I don't need another hobby, but...

by Michelle Douglas

Romance authors (and quite frankly probably any author of any creed) are a pretty determined bunch. For determined read stubborn.

A case in point: Recently on the television there was an advertisement for a new magazine called The Art of Crochet. I thought it sounded interesting. I thought it could be a bit of fun. But do you think I could get a copy? No. It was sold out. Everywhere. Did I retire with grace? Nuh uh. I became annoyed and fixated. Sold out, huh? Well I wouldn’t let that defeat me!

I went to the shops and bought a ball of wool and a crochet hook. I went to the library and borrowed Learn-To-Crochet books.

So, I’ve been playing with crochet. I’m hoping that when I get a little better it’ll become one of those lovely mindless things I can do while I let story ideas brew and smoulder. My family has quite a history with crochet. Both my grandmother and great grandmother made the most amazing pieces, and my great aunt still does. Have a look at some of these pieces.

I have a long way to go before I reach their standard. So it’s probably just as well that I have a lot of story ideas to brew and develop, huh?

But… the fact of the matter is I do continually bemoan the fact that I don’t have enough hours in the day to do all the things I want to do. Am I crazy adding another thing to the list? Or am I being super wise and refilling my creative well? Oh, and do you have any crocheting tips you’d like to share?

And the winner is....

Thanks to everyone who commented.  And, the winner of four Destiny Books is Jenny Addicoat. Congratulations Jenny! 

Can you please contact Jennifer St George by visiting her website - www.jenniferstgeorge.com - and filling out the contact form to receive your four fabulous Destiny Romance books.

Destiny Romance to Celebrate its First Anniversary and a Giveaway

It is my great pleasure to welcome my fabulous Destiny Romance editors Sarah Fairhall and Carol George to Lovecats today. It’s been nearly a year since Destiny Romance hit the international e-book scene and I caught up with Carol and Sarah to find out about the year that was and what we might expect in the future.

Carol George and Sarah Fairhall

It's coming up to Destiny Romance's first anniversary, what's been your greatest highlight?
That we managed to stay sane? No, truly, it’s been the joy of discovering and publishing new, quality, Australian writing. Nothing could be more exciting than that.

What reactions have you had from readers to Destiny?  

On the whole the feedback has been fantastic with romance fans loving Destiny books. We are passionate about what we do at Destiny and as genuine fans of romance, we seem to be on track with our readers. And of course, we like to push the envelope a little, as well.

Are there any plans for the future you can share with us?

We’ll continue to be innovative with the range of romances we publish and the way we publish them. We published the unconventional Untamed this year and will continue to roll the dice with any romance we love, even if it isn’t exactly ‘traditional.’ This year we experimented with print versions of Destiny titles going into Australia Post offices around Australia. A few other ideas like this are in the mix.  

Tell us a little about your June releases?

June marks the release of the first romantic suspense from popular Destiny author, Jennifer St George. The Love Deception is about Felicity, a brilliant young lawyer who joins a law firm in order to investigate a case in which she has a huge personal stake.  Only one complication – she wakes up in a stranger’s bed one morning, no idea how she got there and he turns out to be her new boss.   

From new Destiny author, Leisl Leighton, we have the very scary Killing Me Softly. Alexia, a famous, reclusive record producer is being stalked.  The danger seems to ratchet when a famous band joins her on her country property to work on their next album and Alexia finds herself deeply attracted to the lead singer.

Will we see Destiny Romance at the RWA conference, GenreCon or any other literary events this year?

Destiny and many of its writers (the ‘Destineers’), will be at full strength at the RWA conference. Destiny will celebrate it’s first birthday on the Thursday night. Expect balloons and candles.  Sarah Fairhall will be taking pitches for Destiny and you can visit us at the Penguin/Destiny trade table. Please come and say hello! Sarah is also attending RWNZ this year and looks forward to meeting New Zealand readers and writers.   

Thanks Sarah and Carol for joining us on LoveCats today.  I’ve loved my first year as a Destineer. Destiny is giving away four fabulous print Destiny titles – The Convenient Bride, Uncovererd by Love, Cityglitter and Her Italian Aristocrat. Leave a comment for a chance to win.

The Love Deception is available now from Amazon, Apple, Kobo and Destiny Romance.

Sunday Smooch with Kamy Chetty.......

Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!


Today we have a smooch from  Breathe Again........, but first ...

the winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway is Jo G ..... Congratulations Jo! 


Can you please contact Emmie Dark ....... emmie (at) emmiedark (dot) com to receive your copy of Just For Today


And now for today's Sunday Smooch from Kamy Chetty........

After a tour at war and countless shifts in the hospital emergency room, Nick knows that no matter how hard he tries to change things, people are the same. So when his estranged wife Skylar reveals that she stopped taking birth control and is pregnant, he shouldn't be shocked. Betrayal burns and panic sets in as memories of his shattered home life remind him that he can’t play happy families.

 Skylar knows one thing—she’s head over nurse’s shoes in love with the stubborn and unemotional Nick. She loves him enough to believe in the man he is, even though he can’t see it for himself and hides behind a mask. As he calls their child “hers” and tries to live apart from her, Skylar’s heart breaks, but she refuses to give up hope that he’ll do the right thing.

 When disaster strikes, Skylar realizes Nick might never change, so she risks everything and sets him free, hoping he’ll come back, for her and their baby. Is heat, passion and a vow enough to seal this marriage and make them a family?

Scene set-up: [Skye comes back home after a traumatic shift at work and finds herself in Nick's room. Feeling vulnerable she finds herself in the arms of her estranged husbands' arms.]

He lifted a finger and traced the path of a tear along her cheek.  Then he bent his head and traced the same path with his tongue. With the taste of salt still tangy on his tongue and the heat and softness of her skin, the months of not having her, the aching for her, he felt his resolve start to break. 

He moved his hand to her hair, and he tucked her hair behind her ear, before tracing the shell of her ear with his tongue. Her sudden intake of breath got him hard. This was something even the Marines didn’t prepare a man for. No amount of combat could ever have prepared him for the effect Skylar would have on him. He knew she was as affected as he was. 

She pulled his head down and opened her mouth, claiming his for a kiss. She tasted of coffee and mint toothpaste…and berry gloss. He groaned.

Kamy is doing two giveaways this week! So to be in the draw to win an eCopy of Breathe Again or Family Ties answer this question.....

 What is you favourite TV medical drama and why?

Come back next Sunday, when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced -- and a smooch from One Night She Would Never Forget by Amy Andrews will be posted! 

Top Timesaving Tips?

by Barbara DeLeo

See this bottle of champagne? It'll have my name all over it on Saturday if when I finish my latest book and send it to my editor. {:o)

It's been a manic week of reading, revising, chopping, pasting and polishing, polishing, polishing to get this book finished, and because that's happening, a whole lot of other things DON'T happen in my house. It's a pretty busy house with one husband, twelve year old twin girls, nine year old twins boys, a schnauzer and 8 tropical fish. And funnily enough, the fact that I'm on a deadline makes absolutely no difference to what all of the above expect me to do around the house.

So, this week I've been all about cutting corners, doing things smarter, trying out some time saving tricks.

Last night for example was fish night. I love to pan fry my fish but it takes me ages to clean up the mess from flour, egg and breadcrumbs. Time saving tip? Put the flour and breadcrumbs side by side on paper towels so when you're finished it's just a simply wrap up and in the bin!

Grocery shopping? Download a grocery app for your smartphone. Plug in your regular buys and they'll always we saved so you just need to tick off the ones you need, as you do your shop. Many apps use the store layout for you. Time saving and money saving!

Going away on vacation? Make a master list of everything everyone needs to pack from socks to computer cables. Give them a copy to tick off as they pack themselves. No more blaming Mum for forgetting something {:o)

So, in a last ditch effort to get this book baby gone by the weekend I need your help. What are your very best time saving tips?

Judging A Book By It's Cover....

By Helen Lacey

I love book covers and do tend to look at the covers when I'm deciding what books to buy/read. Of course that's quick to do when trawling a site like Harlequin, Entangled or Amazon etc, because you can flick through titles easily and select what you want with a click of a button. But what I really love is checking out the new releases in a bricks and mortar book store.

Last week I took a trip to my local book store and spent a fun half hour looking over hundreds of titles. I bought two - Half Moon Bay by Aussie author Helen Young (I always buy her books but the cover of this one is fabulous) and The Storyteller by Jodie Picoult. I've only read one other Picoult book, but this one caught my eyes based only on the cover. One of my favourite covers is from an old Doreen Owens Malek

romance called The Highwayman... it's got the 80's/90's bodice ripper cover thing all over it. Plus it's an awesome book.

I'm something of a lazy reader, so I like the cover to tell me a bit about the story...if it's a romance I like a good shot of the hero and heroine in some kind of clinch. If it's sci-fi or fantasy I want something relevant to the quest. Remember the cover of Jaws? A lone woman swimming and a massive shark head looming underneath her....frightening....and there was no doubt what that book was about.

When I look for a category romance novel, I love how the covers tell something of the story. A Presents book about a smouldering Greek hero and feisty heroine will usually have them in a passionate embrace. A home and heart story about a single dad will often have kids on the cover too. And what's a sexy as sin cowboy without his horse?

Harlequin have recently  given some of their lines a cover makeover and my next Special Edition looks like this.....

What do you think?

Do you judge a book by it's cover?

Does a fabulous cover make you love a book even more?

Spoilsport!

Apparently it was Nora Ephron who said: 'When I buy a new book, I always read the last page first, that way in case I die before I finish, I know how it ends. That, my friend, is a dark side.' (Although I do believe Woody Allen said something similar.)


I have to confess that I don't read the last page first, but I do regularly stop half way through a book and check the ending out just to make sure things pan out how I want/think they should. I can't help it...I just can't bear the suspense (THAT, my friend, is a sign of a good book, great writing and brilliant conflict).

Some friends who I've spoken to about this...affliction... think I'm bonkers to spoil the surprise...others agree that it's the only way to be able to relax into a story. This article says I'm wise (!) and get greater enjoyment out of my reading experience.


The last book I just HAD to read the end of was Me Before You by JoJo Moyes (this is not a romance)- I couldn't bear to go to sleep before I knew what happened. I couldn't read another single word unless I had my questions answered.


In my defense, I often watch movies/TV programmes that I know the ending of (Downton Abbey for example- I know what happens before I watch because of scheduling differences across the world and friends/family openly discuss episodes I haven't seen yet) ..so why would reading a book be any different?


Tell me, am I the only one who sneak previews the good bits ....or do you ONLY read a book chronologically even it the suspense almost kills you?