Party Time! Welcoming New Love Cat, Bronwyn Jameson!

It's party time here at the LoveCats DownUnder and what a party! It's our absolute thrill to welcome our newest LoveCat: the multi-talented, great-with-animals, gifted author, BRONWYN JAMESON.

 

Yay! There's great excitement here as we welcome Bronwyn, one of the stars of Harlequin Desire, to our group. We're celebrating with some fantastic give aways, but more about those soon.

Bronwyn is a personal heroine of mine. She's a triple RITA finalist and nominee for the Romantic Times Series Storyteller of the year. She's a bestseller whose books are loved worldwide. If you don't know her stories and want to find out more, here's a link to her website. Her support of other writers resulted in her recently being awarded life membership of Romance Writers of Australia.

 

As you can see, we've taken the opportunity of Bronwyn's welcome party to launch our new look website. Isn't it lovely? We're so pleased with the results and of course, welcome your thoughts on how well it works for you. We're also launching a LoveCats DownUnder FaceBook page.

 

But in the meantime, let's get this party on the road by interviewing our newest LoveCat. Bronwyn took time out to answer a few questions. Here she is:

 

1) Does anyone with fur, feathers or scales share your life now, or in the past?

 

I live on a farm so am surrounded by fur, feathers, scales and particularly wool.  I'm a bit of a horse nut.  Currently we have eight with another (baby) due in a few weeks time.  Mum's name is Jenna and right now her baby bump is huge.  I have a Jack Russell, imaginatively named Jack, who is rather talkative and boisterous and all those other fabulous JR traits.  He believes it is his duty to keep the "scales" population down in summer, which is REALLY stressful given the venomous strike of the eastern brown snake.  L

 

Horse baby (Floo)

 

2) Even though you're now a Cat, if you could be any mythological creature, which one would you be?

 

Pegasus.  A horse.  That flies.  How cool would that be?

 

3) What was the first category book you read?

 

Not the first category book – I devoured the serialised Mills & Boons in my mum's English Woman's Weeklys from a tender age – but the first Desire I read was Private Reasons by Justine Davis.  It featured an uptight hero with dark secrets, a strong free-spirited heroine, a troubled teenager and a totally cool black horse.  Also hay, jeans and hot attraction.  I loved this book in the 90s and, in a recent re-read, loved it all over again.

 

4) What was the last category book you read that you loved?

 

I've just finished Driving Her Crazy by Amy Andrews, a fun and funny road trip starring a cranky photographer and a smart-mouthed journalist (she drives him more than a little crazy.)  But beneath the banter there are real issues, which give the story depth and strength.  Loved it. 

 

5) What's something we wouldn't know about you?

 

Hmm.  Did you know I was on Wheel of Fortune (twice) and won a car?   

 

6) We all know you as a wonderful Harlequin Desire author. In honour of your arrival the other LoveCats are giving away some fantastic ‘Items of Desire’ as prizes today. Can you share with us your own favourite Item of Desire?

 

Not so much an item, but one of my favourite things is travel and I wish I could travel like my Desire characters, with private jets and limousines and five-star hotels and concierges at my beck and call.  First class travel is the object of my desire.

Thanks, Bronwyn. Wow, you must have had nerves of steel to make it onto Wheel of Fortune twice! That's so impressive. It's wonderful to have you on board as a LoveCat. We know you're going to fit right in.


Bronwyn at recent Fremantle Booksigning

To celebrate the LoveCats are banding together to offer some great prizes which will be given to 2 winners drawn by our newest Cat, Bronwyn. Here's what's on offer:

One winner will receive:

A miniature Art Deco clock from Bronwyn Jameson
‘The War Hero’s Locked Away Heart’ by Louisa George
Some nice stationery from Jennifer St George
A backlist book from Sharon Archer
A desirable gift from Yvonne Lindsay
‘The Man Who Saw Her Beauty’ by Michelle Douglas
Luscious hand dream from Barbara DeLeo
An e-copy of ‘Taming the Tycoon’ by Amy Andrews
A scented, desirable gift from Helen Lacey
‘Countering His Claim’ by Rachel Bailey
Turkish delight and gourmet chocolate from Annie West
‘The Gift of a Child’ by Sue MacKay

 The other winner will receive:

‘The Diamond Collection’ by Bronwyn Jameson

A desirable gift from Rachel Bailey
‘An Enticing Debt to Pay’ by Annie West
A pretty crystal necklace from Michelle Douglas
‘A Date With Destiny’ by Helen Lacey
A desirable gift from Sue MacKay
‘One Secret Night’ by Yvonne Lindsay
A desirable gift from Amy Andrews
An e-copy of ‘Dishing Up Desire’ by Barbara DeLeo
A desirable gift from Sharon Archer
An e-copy of ‘The Love Deception’ by Jennifer St George
A pohutakawa coin purse from Louisa George

To get the ball rolling, here's a question from Bronwyn: What is your favourite object of desire?
Just leave a comment to be in the prize draw. Winners' names will be posted on site just before our next Sunday Smooch so don't forget to come back and check for news.

Welcome Party - Two New Cats!

Louisa George

The LoveCats are in party mode! Grab a cup of catnip punch, get comfy in the groovy chairs and settle in to the strains of ABBA (being played by Cat Michelle – don’t worry, we’ll get Elvis going when we can wrestle the remote away). 

Everyone ready? It’s time to give a great big Cat cheer to *two* new Cats! We’re beside ourselves with glee to be welcoming Louisa George and Barbara DeLeo into the pride. Paws in the air! 

Barbara DeLeo

Louisa writes for Harlequin Medical, and Barbara writes for Entangled’s Indulgence. Both are from New Zealand, are gorgeous and two of the loveliest people you’ll meet (I should know – I’ve met them both for early breakfasts where I was barely awake or able to form coherent sentences, and they were *still* lovely). 

More details, I hear you ask? Well, let me oblige! I’ve asked some very pertinent questions to help you get to know them a little better. 

Who is your Catwalk Candidate? 

Barbara: That would be Cosmo the black Miniature Schnauzer. Well, she's not really black, she's gold plated on account of the number of visits to the vet she's had. It's not that she's had puppy illnesses or that we're over protective, it's that Cosmo will eat anything. This includes: two blocks of Lindt dark chocolate (one mint flavoured, one passionfruit and including the foil and cardboard packaging), two rubber lizards and a sewing needle which made the journey all the way through her with the cotton still attached. 

Louisa: How could I choose between my two? 

Behold, Tana- Master of The Universe. Named after one of the best rugby players of all time, All Black Tana Umanga. 

I, All-black cat Tana rule the roost- the neighbourhood, indeed, the Universe. I am beautiful. I am stupendous. I am purrfect. See- I can even walk on water. I am also mysterious and elusive. (And love playing hard to get- hence the distance shot…I don’t do close-ups). 

And Spencer- Mum says I’m seriously lacking in smarts. But I think smarts are overrated! I mean- I play all day, and do a lot of sleeping, she works hard and gives me food- who’s the smarter one now? My favourite activity? Licking my daddy’s head. 

Even though you're now a Cat, if you could be any mythological creature, which one would you be? 

Louisa's Tana

Barbara: Definitely a unicorn. Apart from the fact that they always remind me of romance and handsome princes, when I was young I had a grey pony called Denny and I could have sworn there was a spot on his forehead where a horn used to be... 

Louisa: I asked my son (who actually wants to be a mythologist when he grows up) and his immediate reaction was Medusa (yep- feeling the love there!). There’s something particularly discomforting when your 14 year old son thinks you’re like an evil snake-headed witch who can turn you to stone with a stare. 

Louisa's Spencer

Personally, I’d prefer to think of myself as something more ethereal or beneficent, and just a little bit nicer than Medusa. So I would be Pegasus, the flying horse. Pegasus was Poseidon and Medusa’s offspring- and amongst other things he was the horse of the muses –wherever he struck a hoof an inspiring well would spring up. (My muse can do with all the help she can get!) 

What was the first category book you read? 

Barb's Cosmo

Barbara: It was a Liz Fielding. I've forgotten the name of it but the heroine was a dog walker and the hero was sick in bed. I fell in love with everything about category romance from the first page. I was a new mum and the bliss of being transported into a world of romance was indescribable. 

Louisa: Earthquake Baby by Amy Andrews. It blew me away. I’d never read a category romance until 6 years ago and then I discovered a whole new fabulous world. 

What was the last category book you read that you loved? 

Barbara: At the moment I'm reading The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst. Jennifer's had phenomenal success with this book and it's easy to see why. 

Louisa: The Nurse’s Not So Secret Scandal by Wendy S Marcus. A totally different, boundary breaking Medical Romance. 

What's something we wouldn't know about you? 

Barbara: I had four children in two and a half years - identical twin girls followed by fraternal twin boys. Those first few years were a haze of nappies and feeding and hot, blind panic, but now that those four are aged 11 and 8 things are slightly more "normal"! 

Louisa: I studied ballet for 17 years. Not that you’d believe it if you saw me hunched over a computer keyboard for 8 hours a day. :)

To celebrate, we’re giving away two fabulous prize packs of books and all you have to do is leave a comment to be in the draw! 

Prize Pack 1 

Bachelor Dad, Girl Next Door, Sharon Archer

Girl in the Bedouin Tent, Annie West 

Made for Marriage, Helen Lacey 

One Month To Become A Mum, Louisa George
Secrets and Speed Dating, Leah Ashton 

Strictly Temporary, Robyn Grady 

The Dangers of Dating Your Boss, Sue Mackay 

The Secretary's Secret, Michelle Douglas 

What Happens in Charleston, Rachel Bailey 

Prize Pack 2 

Bachelor Dad, Girl Next Door, Sharon Archer

Girl in the Bedouin Tent, Annie West 

Made for Marriage, Helen Lacey 

One Month To Become A Mum, Louisa George
Secrets and Speed Dating, Leah Ashton 

Strictly Temporary, Robyn Grady 

The Dangers of Dating Your Boss, Sue Mackay 

The Man Who Saw Her Beauty, Michelle Douglas 

What Happens in Charleston, Rachel Bailey 

Okay, over to you. Take another glass of catnip punch, see if you can drag Cat Michelle away from the music controls, and, if you'd like, tell us the answer to one of the questions the new Cats answered. We'd love to know more about you too!

Welcome Party Winners!

Thanks to everyone who visited and helped us welcome our two new cats! Such a fun party.

We have two winners of the monster prize packs of books! Each of our new Cats randomly chose one winner each...

Pack One:

1. Cassie's Grand Plan, Emmie Dark

2. Her Desert Lover: Treasured (anthology), Annie West

3. Beauty & The Scarred Hero, Emily May

4. Nice Girls Finish Last, Natalie Anderson

5. Made for Marriage, Helen Lacey

6. Millionaire Playboy, Maverick Heiress, Robyn Grady

7. Savage Dragon (download), Anna Hackett

8. Single Father: Wife and Mother Wanted, Sharon Archer

9. Surgeon in a Wedding Dress, Sue Mackay

10. The Secretary's Secret, Michelle Douglas

11. Their Miracle Twins, Nikki Logan

12.  What Happens in Charleston…, Rachel Bailey

And the winner of Pack One is:

Ellen Too!

Ellen, email me: rachel (at) rachelbailey (dot) com and I'll organise the delivery. Congrats!

Pack Two:

1. Girl in the Bedouin Tent, Annie West

2. Bachelor Dad, Girl Next Door, Sharon Archer

3. Beauty & The Scarred Hero, Emily May

4. Escape for New Year, Robyn Grady

5. Hunter's Surrender (download), Anna Hackett

6. Made for Marriage, Helen Lacey

7. Mills & Boon Loves, Leah Ashton

8. Nice Girls Finish Last, Natalie Anderson

9. Surgeon in a Wedding Dress, Sue Mackay

10. The Secretary's Secret, Michelle Douglas

11. Their Miracle Twins, Nikki Logan

12. What Happens in Charleston…, Rachel Bailey

And the winner of Pack Two is:

Michelle Sommers

Michelle, email me: rachel (at) rachelbailey (dot) com and I'll organise the delivery. Congrats!

Cat Party! Welcome Annie West & Emmie Dark!

The LoveCats have some thrilling news: two new cats are joining the pride today - fan favourite Annie West, and debut author Emmie Dark. Yay!

And it's such fabulous timing to welcome *two* new Cats, since this month is our blog's second anniversary! To celebrate both events, we're giving away TWO prize packs of books.

Annie (on the left) writes for Modern / Sexy / Presents and her books have been USA Today bestsellers, Cataromance winners, RT Readers Choice Award nominees, ARRA Awards finalists, Borders bestsellers along with heaps of other awards.

Emmie (on the right) writes for Superromance and her debut book, Cassie's Grand Plan will be out in the US in March. Emmie won RWAustralia's coveted Emerald Award for unpublished authors in 2011, and has since sold her second book (which will also be out this year!).

The sad news for the Cats is that our vacancies were caused by two of our regulars are stepping back for a while - Zana Bell (a founding Cat) and Soraya Lane. Soraya is taking a step back from blogging with the LoveCats to spend all her spare time writing ... when life isn't so hectic with her toddler she'll be back! Zana is focusing her writing talents on some new projects and we hope to hear from her soon!

In the meantime, pull up a chair, grab a glass of catnip punch and prepare to meet our newest recruits via our probing questions...

Does anyone with fur, feathers or scales share your life now, or in the past?

Annie: Daisy is my furred companion. She’s been with us for 15 ½ years and she’s old enough to have become a laid back, companionable indoor dog after years of being an energy-filled, can-I-find-a-break-in-the-fence beagle. She keeps me company, sleeping right next to my computer. Many of my best scenes are written to the gentle background of canine snoring.

Emmie: Not right now. Unfortunately, as an adult I’ve developed allergies to cats and dogs, but we used to have the most beautiful Persian cat as a family pet. Her name – very innocently – was Pussy Cat. She was the most majestic cat, very snobbish, like all Persians, and I’m sure she hated being called Pussy.

Even though you're now a Cat, if you could be any mythological creature, which one would you be?

Annie: Definitely a dragon. They can fly for a start which is an enormous plus, and shallow as I am, I like the look of them. Not those poor worm-like creatures you see in old icons of St George with a javelin, but the brilliantly coloured, sinuous and fascinating beasts. Breathing fire would be handy too – for bbqs and for discouraging unwanted visitors.

Emmie: I’d like to be a Muse from Greek mythology. It would be pretty fantastic to spend my days flitting around inspiring artists and writers to be creative. I also have a crush on the movie Xanadu and if I could do my inspiring while wearing rollerskates and ribbons in my hair a la ONJ, so much the better.

What was the first category book you read?

Annie: Sadly I can’t remember. It was borrowed from a friend’s house and was one among MANY. It was love at first read for me with category romance. I suspect it may have been an old Anne Hampson or Violet Winspear her mother had been hoarding. Definitely it was by an English author.

Emmie: I don’t remember. My sister and I were obsessed with reading Loveswept books back when we were teenagers. There are a few books I read back then that still stick with me – they were quite the education...

What was the last category book you read that you loved?

Annie: The Doukakis Apprentice by Sarah Morgan. What a treat!

Emmie: I can’t chose just one! I love reading SuperRomance (of course!) and I love the books of my fellow Melburnian SuperRomance authors, Sarah Mayberry and Joan Kilby – they’re both auto-buys for me. There are so many great authors out there – too many books I want to read and not enough time to do it in.

What's something we wouldn't know about you?

Annie: It’s been a few years but I used to be an expert fairy floss maker. I was pretty good at snow cones and cinnamon donuts too!

Emmie: Hmm. I’ve already given away my secret love of Xanadu and Loveswept books, I’m not sure there’s much left. My pedantic dictates regarding drinking tea are fairly well documented across the interwebs. I think all that leaves is the fact that I recently bought a new television. A massive, enormous, far-too-large for my tiny lounge room TV. It’s so confusing when you’re in the store, because even huge ones look tiny when they’re up on a wall with forty other huge ones. So far friends who’ve seen it have just tended to say ‘Huh, that’s a big television’. They’re right.

As mentioned above, we have *2* prize packs to give away to random commenters. 

Pack One:

1. Cassie's Grand Plan, Emmie Dark

2. Her Desert Lover: Treasured (anthology), Annie West

3. Beauty & The Scarred Hero, Emily May

4. Nice Girls Finish Last, Natalie Anderson

5. Made for Marriage, Helen Lacey

6. Millionaire Playboy, Maverick Heiress, Robyn Grady

7. Savage Dragon (download), Anna Hackett

8. Single Father: Wife and Mother Wanted, Sharon Archer

9. Surgeon in a Wedding Dress, Sue Mackay

10. The Secretary's Secret, Michelle Douglas

11. Their Miracle Twins, Nikki Logan

12.  What Happens in Charleston…, Rachel Bailey

Pack Two:

1. Girl in the Bedouin Tent, Annie West

2. Bachelor Dad, Girl Next Door, Sharon Archer

3. Beauty & The Scarred Hero, Emily May

4. Escape for New Year, Robyn Grady

5. Hunter's Surrender (download), Anna Hackett

6. Made for Marriage, Helen Lacey

7. Mills & Boon Loves, Leah Ashton

8. Nice Girls Finish Last, Natalie Anderson

9. Surgeon in a Wedding Dress, Sue Mackay

10. The Secretary's Secret, Michelle Douglas

11. Their Miracle Twins, Nikki Logan

12. What Happens in Charleston…, Rachel Bailey

To be in the draw to win one of the prize packs, just leave a comment. You might like to tell us your answer to one of the questions we asked Annie and Emmie. =)

BLOG PARTY with PRIZES and FUN!

Meet Our New LoveCat!

 

There's a new LoveCat on the prowl!  We're absolutely thrilled to announce that lovely Helen Lacey is joining us.  So today we're having a party and you're all invited to celebrate with us! And we're giving away a prize pack of LoveCat books to one of our commenters!

So come on in, grab a glass of cyber-champers, pull up a comfy chair and read the scoop on Helen!


We sent Helen a list of probing questions just for fun!

Helen, over to you!

Favourite animal

I’m a horse girl! The first book I wrote when I was seven years old was about a horse – and they still turn up in my books. In my January release, Made For Marriage, my heroine is a horse riding instructor, so I’m never really far from writing about what I love. I got my first horse when I was twelve and they have been a part of my life ever since. Now days, my DH and I own eight horses of varying sizes and ages and I love the time I spend with them every afternoon. It’s my down time away from the computer, where I get to relax and be outside. But I adore dogs too! As well as the horses I have three dogs, three birds and a house cow named Ginger.

Favourite mythical animal

Pegasus! When I was a kid I had dreams of riding amongst the clouds. Although I do own an 18hh Thoroughbred called Zeb, so my head does get fairly high up when I ride him.

Your own Catwalk candidate

This is Barney – my two year old Dogue De Bordeaux (Remember Turner and Hooch?) He’s 70kgs and adorable. He has juicy jowls and a big smile and loves riding in the car.

First category book you read

There were two category books. I was twelve years old when I read Rosalind Brett’s Winds Of Enchantment and Robyn Donald’s Bride At Whangatapu. I read them in the same day and got swept away. When I was done I knew that I wanted to write romance. I can’t tell you what a thrill it was actually meeting Robyn many years later.

Last great category book you read

I recently read When One Night Isn’t Enough by Wendy S Marcus and it was fabulous.

Something we wouldn't know about you?

I’m a Trekkie. I’ve watched the latest Star Trek movie 11 times. And I think Jean Luc Picard is one of the sexiest heroes ever.



Helen's debut book, Made For marriage, is a Harlequin Special Edition and is out in January 2012


So today we're asking, what animal do you relate to most? 


And to celebrate Helen joining us on the blog, we've got a book prize pack for one of our commentors!

LoveCats Book pack includes...

Michelle Douglas - The Secretary's Secret
Anna Hackett - One Night with the Wolf - ebook
Nikki Logan - Maybe Baby omnibus with Nikki, Michelle Douglas & Melissa James     
Sharon Archer - The Man Behind The Badge
Emily May - Beauty and the Scarred Hero
Rachel Bailey - Return of the Secret Heir
Sue Mackay - Surgeon in a Wedding Dress
Zana Bell's - Risk Worth Taking, in a duo with Her Best Friend's Wedding by Abby Gaines
Leah Ashton - Mills and Boon Loves anthology (via The Book Depository)
Robyn Grady - Fearless Maverick & Millonaire Playboy, Maverick Heiress
Natalie Anderson - Dating and Other Dangers