Flynn's Back!

It isn't that Flynn doesn't want to share the limelight.

Well, maybe it is, because I'm pretty sure Flynn thinks PJ will have lots of opportunity to promote his own book in the next few months.

So when I got an email today from Maggie at DailyLit.com telling me that One-Night Love Child was going to be part of their series of books available by email, I told Flynn and he immediately said in his Earl's Voice, "And you've put it on your blog, of course."

He's really getting into his role as the earl, our Flynn.

Well, I was heading off to the dentist right then, and so I couldn't.

But as soon as I got back and found him tapping his toe and looking expectantly at me (I was going to say, Looking expectant, but he doesn't. That's Sara.). So I hurried right in here to post the good news.

DailyLit, in case you aren't familiar with it, sends out daily emails of the books it makes available through the site. It's like getting your own serialized version of a book daily to have with your morning coffee or on your lunch break or whenever you have a few minutes and want to dip into the daily read.

Those of you who read Kate Walker's blog know that her Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife was chosen to be given away as a free promotional title. It came out in June 2008 and is available through the summer.

So you can see what it's like by reading Kate's wonderful book. Or you can choose One-Night Love Child or any one of hundreds of books -- not only romance -- and for a modest sum have it delivered to your email box daily.

Flynn wishes they'd send his articles and books out that way. Mostly he hopes you will go check out his book there if you haven't already read it in book or e-book format.

And he was delighted to hear that when I told the DailyLit people his story began in The Great Montana Cowboy Auction, they said they'd look into including it among their offerings. I hope they do. It would be terrific to have Sloan and Polly's story available again.

Thursday's Book

One of my favorite historical regency period writers is Julia Quinn. She's written some of the most delightful books of that period. I like her so much I have TWO copies of Brighter Than the Sun.

So Brighter Than the Sun is Thursday's book to be added to the Great Book Give-Away. If you know Julia's work, you know that all her books have a certain sparkle. And Brighter Than the Sun is certainly no exception.

You know that as soon as Charles Wycombe, Earl of Billington, falls out of a tree at Ellie Lyndon's feet! But like all Julia's books, it isn't just a romp. The relationship between Charles and Ellie might start out with a "cute meet," but coming to terms with what is really required of them as a couple once they marry is much more complex.

I hope whoever wins enjoys it as much as I did.

By the way, Gunnar thinks this Great Book Give-Away is a fantastic idea because he gets treats for everyone who enters. I'm surprised he's not out on the highways and byways telling people to come sign up.

Oh, and Kate tells me that One-Night Love-Child has made it into the shops in UK now. (Did you notice the British version has an extra hyphen?)

So if you have been waiting for Flynn and Sara and you live on the other side of the pond, check your local stockists.

Holding out for a hero

I wrote about researching heroes on my guest blog at Tote Bags 'n' Blogs today. Naturally I flashed a pic of Hugh-in-a-towel. There would have been screams (notably from Kate) if I hadn't.

And I also put up a pic of the man who is becoming Sebastian. Or who Sebastian is becoming.

As I said there, he's no longer the guy I thought he was. He's more buttoned-down, more serious, more intense. He's one of those guys who thinks he has all the answers. More this guy.

Ooops.

Well anyway, I needed a pic that expressed the harder-edged, buttoned-down-ness of him, the unsmiling intensity of him. And because Kate was wrestling with Santos (not a bad pastime if you ask me) I said, "Who is he? Let me see him."

So she showed me a pic.

Not this pic, mind you -- but this man. And we decided he needed further research. And the more research I did, the more I found pix of a man who was everything that my Sebastian was becoming -- Intense. Unsmiling. Hard-edged.

A real Presents hero? Good grief. My editor might die of the shock.

I said, "I think I need him."

So Kate, dear friend that she is, is sharing.

Her Santos has his own incarnation in this guy. He will be no more like my Seb than any of our other heroes are alike. We just found visual inspiration in the same place -- and she was nice enough to share.

This means of course that I will have Mr Smiling Shaggy Hair standing on my doorstep looking for his own book now. But that's not precisely a hardship. We'll see what we can find for him.

And speaking of heroes -- here's one of my very favorites (Favourites? he would say. And then he would say, Favourite, dear lady. Singular.) Well, he would. He's that sort of cat. He has a starring role (by his definition) in One-Night Love Child.

He hopes you'll read it and send him fan mail. You will, won't you?

Oh, and happy St Piran's Day to all my fellow Cornish all over the world.

Flynn's Out!

Well, Sara is, too, of course. But you know what I mean.

I was at the drug store/post office this morning -- sending off some homemade Grasmere gingerbread to a friend who loves it and, incidentally, buying a gallon of milk before The Big Snow hit this afternoon -- and there on the shelves sat Flynn and Sara, otherwise known as One-Night Love Child.

Right there at eye level. They looked lovely. Very appealing.

I'm sure all the other books did, too, but to tell the truth, I didn't notice much. I will next time I go. I promise.

But I straightened their stack and then I decided to buy a copy to give to my mother. It isn't that I don't have author copies, but I thought Flynn and Sara would enjoy being purchased. And my mother will enjoy having it -- even if her eyes are not the best anymore.

I think of it as priming the pump -- purchasing the book -- now maybe other people will, too (she said hopefully). If you want to try before you buy, remember you can check out an excerpt here.

Now I must go shovel off some snow. We're up to our eyebrows in the stuff and there's more coming down!

Seb says hi. He's whistling at the moment. He's about to get the shock of his life, though. Poor Seb.

A Cover For Christmas

Good timing!

I just sent off the tweaked manuscript of PJ and Ally, as I had a moment to actually think ahead, I dropped a note to the wonderful woman in charge of covers at Harlequin to ask if she'd seen a copy of One-Night Love Child, the story of Flynn and Sara.

Quicker than you can say, "cyberspace," she emailed me one back.

How's that for service?

And how's this for a cover????!!!

I must say I'm pleased. More than pleased, ecstatic. He looks like Flynn (well, if you discount the fact that James Purefoy was standing in for Flynn when I was mapping out the book on my collage). But in my head, this is really what Flynn looked like.

And Sara? Well, she doesn't have quite the down-to-earth Montana single mom look I'd carried around in my head. But she'll definitely do. Oh, yes.

I can hardly wait til I have the book in my hands. Within the month, I would think, she said, crossing her fingers.

For those of you wondering whatever became of my "Christmas contest," it's going on.

There's just no sign of it on my website contest page. That's because my laptop, from which I have to do all the website updates, has got a semi-terminal illness at the moment. And so I'm trying to get it up and running again. Until I do, there won't be any announcement there.

But you can go to the contest page and sign up anyway. The "Twelve Books of Christmas" contest ends on 12th night -- that means 12 days after Christmas -- January 6th. (Which should give me enough time to get the stupid computer fixed so I can get online with it). In the meantime, you faithful lot who turn up here are going to have the contest to yourself.

What do you get if you sign up? Twelve books, of course!

Count 'em. Or you can when I tell you what they are, which I will do when I get my office sorted out (working on the downstairs now. The office will come later this week). Anyway, trust me. There will be plenty of books to keep you busy reading through most of January.

And then in February Kate Walker and Liz Fielding and I are going to have our second annual Valentine's contest. You remember last year when the Brides had a contest and the Grooms came along and muscled their way in? Well, we've been hearing stirrings along those lines again. So stay tuned.