♦ Michael Connelly was interviewed by USA Today about his new book, The Reversal, and the upcoming film version of his novel, The Lincoln Lawyer.

♦ Eva Ibbotson died this week at the age of 85. She wrote some of my favourite romances including A Countess Below Stairs (a.k.a. The Secret Countess) and A Company of Swans. I still have The Morning Gift on my TBR shelf and I’m hoarding it for a rainy day.

♦ In case you missed it, eHarlequin have a fantastic podcast with Sarah Mayberry. In addition to writing romances for Harlequin Blaze and Harlequin Superromance, Sarah is a scriptwriter for soap operas in Australia. In this podcast, she discusses her latest Superromance, The Best Laid Plans, and describes how she develops a basic idea to create a compelling, emotionally satisfying story. The interview is interesting for readers and writers alike.

♦ I also found a video interview with Diana Gabaldon on RT Book Reviews. Although I’m no longer following the Outlander series, I love video interviews and podcasts. I guess I’m nosy. I like knowing what people look and sound like. You can tell a lot more about people through observing their gestures, facial expressions and tone of voice.

Note: I have no plans to do a vlog any time soon. For a start, I’d have to locate my missing hairbrush. Then most people would find my accent entertaining, or worse, cute.

• Do you like podcasts and video interviews?
• Are you a fan of vlogs and/or could you imagine doing one yourself?

When I was compiling my list of Mysteries Which Would Appeal to Romance Fans, a few people mentioned P.B. Ryan’s Gilded Age mysteries featuring the governess Nell Sweeney, and the opium-addicted former battle surgeon, William Hewitt. At the time, the books were all out-of-print.

P.B. Ryan – who also writes medieval romances as Patricia Ryan – has now released her backlist digitally. The books are available at Smashwords and also from the Amazon Kindle store. I’ve already bought a bunch of them as they’re included in Smashwords’ summer sale. At $2.24 each, I couldn’t resist. I want to start the first P.B. Ryan mystery, Still Life With Murder, this evening. Yay!

Please, pretty please, let more authors release their backlists digitally. I far prefer buying ebooks from their authors rather than paying crazy amounts for used books which only profit the seller.

Edited to Add: AztecLady recently reviewed one of Patricia Ryan’s Harlequin Temptation books, All of Me. Hopefully her Harlequin books will be reissued digitally at some point. Thanks to Sunita for the heads up.

I used to be a hardcore historical romance fan. Nowadays, not so much. Out of the twenty-seven 2010 releases I’ve read so far this year, only four are historicals. In contrast, eighteen are contemporary romances.

When I was updating my list of upcoming releases, I noticed there are several contempories and Women’s Fiction titles I’m looking forward to reading.

Among them is the first book in Lisa Kleypas’ new Friday Harbor series, which bears the rather uninspired title of Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor. It will be released in the US on the 26th of October and in the UK in November. So far, I can only find the UK cover:

Here’s the description provided at Amazon UK (Note to Lisa Kleypas: please, pretty please, update your website!):

The Friday Harbor series of contemporary romance/women’s fiction novels is set in San Juan Island just off of the Washington State Coast. The San Juan Island setting is romantic and varied, with rocky shores, sandy beaches, rich woodlands and pasture land, and the prosperous Friday Harbor area. The series is centered around the Nolan family, consisting of two brothers and a sister, the owners of an island vineyard and restaurant. The Nolans’ mother Jessica has just passed away, and a mysterious stranger attends the funeral. He reveals that he is an illegitimate child Jessica had given birth to, and given up for adoption, before she married. This family secret leads to many new questions and challenges, which test the bonds of love and loyalty, and ultimately show the Nolans what family is all about.

I thoroughly enjoyed Lisa Kleypas’ first two contemporary romances, although I was ambivalent about the third. I definitely plan to give this new series a go.

Another contemporary romance series I’m looking forward to is Jill Shalvis’ upcoming Lucky Harbor series. Yes, this is another series set in Washington. Simply Irresistible will be out on the 28th of September. Here’s the cover and a short description courtesy of Jill’s website:

Maddie Moore’s whole life needs a makeover.

In one fell swoop, Maddie loses her boyfriend (her decision) and her job (so not her decision). But rather than drowning her sorrows in bags of potato chips, Maddie leaves L.A. to claim the inheritance left by her free-spirited mother–a ramshackle inn nestled in the little coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington.

Starting over won’t be easy. Yet Maddie sees the potential for a new home and a new career–if only she can convince her two half-sisters to join her in the adventure. But convincing Tara and Chloe will be difficult because the inn needs a big makeover too.

The contractor Maddie hires is a tall, dark-haired hottie whose eyes–and mouth–are making it hard for her to remember that she’s sworn off men. Even harder will be Maddie’s struggles to overcome the past, though she’s about to discover that there’s no better place to call home than Lucky Harbor.

Based on the blurbs, I have to say the Jill Shalvis book looks more interesting. What do you think?

♥ In other news, Publishers Weekly is reporting that author Janet Evanovich is threatening to leave her current publisher, St. Martin’s Press, unless she receives a $50 million advance on her next four novels. I’m curious to see how this one pans out. Love it or loathe it, the Plum series is a major moneyspinner for St. Martin’s Press, and it’s likely to be worth even more once the film version of One for the Money is released.

♥ When I was looking up the link for the Evanovich news item, I also noticed this one. Apparently, Romance Writers of America have cancelled all Dorchester events at the upcoming RWA conference in Orlando. The reason: Dorchester is allegedly behind in honouring payments to its authors. Ouch!

Here are a few new and future releases which I’m planning to read.

First up is Attica Locke’s debut mystery novel Black Water Rising. It’s been nominated for a 2010 Edgar Award, and will be released in paperback in the US on the 20th of April.

Blurb: Jay Porter is hardly the lawyer he set out to be. His most promising client is a low-rent call girl, and he runs his fledgling law practice out a dingy strip mall. But he’s long since made peace with his path to the American Dream, carefully tucking away his darkest sins: the guns, the FBI file, the trial that nearly destroyed him.

Houston, Texas, 1981. It’s here that Jay believes he can make a fresh start. That is, until the night he impulsively saves a drowning woman’s life – and opens a Pandora’s Box. Her secrets put Jay in danger, ensnaring him in a murder investigation that could cost him his practice, his family, and even his life. But before he can get to the bottom of a tangled mystery that reaches into the upper echelons of Houston’s corporate powerbrokers, Jay must confront the demons of his past.

Despite an abundance of product placement and so-called “shitkicker” boots, I can’t quite bring myself to give up the crack that is J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood urban fantasy series. The eighth book, Lover Mine, will be released on the 27th of April.

Blurb: In the darkest corners of the night in Caldwell, New York, a conflict like no other rages. Long divided as a terrifying battleground for the vampires and their enemies, the city is home to a band of brothers born to defend their race: the warrior vampires of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

John Matthew has come a long way since he was found living among humans, his vampire nature unknown to himself and to those around him. After he was taken in by the Brotherhood, no one could guess what his true history was- or his true identity. Indeed, the fallen Brother Darius has returned, but with a different face and a very different destiny. As a vicious personal vendetta takes John into the heart of the war, he will need to call up on both who he is now and who he once was in order to face off against evil incarnate.

Xhex, a symphath assassin, has long steeled herself against the attraction between her and John Matthew. Having already lost one lover to madness, she will not allow the male of worth to fall prey to the darkness of her twisted life. When fate intervenes, however, the two discover that love, like destiny, is inevitable between soul mates.

For some bizarre reason, I forgot to include Instant Temptation by Jill Shalvis on my April shopping list. This contemporary romance is the conclusion to her Wilder Brothers trilogy which is set in the snowy Californian Sierras.

Blurb: Harley is the only tow-truck driver in Wishful, California, and she has a newly minted wildlife biology degree and an attitude TJ Wilder just can’t understand. When they’re thrown together in Desolation Wilderness—she to check on the status of several coyote groups she’s monitoring, he to make sure she’s safe—their longtime attraction and turbulent past conspire to take their relationship to the next level.

Which new books are you looking forward to reading?

Ooh! How did I miss this? The blog Detectives Beyond Borders has a recent two-part interview with Jo Nesbø, author of the fabulous Harry Hole series.

Rolling Stones and scary snowmen: An Interview with Jo Nesbø, Part I

The Trouble with Hole: An Interview with Jo Nesbø, Part II

According to the interview, there are plans to translate the first two Harry Hole books into English. Hooray!

There’s a letter from Julia Spencer-Fleming on Goodreads announcing the delay of her seventh Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery. Here’s a snippet from her message:

When is One Was A Soldier coming out?

I’m getting this question a lot–in emails, on Goodreads, during coffee hour at my church… First Amazon posted its publication date as “February 2012,” then sent out a notice it was going to be on sale a month from now! I was deluged by readers wanting to know which was true, and what the story was?

Here’s the good news: One Was A Soldier will be coming out a lot sooner than 2012.
Here’s the less-good news: You won’t be able to read it this year. Publication is set for April, 2011.

Sob! I was so looking forward to reading this book next month. However, Julia Spencer-Fleming’s books have all been excellent, and I’m sure One was a Soldier will be worth the wait. In the meantime, I’m going to console myself with the latest instalment in Jacqueline Winspear’s entertaining Maisie Dobbs series, The Mapping of Love and Death.

My monthly post on upcoming books is scheduled a little earlier than usual. I was convinced that Dorothy Koomson’s new book was out in March, but it’s actually out on the 18th of February. I decided to add it to my March list and publish the post early.

I’ve enjoyed all of Dorothy Koomson’s books and I’m assuming her latest, THE ICE CREAM GIRLS, will be no exception.

Blurb: As teenagers Poppy Carlisle and Serena Gorringe were the only witnesses to a tragic event. Amid heated public debate, the two seemingly glamorous teens were dubbed ‘The Ice Cream Girls’ by the press and were dealt with by the courts.

Years later, having led very different lives, Poppy is keen to set the record straight about what really happened, while married mother-of-two Serena wants no one in her present to find out about her past. But some secrets will not stay buried – and if theirs is revealed, everything will become a living hell all over again . . .

GRAVE GOODS, the third book in Ariana Franklin’s excellent Medieval mystery series featuring Adelia Aguilar, will be out in paperback on the 2nd of March.

Blurb: When a fire at Glastonbury Abbey reveals two skeletons, rumor has it they may belong to King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. King Henry II hopes so, for it would help him put down a rebellion in Wales, where the legend of Celtic savior Arthur is strong. To make certain, he sends Adelia Aguilar, his Mistress of the Art of Death, to Glastonbury to examine the skeletons.

At the same time, the investigation into the abbey fire will be overseen by the Bishop of St. Albans, father of Adelia’s daughter. Trouble is, someone at Glastonbury doesn’t want either mystery solved, and is prepared to kill to prevent it…

SOMETHING ABOUT YOU is the third novel by Julie James. I think Julie James is one of the strongest authors of contemporary romance writing today. Stacy’s Place on Earth has a fantastic advance review of this book.

Blurb: Of all the hotel rooms rented by all the adulterous politicians in Chicago, female Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Lynde had to choose the one next to 1308, where some hot-and-heavy lovemaking ends in bloodshed. And of all the FBI agents in Illinois, it had to be Special Agent Jack Pallas who gets assigned to this high-profile homicide. The same Jack Pallas who still blames Cameron for a botched crackdown three years ago—and nearly ruining his career…

Work with Cameron Lynde? Are they kidding? Maybe, Jack thinks, this is some kind of welcome-back prank after his stint away from Chicago. But it’s no joke: the pair is going to have to put their rocky past behind them and focus on the case at hand. That is, if they can cut back on the razor-sharp jibes—and smother the flame of their sizzling-hot sexual tension…

In my opinion, Pamela Clare is one of the most underrated romance authors writing today. I adore her historicals and I enjoyed UNLAWFUL CONTACT, the only one of her romantic suspenses that I’ve read so far. Her latest romantic suspense, NAKED EDGE, is out on the 2nd of March.

Blurb: The day Navajo journalist Katherine James met Gabriel Rossiter, the earth literally moved beneath her feet. Nearly killed in a rockslide while hiking, she found her life in the tall park ranger’s hands. Although she can’t forget him she thinks she’ll never see him again. She is crushed when she recognizes her rescuer among the law enforcement officers raiding a sweat lodge ceremony one night, throwing her and her friends off Mesa Butte, land they consider sacred.

Gabe long ago swore he would never again lose himself to a woman not even one with long dark hair and big eyes that seem to see right through him. But from the moment he first sees Kat, the attraction he feels is undeniable. Appalled by what he has been ordered to do, he’s determined to get to the bottom of recent events at Mesa Butte and to keep Kat safe.

But asking questions can be dangerous almost as dangerous as risking one’s heart. And soon Kat and Gabe’s passion for the truth and each other makes them targets for those who would do anything, even kill, to keep Native Americans off their sacred land.

I enjoyed Deanna Raybourn’s Lady Julia trilogy of Regency mysteries. When I heard she had a Gothic romance due out in March, I had to laugh as it coincides perfectly with my current Gothic craze. Here’s the blurb for THE DEAD TRAVEL FAST.

Blurb: With a modest inheritance and the three gowns that comprise her entire wardrobe, Theodora leaves Edinburgh—and a disappointed suitor—far behind. She is bound for Rumania, where tales of vampires are still whispered, to visit an old friend and write the book that will bring her true independence.

She arrives at a magnificent, decaying castle in the Carpathians, replete with eccentric inhabitants: the ailing dowager; the troubled steward; her own fearful friend, Cosmina. But all are outstripped in dark glamour by the castle’s master, Count Andrei Dragulescu.

Bewildering and bewitching in equal measure, the brooding nobleman ignites Theodora’s imagination and awakens passions in her that she can neither deny nor conceal. His allure is superlative, his dominion over the superstitious town, absolute—Theodora may simply be one more person under his sway.

Before her sojourn is ended—or her novel completed—Theodora will have encountered things as strange and terrible as they are seductive. For obsession can prove fatal…and she is in danger of falling prey to more than desire.

Which books are you looking forward to in March?

There are several books due out in February which I’m looking forward to reading.

The mass market edition of Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs:

In a world where “witches, vampires, werewolves, and shape-shifters live beside ordinary people” (Booklist), it takes a very unusual woman to call it home. By day, Mercy Thompson is a car mechanic in Eastern Washington. By night, she explores her preternatural side. As a shape-shifter with some unusual talents, Mercy’s found herself maintaining a tenuous harmony between the human and the not-so- human on more than one occasion. This time she may get more than she bargained for.

Kristan Higgins’ latest contemporary romance, The Next Best Thing:

Lucy Lang isn’t looking for fireworks…She’s looking for a nice, decent man. Someone who’ll mow the lawn, flip chicken on the barbeque, teach their future children to play soccer. But most important… someone who won’t inspire the slightest stirring in her heart…or anywhere else. A young widow, Lucy can’t risk that kind of loss again. But sharing her life with a cat named Fat Mikey and the Black Widows at the family bakery isn’t enough either. So it’s goodbye to Ethan, her hot but entirely inappropriate “friend with privileges” and hello to a man she can marry.

Too bad Ethan Mirabelli isn’t going anywhere. As far as he’s concerned, what she needs might be right under her nose. But can he convince her that the next best thing can really be forever?

The print edition of Butterfly Tattoo, Deidre Knight’s much-lauded 2009 release:

Michael Warner has been drifting in a numb haze since his lover was killed by a drunk driver. As the anniversary of the wreck approaches, Michael’s grief grows more suffocating. Yet he must find a way through the maze of pain and secrets to live for their troubled young daughter who struggles with guilt that she survived the crash.

Out of the darkness comes a voice, a lifeline he never expected to find—Rebecca O’Neill, a development executive in the studio where Michael works as an electrician.

Rebecca, a former sitcom celebrity left scarred from a crazed fan’s attack, has retreated from the limelight and from life in general, certain no man can ever get past her disfigurement. The instant sparks between her and Michael, who arrives to help her during a power outage, come as a complete surprise—and so does her uncanny bond with his daughter.

For the first time, all three feel compelled to examine their inner and outer scars in the light of love. But trust is hard to come by, especially when you’re not sure what to believe when you look in the mirror. The scars? Or the truth?

Laura Kinsale’s highly-anticipated new historical romance, Lessons in French:

She is, after all, Lady Callista Taillefaire, jilted three times in spite of her fortune and her father’s best efforts to find her a husband. Now her greatest desire is to win the silver cup at the agricultural fair with her gigantic prize bull, Hubert. But when Callie’s only old flame returns from his long and mysterious absence in France, her quiet spinster life turns upside down. Dark-eyed, elegant and a magnet for trouble, Trevelyan d’Augustin has given Callie lessons in more than his language in the past. Her father put a harsh and humiliating end to any dreams of romance with a French émigré scoundrel, however, and Callie never thought to see him again. Swallowing his pride, Trev has finally come home to care for his failing mother, but his secrets and misdeeds follow him. Callie soon remembers that nothing is ever peaceful with Trev around. The enormous Hubert vanishes into thin air, one of her former jilts comes back to woo her in a most determined manner—and her bull takes the town by storm! In the midst of these misadventures, Callie finds herself falling in love again with the worst possible man for her…

Connie Brockway returns to the Regency period in The Golden Season:

Wealthy, orphaned Lady Lydia Eastlake reigns over Regency England as the ton’s most celebrated beauty. But she must face losing the only life she’s ever known when her fortune suddenly disappears-and the only solution is to find a wealthy husband. Enter Captain Ned Lockton, a rich and dashing war hero who sends Lydia’s pulse racing. Little does she know that the enigmatic captain’s family estate is secretly on the selling block-and he’s on the hunt for a rich bride who will rescue his family from poverty…

Which new books are you looking forward to in February?

Author Ann Somerville is offering two of her books through Smashwords with the proceeds  to go to earthquake relief in Haiti.

The books are:

Games and Consequences – Info on Ann’s website and Smashwords Link

Different Senses – Info on Ann’s website and Smashwords Link

Please pass this information on to anyone you think might be interested.

Thanks!

Here are a few tidbits I thought I’d share:

• I just saw on Karen Marie Moning’s message board that she finally has an official release date for the final book in her Fever series. Shadowfever is due out on the 28th of December 2010.
• I’m a huge fan of C.J. Sansom’s excellent Tudor mystery series featuring Matthew Shardlake. Heartstone, the fifth book in the series, is due out this summer.
• In more mystery news, Val McDermid’s next stand alone thriller will be released in September. It has neither title nor blurb as of yet, but I’ll definitely be buying it.
• Fans of Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs series won’t have long to wait for her next historical mystery. The Mapping of Love and Death will be an April release.

Enjoy your Sunday!