Today is the day to bid on an evening with Lisa Jackson–yep, that includes dinner and drinks–at the national RWA conference in San Francisco.  We’ll have fun–guaranteed!  So if you’re going to be in “The City” or in the Bay area, drop in and bid.  So bid high, bid wild.  After all, it’s for a great cause!   Click here to find out more!

I’m finishing my proposal for another hardback (hopefully) which will be the one after MALICE in 2008.  This 2009 book will NOT be a Bentz/Montoya book and I wondered how you all felt about that.   That’s right, to make this book (which is untitled) unique, I needed an isolated mountain community and I thought I would enjoy the southern area of Oregon, deep in the Siskiyou Mountains on the California border.  I’ve got some great characters already and I’ve been working on the hero, now he’s an interesting dude.  Ex-sheriff’s deputy, thrown out of law enforcement for bending the rules and under the shadow of a disgrace, he’s a loner with a secret past, one that might just involved the heroine, though she doesn’t know it. And the heroine, too, has some secrets of her own.  When they meet–it’s damned explosive.   This book has lots of twists and turns already and the synopsis is growing and racing like wildfire in high winds!  I can’t help but be inspired.   Even though  I do miss the New Orleans crowd; especially Montoya.   I’m sure they’ll all be back after MALICE, but I’m not exactly sure when that will be.

I guess I have lots of time to figure that out.

Please visit Brenda Novak’s website as there are dozens upon dozens of items to bid on, everything from vacations to help with your writing project, to a multitude of baskets.  I donated one, so did my sister, author Nancy Bush as well as a whole raft of other donors.  Please check them all out at www.brendanovak.com!

Just my two cents–I agree with the judges. I think Simon Cowell was right on and though I’m pulling for David Cook, as ge seems to have talent and brains, the thinking-man’s rocker. But David Archuleta stomped him and the others. Sayesha Mercado sings beautifully and really has stage presence, but she didn’t outdo the younger David, either and I thought she was better in the past few weeks. As for Jason Castro, I actually felt sorry for the guy. He’s so different and interesting, I guess. Really, I’ve seen him perform brilliantly, but last night–ouch. I did think the judges were rough on him, though. He’s a competitor, yes, but a kid, too. Anyway, that’s just my opinion. For what it’s worth. Not much, I guess, because FOX hasn’t been calling me asking me to replace Simon or Paula or Randy. (Good news for America!)

So enough about pop culture. Tomorrow (May 8th) is the big day when you can, if you’re going to the national RWA conference, bid on a dinner and drinks hosted by yours truly for fellow author Brenda Novak’s Auction to fight diabetes.  Click here to find out more. Originally Sister Nan was going to be a part of this as I mentioned in an early blog, but, unfortunately she double-booked, so it’s just you and me in the great city of San Francisco. This item is only up for bidding for one day, so be certain to bid online tomorrow. I’ve also got a basket in the auction, as does my sister, author Nancy Bush, and tons of other people. Check them all out!

I guess I’m really scattered. After forgetting that SAIL AWAY was in the stores, I actually saw it on the shelves yesterday. Yep. It was there along with ABSOLUTE FEAR and LOST SOULS. And the Cosmo edition with the excerpt from LOST SOULS as a red hot read was still available as well, so I felt pretty well represented in the book store. A nice feeling, let me tell youl

I also dabbled with WICKED GAME yesterday, but haven’t completely dived in as I’m finishing another proposal that just has a hold of me and won’t let go, one of those ideas that just won’t go away. If you’re a writer, you understand this weird obsession. Even though I have a deadline looming, I’m caught in the middle of another story. This proposal is demanding I finish it so I can put all of my energy and focus onto the collaboration with Nancy. Today, it must be complete. No matter what. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Part of my problem is that spring has sprung her in the Pacific Northwest (finally and probably temporarily) and I’m having a little trouble sitting inside with a computer. Truth to tell, I do my best writing when it’s dark and raining outside and I’m on my couch with my laptop and a cup of tea or coffee with the fire crackling nearby. When the sun peeks through the clouds, watch out. All of a sudden, I want to jettison the couch and computer and start walking, hanging out with friends, even cleaning off the patio furniture, just about anything other than sitting on my rear and staring at a computer screen.

Right now, the lilacs, rhododendrons, azaleas and tulips are blooming. The air is fresh and crisp, cool in the morning, warm during the afternoon. It’s perfect outside; maybe too perfect since MALICE is due to my editor in August and WICKED GAME before that. I guess I’d better tamp down spring fever. At least for today.

Or is it The City of Roses?  Anyway, it’s Portland, what we used to call “the city” when I was growing up in a small Oregon timber town thirty odd miles away.  Going into “the city” was a big, big deal.  Now, I take that city for granted and call it going “down town.”  I live much closer to Portland now.

And I’ll be going “down town.”  Well, not really.   My sister Nancy and I will be speaking to the Rose City Romance Writers at their meeting this Saturday and the meeting room isn’t exactly near the hear to of the city, but it’s close to I-5, on the Sylvania Campus of Portland Community College.  Nancy and I will speak about writing romance novels, mysteries and thrillers in a question and answer format, so it should be fun!  You don’t have to be a member to come to the meeting, guests are encouraged, so, if you’re so inclined, please stop by.  Details are on the appearances page of this site.

I also think I forgot to mention that SAIL AWAY is in the bookstores now!!!  SAIL AWAY  has been reprinted as part of Harlequin’s Bestseller’s series.  A fast-paced romance that includes love, lies, lust and lots of adventure, SAIL AWAY is a great choice to be in the collection.   I’ll be putting more information about SAIL AWAY on the website in the next few days, including an excerpt, so check back.

Don’t forget that I’ve put new contests up, so enter to win!  And don’t forget to enter your favorite friend, great-aunt, enemy or pet in the Character Contest.  I’m currently looking for a few new faces (either human or . . . not) for MALICE and CHOSEN TO DIE.

I think I should say something here about the Kentucky Derby and horse racing in general. I’ve always loved the sport because I get a thrill out of watching horses run. Any kind of horses. Not just Thoroughbreds or Arabians or any kind of pedigreed animal.  I think watching wild mustangs run through a canyon is just as exhilarating.  So, I’m saddened and pained by the loss of Eight Belles, a filly in this years Run For the Roses.  It’s horrific tragedy and it seems to be happening over and over.  We just lost Barbaro and now this filly.  I remember that horrid day in 1975 when Ruffian, another great filly, went down.

Ruffian’s story, so tragic, emotional and sickening was what inspired me to write GYPSY WIND, the story paired with DEVIL’S GAMBIT in HIGH STAKES, my book that comes out at the end of this month.  I wrote a reader letter about these two books, how exciting they were, how I loved the world of horse racing, and now, it seems ironic and sad that the book is going to be released in the same month that we lost another brave filly.

You can argue that what happened to Eight Belles is a freak accident, that the filly was born to race, that she died doing what she loved, but, to me, it seems heartless and cruel that this magnificent creature died so painfully.  I’m not naive enough not to realize that animals are killed by the hundreds of thousands daily to feed, clothe, perfume, thrill or whatever we so choose for mankind.    And I know that anytime you get that many thousand pounds of horses running neck and neck, pounding down the turf, straining to win, there are going to be accidents, some of them fatal.  Nonetheless this seems a tragedy that was predestined for our own gratification.

There is a lot of suffering in the world, both for mankind and the creatures with whom he walks this earth, I know.  Eight Belles, like Barbaro, Ruffian and others before her, is just one of many and certainly not the last.  But today, I salute her, celebrate her brief, thrilling existence, and hope that we have learned enough to prevent this kind of tragedy from happening again in what’s called The Sport of Kings.

Here’s to you Eight Belles, may your spirit run forever free.

I attended the Great Vancouver RWA chapter’s WRITE ON conference in Vancouver, British Columbia this past weekend and it was the best!  The speakers were all not only interesting, but funny as well and I met up with my editor John Scognamiglio.  We always have a good time together and I have to say the workshop itself was fun, informative and relaxing.  I learned a lot and laughed a lot, which is really important.  The conference focused on romantic suspense, so I gave one of my favorite workshops: HOT SEX AND COLD DEATH, THIS AIN’T YOUR GRANNY’S COZY LITTLE MYSTERY.  It seemed to go over pretty well, though I think the title is probably more interesting than the content of the workshop.  Maybe later, when I’m not so scattered and I’ve got some real writing done, I’ll tackle some of the details of that workshop here on the blog, in segments.  You might enjoy it.

In the meantime, congratulations to the contest winners for the month of April who won autographed copies of COLD BLOODED: Linda of Severn, MD, Geraldine of Cincinnati, OH, Lori of Richton Park, IL, Aaron of Aurora, CO, and Carrie of Glendale, AZ! Also, a big congratulations to April’s grand prize winner, Frances  of Alford, FL, who not only recieved an autographed copy of COLD BLOODED, but also a gardening basket including a $50.00 Burpee Seed gift certificate!!

Don’t forget to check out the “Just Beachy” contest for the month of May! It’s a lot of fun!

Did you see LOST last night . . . oh, wow, am I hooked, hooked, hooked! Kate. Jack. Sawyer. Juliet, Jack’s Dad. Hurley. And Ben . . . oh, Lord. They’re all so great. And Miles. Yep, I’m all about the show and those terrific characters. Anyone who’s a writer and needs inspiration for characters, motivation, sexual tension and plot twists should check out the show, from the get-go. That’s why I made one of the LOST dvds part of a contest prize for LOST SOULS. For those of you who are fans, you know what I mean, for those of you who aren’t, you’re really missing out!

But onto other business before I head out to the airport for BC. We’ve got some more winners in the LOOKING FOR LOST SOULS CONTEST. They are (drum roll please . . .):

Lisa of Parkville, MO

Kelli Jo of Hurst, IL

Debbie of Innisfail, Alberta, Canada

Kesha of Bossier City, LA

Congratulations to you all! You’re lovely, hip, chic LOOKING FOR LOST SOULS T-shirts will be winging their way to you ASAP. Live long, prosper and wear them with flair!

As you know, I’m into WICKED GAME, the collaboration with my sister and since the story’s set in Oregon, it seems a perfect opportunity to meet up again with Officer Larry Sparks of the Oregon State Police. Officer Sparks gets the job done and since he’s a real-life friend and ex-cop, I love an opportunity to have him speed through the pages, sirens wailing, lights flashing. Look for him next February along with the rest of the WG crowd.

Now, I’m off to the airport for the WRITE ON CONFERENCE. I’m going to see some friends as well as my editor, John Scognamiglio, so it should be a blast . . . better check to make sure I have my passport with me!

Don’t you just love that title?  It’s my sister Nancy’s title–she came up with it and I think is tres fabu!

For the past few months while I finished LEFT TO DIE, my sister, Nancy Bush, has been cranking away on WICKED GAME, our first collaboration since the ill-fated STORMY SURRENDER, which we co-authored with another friend at the very beginning of our careers.  STORMY SURRENDER was rejected all over New York circa 1981 and though it never saw the light of day, it was our first attempt at getting published and we were hooked!  We received tons of form rejection letters, but a few editors had been kind enough to write some encouraging words at the bottom of those pre-printed, don’t-darken-our-door, I-read-your-manuscript-with-interest, unfortunately-it’s-not-right-for-our-publishing-house-at-this-time type of letters.   If you’ve ever tried to sell a book to an agent or publishing house, you know what I mean.  However, it was those few lines hastily written by some associate editor somewhere that encouraged us to keep trying.

While our friend went back to her real job, Nancy and I turned our attention to cracking the market.  We split up.  Each of us began writing individual stories and Nancy hit right off the bat with ABBY’S CHANCE, which was retitled DARE TO LOVE and published by First Love from Silhouette Books.  We were on our way!  A year later and several missed attempts later, I sold A TWIST OF FATE to Silhouette Special Edition.  Would I have stuck it out if Nan hadn’t sold first?  Who knows.  The point is, through all the ensuing years and different projects where we worked together, we never, ever wrote a book together again.  Until now.  With WICKED GAME.   We’ve always helped each other, edited each other’s work, plotted out the stories together, even added a scene or two, but never really officially collaborated.

So I can’t wait.  Nancy’s been talking about the characters we sketched out for months and she’s been muttering about love scenes, death scenes and the killer’s point of view, but today, I actually get what she’s done and go from there.

You might think we are writing the book in two parts, kind of like I did when writing MOST LIKELY TO DIE with Wendy Corsi Staub and Beverly Barton a couple of years ago, but this time, Nancy and I are writing the entire book together.  We plotted it together, came up with the characters togther, figured out the redherrings and twists together and now, we’re writing it together.  I’m starting with page one, reading what she had, editing, adding or subtracting scenes, then, once I catch up to her, forging ahead, writing on “blank” pages.  Afterward, she’ll come behind me again as I will her . . . trust me, it sounds more complicated than it is and every time either of us encounters a problem or plot point, we speed dial each other and hash it out.

I can’t wait to dive in and I’ll give you an update once I’m back from Vancouver B.C. where I’ll be speaking at the WRITE ON Conference hosted by the Greater Vancouver Romance Writers of America!  

But that’s after tonight, when I’ll be watching LOST.  Does anyone else think this is the best television show currently being aired?  Is anyone else (you ladies, speak up) torn between Jack and Sawyer?  Talk about heroes and antiheroes.  My new favorite character, though, might just be Miles.  This is the guy who talks to ghosts and they listen!  So many great characters.  And those back stories!  Are they incredible or what?  All of you LOST fans, please, weigh in!!!

Well, at least a Visa card.  I’m off to Vancouver, B.C. this weekend for the Write On Conference hosted by the Greater Vancouver chapter of Romance Writer’s Of America (http://www.rwagvc.com/wov/wov-index.html).  I’m looking forward to the event as it’s a chance to see a vibrant new city, get out of the country, and spend a little time with two of my favorite men.  The first is my youngest son.  Our birthdays are about a week apart, so we try to find a time to spend some celebratory time together.  The second is my editor John Scognamiglio, Editorial Director of Kensington Publishing.  John and I have been working together for almost as long as my son  has walked this earth, so we’ll all have fun.  For any of you who are looking for a great conference, come join us and for those of you who have already signed up—see you there!
 
I’m speaking at the luncheon, and on a panel or two as well as giving a workshop on one of my favorite topics, hot sex and cold death.  Should be interesting!
 
Thanks to all of you who showed up for the Poisoned Pen signing in Scottsdale.  I had a blast in sunny, warm Arizona even if my hotel looked like it had been decorated by someone who couldn’t decide if he was a Liberace fan, or a cubist at heart.  All I know is that black and white, long black fringe on a desk, gauzy curtains on every wall with or without windows  and lampshades hung upside down never looked better!  And why had I never thought of painting the bottom third of my sliding glass door black?   The registration desk was bathed in pink light and had cotton-ball clouds covering the overhead lamps.  And, along with the smooth, white leather couches was a stuffed sheep.
 
Of course.
 
While there, I met up with one of my favorite friends of all time, drank one too many Sea Breezes, and enjoyed myself immensely.  I even had a little time for some speed shopping for my son’s birthday at the Apple store.  A lot done in a little time.
 
So now I’m heading north.   Hope to see you in B.C.!

I want to tell you all about a wonderful event that my friend Brenda Novak is hosting.  It’s an online auction to benefit diabetes research.  Brenda, fellow romantic suspense author and friend  (www.brendanovak.com )  has been doing this for several years and raising a lot of money for this great cause.  She’s done one helluva job.
 
This year my sister, Nancy Bush and I are donating a couple of baskets as well as a dinner during the RWA event.  This auction is a one-day-only bidding auction, so, if you’re attending RWA conference in San Francisco this year, be sure to mark May 8th as the day to make your bids.  Nancy and I promise to show you a good time at dinner!  Click here to find out more.
 
I will try to remind you again about this, closer to the date, but I wanted to give you a heads up.
 
To view the basket I’m donating click here.
And click here to see my Sister Nan’s. 

There is a raft of cool things to bid on, so check it out on Brenda’s website, just click on the auction link.

We’ve talked a lot about continuing characters in books.  In my case, I don’t really write a series, but books that stand alone with continuing characters.  However I often end a book with a cliffhanger that leads into another book with some, not all of the same characters, sometimes in the same location, sometimes in a new one.   If you read SHIVER, you know that a question was left at the end of the book (though the plot/mystery of the book was solved) which flowed into ABSOLUTE FEAR and at the end of ABSOLUTE FEAR there was a question that was left unanswered until you read LOST SOULS.    But each book really doesn’t hinge on the other, and it’s not critical that the books be read in a certain order, though certainly that would be the ideal situation.
 
I’ve plotted out three “Montana” Books, LEFT TO DIE, CHOSEN TO DIE and DESTINED TO DIE, with all new characters.  I think you’ll love my two female detectives and Zane McGregor, the hero of LEFT TO DIE is one of those tough, elusive man of mysteries that I love to write about.  The first two stories are interlaced pretty closely, the third more of a stand alone. 
 
So my questions to you are:
     Do you prefer:
    1.)    Stand alone books with a single set of characters (MOST LIKELY TO DIE, for example or FINAL SCREAM)
    2.)    Stand alone books with connecting characters like the books set in New Orleans. (HOT BLOODED, COLD BLOODED, SHIVER, ABSOLUTE FEAR and LOST SOULS)
    3.)    Or books that are clearly marked in a series, such as the A, B, C Books by  Sue Grafton, or the Murder Club books by James Patterson, or a the numbered Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.  In each of these cases, you know which book you’re reading in the series by the number or letter.
 
    Write me back with  your comments and let me know how you feel!