in jogging suits wheel baby prams toward the center of town. 

Carrying my tea upstairs, I settle in for a morning of writing. My fingers move quickly across the keyboard. I think about my recent find, the discovery of the forgotten, lichen-covered grave of Gerald Fitzgerald, the last Earl of Desmond, beheaded by Henry Tudor in 1583. I think of Gerald’s sister, Eleanor, the heroine of my novel, NELL. I recall the delicate architecture of Ardfert Monastery, built in ____, and the cozy bookstore cradled in its wall. The hours and twenty pages fly by quickly. 

Later, in need of exercise, I pull on leggings and tennis shoes and walk toward Ballyseedy Woods, a primeval forest whose Yew trees have witnessed the events of Ireland since before written history. An hour to the northeast, 1800 years ago, Brian Boru, first high king of Ireland was baptized by St. Patrick at the Rock of Cashel. 900 years ago, Diarmed Macmurraugh, King of Leinster, invited Strongbow, the first of the Welsh marcher lords, to marry his daughter, the beautiful, Aoife, the beginning of a dynasty that continues today throughout all the royal houses of Europe. 600 years ago, the mighty Fitzgeralds, uncrowned kings of Ireland, lost all five of their male heirs to execution in England.

 

On the rise of cleared land before entering forest, I stop and look around at this land of mist and battle, of poets and prophets, of legend and history. The inspiration is enormous. Around every bend of the road, every lichen-shrouded castle, there is always another story to explore and reveal. 

How does my writing schedule differ in my two worlds? In California I plan my writing time, carving out an hour here, two hours there, composing blogs and newsletters, editing, promoting and teaching. In Ireland, I listen to my muse, to the conversations around me and I write my stories.

 

Please watch for NELL, an Irish paranormal in the style of IRISH LADY, and HANNIE RISING, a contemporary paranormal, set in Tralee.  

Jeanette, thanks so much for coming back to Thoughts. I always enjoy learning more about your travels to Ireland. I’ve always thought I’d love to visit there but now you have me rethinking that -- no coffee refills and no Starbucks -- that would be tough. LOL

Now for a bit of background on Jeanette. She is the author of 15 novels, many of them set in the lush countryside of historical and contemporary Ireland where she lives and writes during the summer months. Her ancestors, the O’Flahertys, hail from Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands located off the coast of Galway. Jeanette takes great pride in the prayer posted by the English over the ancient city gates, ‘From the wrath of the O’Flahertys, may the good Lord deliver us.’

Jeanette graduated from the University of California at Irvine with a degree in journalism and international relations and holds a Masters Degree in Education. When not in Ireland, she teaches in Southern California, reads constantly, attempts to navigate the confusing world of Facebook and, more recently, e-publishing, concocts creations from interesting cookbooks and enjoys the company of friends and children. She is the RITA award-winning author of NELL.

For more on Jeanette and her writing, visit and blog with her at www.jeanettebaker.com.

Have you been to Ireland? If you’re a writer, does changing locations change your writing schedule drastically? Thanks so much for visiting here today. 

Author Jeanette Baker Talks About Genre Labeling

It’s my pleasure to welcome award-winning author Jeanette Baker as the special guest blogger today as she makes a stop on her virtual blog tour for her latest release, CATRIONA.

Here’s a brief synopsis of CATRIONA: Kate Sutherland has always felt out of step growing up in Southern California, but it isn’t until her adoptive mother’s death that she travels to Scotland to discover the truth about her heritage. There, with the help of a high-priestess of an ancient Scottish sect, she experiences the visions that reveal she is one of the twice-born and that five centuries before she walked the earth as Catriona Wells, daughter of an English earl and a Scots princess, first cousin to James IV of Scotland, English spy and harbinger of a shameful secret.

Catriona, determined to save her young brother from the deadly political clashes of 15th century England and Scotland, embarks upon a fragile balancing act between the court of Jamie Stewart and his arch rival, Henry Tudor, King of England. But Cat’s cunning is no match for Patrick MacKendrick, laird of Hermitage, legend of the borders, right hand to Jamie Stewart who suspects her story for the lie it is. As intrigue in the Scottish court builds and Jamie Stewart’s enemies are unveiled, Cat realizes that the man who deserves her loyalty is the one she has bargained to destroy.

Meanwhile Kate, whose visions rapidly take on a reality of their own, is caught between a present-day attraction to Niall MacKendrick, a Scots historian, the drama of her own adoption—and risking everything in Catriona’s world of passion and bloodshed.

Jeanette is here to share her thoughts on genre labeling, how romance has evolved and on which shelf or shelves her novel belongs in a book store.

CATRIONA is, I think, my most sensual novel currently in print and yet, I would still classify it as historical fiction rather than romance. Because there is no designated spot for historical fiction, all romances from the steamy to the sweet are shelved under Romance in your local book store, and thankfully so. I'm not sure I would have been as avid a romance reader if I hadn't started with Georgette Heyer, Jan Cox Speas, and Mary Stewart, books heavy on plot and character with great tension, subtle romance and intensely satisfying, albeit innocent, happily-ever-after endings.

Romance, as a genre, didn't actually come about until the 70's. Before that, romantic stories and other genres, were lumped together as fiction. I remember standing in front of the shelves in my local library reading book jackets to insure that I would find a book with enough of a love story to keep me interested. Romance as a genre has come full circle. Although the bodice ripper is still out there, romantic fiction covers a tremendous span from the steamy heat of Virginia Henley and the wise-cracking comedy of Janet Evanovich to the satisfying warmth of Marcia Willett. 

A good friend of mine always makes a point of introducing me to his male friends as, "This is Jeanette Baker. She writes romance novels." Then he asks the proverbial question: "Have you ever read a romance novel?"

I know why he does it. He loves the reaction, the look on their faces that reveal the dilemma. Will she be offended if I say no? Will she think I'm strange if I say yes? Does this woman who looks like my Sunday school teacher really write those novels?

I don't know whether to put them out of their misery or keep silent and enjoy the game. The truth is, I have written those novels, the sensual kind like CATRIONA, and I have also written the kind that aren't the least bit R-rated. It depends on the story and whether or not the plot is enhanced by a sensual scene. 25% of those who read fiction, read romance. Amen to those publishers who continue to offer readers a wide variety of romantic fiction. 

CATRIONA began, as you might expect, in Scotland, at the ruins of Stirling Castle. After exploring the grounds, I climbed the stairs to the watchtower where Margaret Tudor, daughter to Henry VII of England and James IV of Scotland, waited for her husband to return from the Battle of Flodden Moor. This was a particularly difficult time for her because her husband and father fought on opposing sides. I’d read in the small brochure handed out when I turned over my nominal fee for visiting the castle, that she had carved a poem into the wall. The poem is no longer legible and no one really knows what her thoughts were, but standing there with a death grip on the parapet because of the terrifying wind, I imagined what they might be. 

Jamie Stewart was a handsome, charismatic king who spoke 8 languages, fathered 38 illegitimate children, founded universities and demanded that the nobility learn to read. History tells us the marriage was not a love match, I decided, for purposes of my novel, that it would be. That very day, the idea for CATRIONA was born. Why not, I thought, create a woman, with ties to both England and Scotland, a woman with a shameful secret who needed Jamie’s protection for her own purposes? Why not pair her with her equal in intelligence, Jamie’s favorite, a powerful border lord, who’d helped him win the crown? Why not set the two of them amidst the intrigue of the Tudor and Stewart royal courts? 

Then it was time to create the contemporary plot of my novel: enter Kate Sutherland, her descendent, an American born 400 years later, an educated woman searching for answers to the odd circumstances of her birth and her frightening ability to see what others could not. 

CATRIONA is offered in print as well as electronic format. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did creating it. Jeanette

Jeanette, thanks so much for guest blogging. I enjoyed your outlook on genre labeling. I especially like stories that fall into several genres as you mentioned. Life is not filled with just one emotion so why should books be labeled under just one. Wishing you much success with your writing and CATRIONA.

Now for a bit of background on Jeanette. She is the author of 15 novels, published by Pocket, Kensington and Mira Books, many of them set in the lush countryside of historical and contemporary Ireland where she lives and writes during the summer months. Her ancestors, the O’Flahertys, hail from Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands located off the coast of Galway. Jeanette takes great pride in the prayer posted by the English over the ancient citygates, ‘From the wrath of the O’Flahertys, may the good Lord deliver us.’

Jeanette graduated from the University of California at Irvine with a degree in journalism and international relations and holds a Masters Degree in Education. When not in Ireland, she teaches in Southern California, reads constantly, attempts to navigate the confusing world of Facebook and, more recently, e-publishing, concocts creations from interesting cookbooks and enjoys the company of friends and children. She is the RITA award-winning author of NELL.

For more on Jeanette and her writing, visit and blog with her at www.jeanettebaker.com.

If you’re a writer, do you think genre labeling sometimes helps or hurts when readers are searching for your style of work? As a reader, do you go strictly by the genre labels or do you browse the shelves for your reading pleasure? Thanks, as always, for stopping by and sharing your thoughts today.