Sorry

Due to Unfortunate Circumstances (Basically me working a double shift the last 3 days) BUTT SUNDAY is not up nor in production which means! Next Sunday is Butt Sunday. So my apologies I leave you with a taste of what is to come next Sunday. Now if you will excuse me I need to crash!

kthxbai

long weekend starts...woohoo!



As you can see from the time delay in this post, I have been more motivated to sit around being lazy than doing anything productive (such as blogging). But maybe that is in the spirit of being on the island. After all, when one imagines getting away from it all to a deserted island, one thinks of relaxation, vegetating, sitting on one's arse. Right?

m'kay, so since I'm the one making up the post and no one told me there were any rules of things we had or didn't have to do, I am going to indulge myself. How's that, you ask? LOLcats!!!!! Demonstrating just a few lazy day activities you might consider on your labor day weekend.

Eating


Internets


Pedicure


Muzak


Baking


Teevee


Tanning


Reading


Write next great novel


Sexxoring


Shopping


and best of all....

Drinking


Have a good weekend, everybody!!!

o'rly

....on to the book selections. The premise of the whole DIK scenario as it evolved in an AIM discussion many moons ago was for each person (there were six of us in the chat) to pick six books that they would choose if stranded on an island. No repeats, no duplicates. In looking back over my choices, I can see very clearly that the bulk of my romance reading has centered around historicals. And lb snatched up my fav m/m romance quickly, so it was not able to make my list. (MFC, I shall borrow you from lb's cabin, yes I will!) Without further ado, I give you my list of fav books I just gotta have.

1. Outlander - No surprise here. My favorite book(s) of all time. I still have the vivid memory of reading the first three in this series at age 16 and being completely and utterly transported to another world and being convinced that Jamie and Clare were in fact real people. When we first talked about only getting ONE book on the island, this would have been my choice.

2. Lover Eternal - One word...Rhage! K, so I know that Z is the one that everyone wants to heal and nurture but Rhage will always be my favorite brother. This was the first book I read in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and after all of the rest, it is still my favorite. I love how Rhage is utterly and completely head over heels for Mary, how the mere sound of her VOICE is enough to transfix him. The age-old fantasy of a perfect gorgeous man desiring and pursuing the plain woman (and she doesn't magically lose her glasses and discover she is a sekrit supermodel)...it really works for me. *sigh*

3. The Serpent Prince - I realize that this is a somewhat recent release and perhaps it is a little hasty to put it on a DIK list. However, I've already gone back and reread it several times. Which is something I rarely do and which tells me that it's in my library for the long haul. Simon is a great anti-hero, so tortured and yet so naive in the ways of the heart. Add the red shoes and the elegant and witty dialogue and I'm sold. Just thinking about it makes me want to read it again.


4. The Duke - This book by Gaelen Foley is part of a larger series, but it stands alone perfectly well by itself. Stuffy duke Robert gets his world turned upside down by his mistress Bel. The whole arranged mistress thing is certainly a common enough plot device in romance, but I think it was very well executed here. This is a book I go back to for a satisfying romantic read.

5. By Arrangement - If I'm on an island, I gotta have at least one awesome medieval. And this classic by Madeline Hunter is my pick. A complex hero (who is a cloth merchant and not a noble!) and a heroine who grows and matures from spoiled brat to strong and capable woman over the course of the book. Not to mention the excellent story telling that makes me feel like I'm right there in the rough and tumble of olde london.

6. Caine's Reckoning - Can't be stuck on an island without a Sarah McCarty book! It's tough to pick just one, but I think that this is the most well-rounded of her catalogue so far. It has all of the good stuff that I expect from her: strong, commanding hero who is emotionally nurturing, heroine that has no reason to trust men but who finds herself warming to this incredible guy, old west setting and oh yeah, uber-hot delicious sex scenes. mmm mmm good. Time for a reread!

Actually, I kind of want to go back and reread them all now. TGFB...thank god for books!

o hai

so this is my first time to command the driving seat at the DIK blog. cool.

I'm writing this entry "under the influence". uh huh. The influence of a bottle of riesling. thank you 29th birthday. woot. um, so if this runs a little sillier than my normal modus operandi, you know why.

It's kind of funny but in fact, I have spent a large portion of my life on an island. Granted, the island of Sulawesi is a pretty big one, but an island nonetheless. I lived in a village in the jungle with no electricity and a house made out of bamboo and wood. We had solar panels and car batteries to run our tiny little lights. And no TV. Which has a lot to do with my love of reading. Books, you see, don't require electricity. They are very transportable. Can be read in the jungle. Or the beach. Or wherever.

Speaking of beaches and islands....it appears that this is the moment in which I can start bragging on my harem of men and taunting the other inmates (erm, island mates) with my choices. Ready?

Here goes.

1. Rhage (Black Dagger Brotherhood series, JR Ward) Rhage's story was my first BDB book and it's still my favorite. I can't explain it. There is just something so very sexy and attractive about a gorgeous guy falling head over heels crazy in love for an ordinary plain gal. And besides, he has a dragon to unleash (heh) any time the island gets out of hand. So look out!

2. Asa McIntyre (Promises Linger by Sarah McCarty). If you haven't read Sarah McCarty yet, you are missing out! Asa is a perfect example of her Western heros. He's strong and alpha yet tender and almost nurturing in respect to how he treats his woman. And he's way creative in bed. Or on a horse. Or.... you get the picture. I figured that his creativity would come in handy on the island.








3. Dain (Lord of Scoundrels, Loretta Chase). Sometimes you want to slap him, then you want to cuddle him to your heart. Dain is something of a kid who never totally grew up. I still haven't been able to find a good model that really says DAIN to me, but Clive Owen is always nice to look at, so here ya go.






4. Ian Witherspoon (At Love's Command, Samantha Kane). The only way this guy was willing to make the trek to the island was under assurance that Derek would also be there. Ian by himself is one hot, domineering individual but put the two of them together and BAM....dynamite! Playdates chez lisabea are going to be teh awesome. *ahem* Oh and again, not so sure about the model but you can't really go wrong with Daniel Craig, right? This is a man whose face says "obey me". mmm. Yes, SIR!





5. Nathaniel Bonner (Into the Wilderness, Sara Donati). If you're going to be stuck in a wilderness situation, there is no hero better to have by your side than Nathaniel. Son of Hawkeye (he of Last of the Mohicans fame), the man knows how to hunt, fish, track, trap, make cabins, make rope, make love...all of the skilz you'd want on an island. And he's hot like his dad too. heh.





6. Keir of the Cat (Warprize, Elizabeth Vaughan). Who doesn't want a Warlord? Keir is a delicious mix of alpha and beta qualities. He'll fight to protect what's his but he's not aggressive unless provoked. And he looks so pretty when scruffy.






7. Captain Jack Harkness (Torchwood, Russell T. Davies/BBC) And finally, someone from the future. Who better than an omni-sexual space adventurer to round out the party? Captain Jack knows how to show a girl (or a boy or an alien) a good time. If we need to be rescued, he can put us in touch with Dr. Who and we can get a ride in his time machine back to safety.





So there you have it. My menz. They r pretty. And it looks like I get to play around this blog for the next couple of days, so I'll see you all back here tomorrow for more goofiness. But for now, it wouldn't be in sula form if I didn't leave you with a lolcat....

Roxanne's Last Day

I asked Roxanne what books she'd take if a library was burning down and she could only take SIX. Here's what she said:

1. Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer
2. Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard
3. Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Cruise
4. Untie My Heart by Judith Ivory
5. On Writing by Stephen King
6. Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell (first edition, of course)

Uh oh, we have another Sam Donovan fan here on the island. Poor Sam is never going to get any sleep ;)

I'm really sorry I don't have more pics of hot menz but I'm tired and I figure Beckham (even WITH clothes on) is always a favorite!

Thanks again Roxanne for joining us this week! And everyone else, don't forget to check out Roxanne's latest Bullet Catcher release! www.roxannestclaire.com

Roxanne St. Claire - The Interview

Yay! Day 2 and more of Roxanne St. Claire! Here are the answers to all the questions you DIK ladies asked!!

1. You wrote a chick lit book under the name Rocki St. Claire which was fantastic. Why haven't you written any more chick lit?

HIT REPLY, an “all email & texts” chick lit novel, came out a few months before the launch of the Bullet Catchers, the bodyguard/romantic suspense series I write for Pocket Books. The series hit a market sweet spot at the same time chick lit started to wane, so I focused on the Bullet Catchers. But HIT REPLY, written under that slightly different name to help readers understand that it was a different kind of book, remains one of my very favorite creative endeavors, and I was thrilled that the story hit an emotional chord for a lot of readers. Alas, there was no hot sex, no dead bodies, no life in danger, no alpha male…and that’s what the Bullet Catchers series is all about. Thanks for remembering that book, Katie – it’s definitely holds a tender place in my heart and I would love to write something like it again.


2. French Twist is my favorite book of your romantic suspense books. Do you have more plans to write stand alone books like that one set in Europe?

I hope to write more books set in Europe – it is so rich with color and history and possibilities. Plus, the men have such nice accents! Of course I’ll write another stand alone book someday, but readers are just gobbling up series, and there’s a lot of momentum for books with recurring characters. I wrote FRENCH TWIST very early in my career, and it was released as my second book, so it’s nice to know I didn’t hit the dreaded “sophomore slump” with my thief hero.


3. What would you say has been your most significant accomplishment as a writer?

Oooh, good question. Of course I give my Rita a polish every time I pass, and hitting number one on the Waldenbooks list was definitely a high point, but, honestly, the true accomplishment is completing a good book. It is so difficult to craft a compelling, fast paced, emotional, believable, heart-pounding story with memorable characters and a few great plot twists. Each manuscript is a mountain I stare at in terror before I attempt it, and when I finally reach the summit (holding four hundred war-torn pages in my hands), I just want to howl with happiness. So I’ve had twenty-two most significant accomplishments, and more in the future, I hope.


4. Tell us something about yourself that we might not know.

A personal thing? Um…Clarence Clemons (of Bruce Springsteen’s band) once asked me on a date. (I didn’t go.) A craft thing? I don’t plot anymore – I’ve actually morphed from plotter to pantzer. A business thing? I’ve had the same editor at Pocket Books from my first sale to today – and I hope to have her forevah! Sorry, that’s more than one thing.

5. Do you see yourself continuing to write romantic suspense or is there another genre you would like to try?

Oh, I definitely have my eye on other genres. I love YA – absolutely love to read it and would love to write it. I could definitely see myself writing women’s fiction (HIT REPLY was far more w/f than chick lit, really – it dealt with cancer, adultery and an empty nest) and I think I probably have a non-fiction book in me, as well. I’d love to write a cookbook with my husband – he’s a great chef, or a romance writer’s health and diet book since I’m really into eating well and exercising, which I believe have a very positive impact on creativity.


6. I’m sure a lot of people know who the Bullet Catchers are, but some don’t. Who are they and were did you come up with the idea for them?

The Bullet Catchers are an elite team of bodyguards, security specialists, and investigators who are hired by high-end clients for protection and special projects. The company is owned by a woman, Lucy Sharpe, who is a former CIA agent known for her world-class Machiavellian control and the ability to bring a grown man to his knees. Her staff includes former military and law enforcement types, some with special expertise, some just generally fearless and fantastic.
Each book in the Bullet Catcher series stands alone, and is the story of one of the Bullet Catchers who is tested both physically and emotionally before he or she can find bliss. But this year, we’ve done something a little different – the three Bullet Catcher books in 2008 have a story thread that ties them together, so they have been released as a trilogy: FIRST YOU RUN, THEN YOU HIDE and NOW YOU DIE. The last one comes out THIS WEEK (woo hoo!) and is extra special because the Bullet Catcher boss, Lucy Sharpe, is the heroine.

7. Who was your most ‘difficult’ Bullet Catcher to write?

Max Roper was tough because his defining characteristic is the unwillingness to ever reveal his emotions. So, that made it difficult to push him over the edge. But I found the heroine who could, and he eventually fell. (They all do.) But the book, and the character, wasn’t easy.
Of course, Lucy was the biggest challenge of all. She is fearless, unstoppable, brilliant, and doesn’t so much as go to the bathroom unarmed. So putting her in jeopardy was tricky – but I did, and I ended up loving her story.


8. Do you have to read them all in order to understand them?

No, you don’t. Lots of people are starting with this year’s trilogy and working back to the earlier books. It’s more fun to read them in order, but there isn’t an overall “Bullet Catcher” arc – although the characters do change and grow, I like each book to stand all alone.


9. How is writing category romance different from writing single title books?

I often say that writing category is like eating a sweet, gooey, delicious chocolate dessert and writing romantic suspense is like chowing down on a sizzling, mouthwatering steak dinner. Both are fantastic, but entirely different experiences. Category is easier for me because the of the total emphasis on romance with no dead bodies or tricky suspense elements, but single title romantic suspense gives me the chance to weave a rich and complex plot, using multiple points of view and layered subplots. In both, the love stories are front and center for me – I love the romance!


10. I read somewhere that you signed w/ Pocket books for more Bullet Catcher books for 2009. Do you think you’ll continue to write category now?

Sadly, I haven’t written a category book in a long while. And I love them! I spent all of 2007 writing the 2008 Bullet Catcher books, so I had to say no to category, and the same thing is happening this year. But I really loved writing Desires and hope there are more category books in my future. Yes, there are two more Bullet Catcher books coming out next year, but I don’t have the exact release months nailed down yet.


11. If you books were made into movies, what actors/actresses would you like to play your characters?

I HATE this question!! I just don’t know. I let my readers make suggestions. The one I love (because I use his picture) is Paul Walker for Wade Cordell, and I like to think Gabriel Aubry could play Adrien Fletcher. But I have such utterly clear images of my characters in my head that no actor really suits me. But I’d love to hit the casting couch and see who, uh, wins me over!


12. How long have you been writing?
I started writing with the hope of seeking publication in 2000, sold my first book in 2002, and have written 23, which includes three novellas and nine category books.


13. Who is your favorite author?
I love so many! Of course the queens of romantic suspense like Linda Howard, Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown. I cut my teeth on the glitzy books of the ‘70’s by Sydney Sheldon and Judith Krantz – I kind of miss those books, now. I’m also reading a ton of YA, including Melissa Marr and Melissa Kantor, and just dipping my toes into the paranormal waters with the amazing Kresley Cole, who is just talented beyond description.


14. What is your writing style like? Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Was plotter, am pantser. I totally changed my style over the last ten books or so. When I write the words I hate most in the world, Chapter One, I have an idea of the story arc in my head, know a few major turning points, may or may not know the villain, and hope I know the characters and their conflict. I work a lot of that out in the first 150 pages, which often takes three times as long as the rest of the book and several massive rewrites. By the time I reach the middle of the book, all that has been revealed to me (or decided by me) and I can usually power through the second half fairly quickly. My books peak in action during the 80 pages or so, with multiple scenes of life-threatening danger and heart-threatening romance, and I write faster – literally type faster – when things are moving that quickly. I also edit extensively as I write, so that by the end, I usually only need one pass through to do “major polishing” (not revisions) before I send it in.

15. How many are you doing in the bullet catchers?

As many as I can! I’ll write the Bullet Catchers as long as the series stays fresh and fun, and the ideas keep rolling in. Then I’ll move on to something else, I hope.

16. How did you get started writing?

I always wrote stories, since childhood. I still have some of the early ones, all written in longhand, with heroes based on TV and pop music stars and titles that would reveal my age – one of my favorites being “Leavin’ On A Jet Plane” with a picture of a woman looking out a airplane window that I cut out of my grandmother’s copy of The Ladies Home Journal! But life and “a real career” in public relations left me as a reader and a dreamer. I used to send marketing plans to my clients with a cover note that said “Read it and weep!” knowing that I would so much rather write about emotional conflict than business-to-business communications programs, but I never had the nerve to try it. When the calendar turned to a new millennium, I decided I had to give it a try. I wrote a manuscript at night, when my kids were asleep, and from the first page, I started have *fun* as I confirmed my most secret suspicion: writing is actually more entertaining to me than reading. From there, I did the usual – joined RWA, entered contests, found an agent, hid that first pitiful manuscript under the bed, and finally sold. I was hooked from the beginning and knew this could never be just a hobby for me, and I’m thrilled it’s my full-time job.

17. Which Bullet Catcher is your favorite?

Oh, that’s tough. It’s always the one I just finished – he’s all satisfied and finished with his character arc, his words polished, his love scenes smokin’ hot instead of a hot mess. If I have to choose one of them to ravish me on a desert island, probably Johnny Christiano of TAKE ME TONIGHT. I have a weakness for Italian men – I even married one! I also never fell out of love with Alex Romero of KILL ME TWICE; he was the first Bullet Catcher I ever wrote and I adored him. Of course, I’m also very partial to Lucy Sharpe, and really loved getting into her Louboutins to write her story.

18. What suggestions would you have for beginning writers as far as "breaking into the bus."

There will be no getting on the bus without HARD WORK. Getting published is a job – and I don’t just mean writing manuscript after unpublished manuscript. You need to go to conferences, hone the craft, enter contests, network with the industry and submit, submit, submit. Keep “five alive” at all times – five “publishing possibilities” out there, whether it is a partial, a full, a query to agent or editor. Hope is what kept me going. Once you have “nothing out” then you have no hope.

19. What's your favorite thing about writing?

Two words: The End. I hate starting a book, I really do. I love to rewrite, revise, and polish the finished manuscript, making it better every time I open the document. I also love the all too rare but heady sensation of writing a scene “just right” the first time. It’s so special when the words fly and the conflict is clear, when the banter is perfect and the plot is twisted into a tight knot. When I snap that last period at the end of a scene with bone-deep satisfaction that everything I hoped for – and more – is in the scene, I am utterly gleeful.

Thanks for such a fantastic interview! Reading about your perseverance, how you started, and how hard you truly work is an inspiration to all us newbies! Thanks for answering all our questions! Come back tomorrow for Roxanne's last day with us!!

About Me Featuring Roxanne St. Claire

From Katie Reus: Please welcome Roxanne St. Claire, bestselling, RITA-Award winning author of twenty-two novels of romance and suspense. She currently writes a popular romantic suspense series called “The Bullet Catchers” that features a cadre of bodyguards and security professionals. Her books have won many prestigious awards, and are routinely selected by Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Clubs as featured selections. In addition to the RITA, her books have won the National Reader’s Choice Award, the Daphne Du Maurier Award, the Maggie Award, the Booksellers Best, the Book Buyers Best, The HOLT Medallion, multiple Awards of Excellence, and Borders “Top Pick” for Romance in 2007. In 2008, readers are enjoying the first “Bullet Catcher Trilogy” featuring three connected stories titled First You Run, Then You Hide and Now You Die. For more, visit www.roxannestclaire.com

Even though Roxanne is on vacation she's agreed to hang out with the DIK ladies for the next three days and she's brought some hawt menz!

Favorite Reading Position
In bed, underneath a hot, sweet, funny, sexy, unforgettable, heart stopping....book.

Best love song
(You Want To) Make a Memory - Bon Jovi - hands down my favorite love song. Makes me cry.

Favorite Heroine
I would be any Linda Howard heroine, just to have the chance to have one of her heroes for one night.

Favorite sex song
You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC

If you could be a hero who would you be
I don't want to be a hero. I want to do unmentionable things to some heroes, but I don't want to be one.

What heroine is most like you?
All of mine have a piece of me in them. I've never read a heroine in fiction I thought was like me, because I am real and they are fabulous and fictional

What heroine would you like to be
Jaine Bright in MR PERFECT.

Boxers, Briefs, boxer briefs, kilt (I say we add commando)
Definitely commando, under tight jeans, with the top button undone. Mmmmm.

Favorite book set on a tropical island
Well, since I have two, I'm going with my own. TROPICAL GETAWAY, my first book, was set in St. Barts, where I spent my honeymoon. And THEN YOU HIDE, my July 08 release takes place in Nevis, where I'll take my second, much younger husband, should I ever get one.

What hero is most like your significant other
Oh, now I feel bad for the second husband comment. Of my heroes, the one most like my husband is...well, it's a heroine. The heroine of TROPICAL GETAWAY, Ava Santori, was a female version of my husband. Italian, passionate, impulsive, funny, and she/he can cook.

What hero would you like to be your significant other
Of mine? I'll take any Bullet Catcher, but really have a soft spot for Alex Romero (KILL ME TWICE) and Adrien Fletcher (FIRST YOU RUN).

If you were stuck on a desert island what 3 things would you bring
The complete dvd (with TV, etc) set of LOST, along with Sawyer who would re-enact the love scenes he had on screen AND explain all the things I don't understand about the series. Slowly. With his mouth very close to my ear. Third thing? I don't need no stinkin' third thing. I got Sawyer.

Favorite drink to bring to the DIK party
I'm a wine girl, all the way.

Now that we've gotten to know Roxanne a little better, don't forget to check back tomorrow for an in-depth interview about her writing style, her heroes, and all her upcoming books!!

I present

Theme SUNDAYS for your viewing pleasure!!!

Why Sarai how did this come about you ask? Well I was sitting at home one day reviewing all the pretty, pretty pictures I have collected thanks, in part, to you lovely ladies and I thought hell what if we put those pictures to use. *cues Let's Get It On* So ladies sit back and relax b/c this is my gift to you EVERY SUNDAY (unless we are celebrating the birthdays!) Speaking of birthdays DID everyone wish Thea a happy one on the 20th? we will have theme Sunday.

This weeks theme is COWBOYS. Next week we will focus on BUTTS (so send me any all pictures you have of menz butts and I will post)

Sit back and relax and please enjoy my cowboys.

I just really like this next one. Makes me wonder what happened to his pants?

Aww and this one is singing us a song can you hear it?

And nothing says I love you like a group of fine looking menz in cowboy hots. So I love you guys!

HOLY SHIT I just found my new favorite blog!!! http://5starman.blogspot.com/ Seriously go check it out!

Anywho hope you enjoy I will see ya next Sunday.