I was on television!!! (And Beth Kery’s contest)

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Here’s something exciting– I was on television today!!  Yep, that was little ol’ me, on the ABC 7 Morning Show, talking about Practice Makes Perfect and also giving my two cents on why sales of romance novel are up despite the recession.  The show booked the interview three weeks ago, but it turned out to be perfect timing with all the focus this week in the media about why romance novels are doing so well.

This was my first television appearance and, surprisingly, it was less stressful than I had envisioned.  I had pictured a crazy, hectic production set filled with tons of people, but instead everything was calm and orderly and the people at ABC 7 were wonderful.  And maybe I’m the only person that didn’t know this about live sets, but there weren’t any cameramen– the cameras move around the set by themselves, like robots.  Very cool.  Sure, I had to wake up at 3:30 a.m.– which killed me seeing how I’m such a night person–but that was a small price to pay for such a fun experience.

So for those of you who are interested, here’s the video of the interview.  

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Speaking of Chicago authors… my friend Beth Kery is hosting a contest for the upcoming release of her next novel, Daring Time.  After hearing Beth talk about the book, I’m SO looking forward to it.  A time-travel hot contemporary set in Chicago– love it!!  Beth is hosting authors at her blog all this month and giving away tons of goodies as part of the Daring Time contest.  So head on over and check it out.  Oh– and I’m doing a Q&A over there this Thursday, April 16th, and giving away a signed copy of Practice Makes Perfect and I’d love to have you come by!

Here’s the link for Beth’s contest: 

 

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more about “Test“, posted with vodpod

The Next Sexiest Man Alive?

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Still sick.  Darn cold turned out to be a darn sinus infection.  But at last… antibiotics. Fingers crossed they kick in fast.  In addition to being under the weather, I’m aiming to send off the manuscript for Book 3 tomorrow, which means are things are bu-sy. So I decided to have a little fun with this week’s post…

Okay, now I admit that I’m a little biased these days.  The hero in my third book has dark hair and dark eyes and a smokin’ hot body and I think he might be the best, sexiest hero I’ve written.  I am just all about guys with those physical characteristics right now.  And I’m watching “Dancing with the Stars,” and Gilles Marini paso dobles onto the screen, and I’m just… smitten.  (In case you don’t know him, he was Samantha’s naked neighbor in Sex in the City.) I swear, it’s like this guy just fell out of the sky and became the sexiest man alive.  Don’t believe me?  Check it out:

gm1

Not convinced?  How about this?

gm2

Or this?

gm3

 

I’m thinking there aren’t too many women out there who would throw this man out of bed for eating crackers.  Just saying.

How about it–any lesser known sexiest men alive contenders we should all know about?  Do tell…

(This post is not approved by Julie James’s husband.)

Editing, Editing

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My new manuscript survived its first beta read.  Whew!  

But because I’m my own harshest critic, now it’s time for editing, editing.  That’s what my life is all about right now.  I spent all day revising the climax of my manuscript, and finally put it away at 9pm, still not satisfied.  Two minutes after I walked away, the solution hit me.  Funny how that happens.  I’ll sit at the computer, wracking my brain, determined to finish just this scene, when what I really need is to just stop thinking about it.  

So because I’m going crazy here in editing-mode, there isn’t as much time for blogging these days… But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention two really exciting things:  Practice Makes Perfect got a starred review from Booklist, and Just the Sexiest Man Alive received a whopping 98 from Mrs. Giggles!  I was just so thrilled to see both these reviews– in a crazy week dealing with endless editing, a cranky two year-old with a cold, and a cranky me (after said two year-old gave me his cold) these were just the things I needed to perk me up.  So thanks Booklist and Mrs. Giggles!

And for those (several) of you who so highly recommended it, I just started reading Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard.  I have to say– I am really, really enjoying this book.  The sparring between the heroine and hero is right up my alley.  So thanks everyone– keep those recommendations coming!  And one of these days, I’m going to read my first paranormal, I swear…

Stay tuned– I’ll write more soon.  I hope.

The Chicago Sun-Times reviews Practice Makes Perfect!

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practice-makes-perfect4So this afternoon my husband was reading the Chicago Sun-Times, and what does he stumble upon?  They reviewed Practice Makes Perfect!  It’s a GREAT review— here’s a short snippet:

Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James is a tantalizing dessert — a delicious, delightful read that all hopeless romantics will enjoy. If you like romantic comedies then you will not be disappointed with this book.

…There are a couple comedic scenes in the book that you could envision in next summer’s romantic blockbuster. There’s a particularly laugh-out-loud scene involving a courtroom, a jury, a split skirt and an exposed butt.

Wow.  Such a great way to cap off a wonderful weekend!  And boy, is that peeky-cheeks scene ever turning out to be a crowd pleaser.  Is it bad to admit that I laughed out loud while writing it?

Speaking of great ways to finish off a weekend, I just finished reading Shiloh Walker’s Fragile.  It’s a dark, emotional read– and one I found nearly impossible to put down.  And now I’m dying to know if we’re going to get Quinn’s story…

Next up for me was supposed to be Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard.  And as much as I’m really looking forward to it, I wasn’t sure I was ready for another suspense after Fragile.  So instead, based on repeated recommendation, I will be reading:

dreamingofyou

This is only the second historical I’ve read, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I’m only five pages in and the hero has been beaten up and the heroine shot somebody in the throat.  What a way to get the reader’s attention!  I can’t wait to find out more about the infamous Derek Craven.

How about you–what are you reading?  And how do you decide what to pick next in your TBR pile?

Barnes & Noble book signing– and I swear not all lawyers are bad!

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This past Saturday, I did a signing at a Barnes & Noble here in Chicago and I had such a great time!  There was a wonderful turn-out– I think one of the best parts of being an author has to be getting the opportunity to meet and talk to readers.  I had such fun conversations– I swear, the romance community is just the most fabulously interesting group of people.  And I even learned all about my local RWA chapter (something I really need to look into joining) and I picked up a book recommendation, too:  Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas.  This will be only the second historical I’ve ever read (I know, I know, I need to rectify that situation) and I can’t wait to check out the infamous Derek Craven, who I’ve heard is very, very yummy…

img_23813So I already knew this, but I have to say that I really am blessed to have the most amazing group of friends and family.  I was incredibly touched that so many of them came by the signing.  I should’ve taken more photos– but of course I was too busy talking to remember that– although I at least managed to get this one of me and my friends Debra and Kellie.  And how about this– I was thrilled that an old guy friend of mine that I hadn’t seen for fifteen years showed up.  Ahh… the power of Facebook.

Not surprisingly, a lot of my friends are lawyers.  There was a moment at the signing when I looked around and just had to smile– I wondered if there’s ever before been such a large gathering of lawyers–men and women– standing around discussing contemporary romance.  And yes, they’re my friends so I might be a tad biased here, but they’re just such a witty and fun group.  What cracks me up about that is that I’ve had several readers mention to me that they normally don’t like stories about lawyers.

Now, don’t get me wrong… I can tell you from personal experience that some lawyers definitely are first-class a-holes.  But I wonder, generally speaking, where do these negative impressions of lawyers come from?  Is it what we see portrayed on television and in movies?  Is it based on personal experience?  Or maybe it’s just that the “bad” lawyers stand out so much more than the good ones?  

So here’s the question: if you’ve had a bias either for or against lawyer characters in novels,  what led you to feel that way?   Or, if you like some stories involving lawyers but not others, which ones work for you and why?