SquawkRadio

Dear Friends,
Just wanted to let you know that I’ve just posted some of the fun pics from the Georgia Romance Writers Moonlight & Magnolias conference on my blog.  The best part was getting to spend time with some of our devoted “Squawkees” like PJ, Gannon, Buffie, Andrea, J Perry Stone and Tricia.  Just click HERE to visit!

Hugs,
Teresa

Dear Friends,

To celebrate the kick-off of a new two book series (I like to call them “Duets") with the publication of SOME LIKE IT WICKED on July 29th, I just posted a brand new July Contest on my WEBSITE.  Grand Prize is autographed copies of 6 of my related books--A KISS TO REMEMBER and ONE NIGHT OF SCANDAL, BREATH OF MAGIC and TOUCH OF ENCHANTMENT plus AFTER MIDNIGHT and THE VAMPIRE WHO LOVED ME.  Visit HERE to enter!

I also posted a July NEWSLETTER to announce the arrival of my brand new kitty--Willow.  Our other kitty Buffy the Vampire Slayer thinks she’s just beautiful and if you look at the pic here, you’ll know why

Also on the website you can find the very first EXCERPT from SOME LIKE IT WICKED.  We’re counting down the days until the book hits the stores near you!

Happy reading,

Teresa

Pre-Order Your Copy of SOME LIKE IT WICKED from Amazon.com
Pre-Order Your Copy of SOME LIKE IT WICKED from Barnes and Noble.com
Pre-Order Your Copy of SOME LIKE IT WICKED from Books-A-Million.com
Pre-Order Your Copy of SOME LIKE IT WICKED from Borders.com

To celebrate the publication of THE VAMPIRE WHO LOVED ME in Italian, Teresa will be interviewed on the Italian website “ISN’T IT ROMANTIC?” today. 

The interview is posted in Italian and English so everyone can enjoy it and anyone can comment.  (The Italian comments will be translated into English.) THE VAMPIRE WHO LOVED ME is the first paranormal historical published by Teresa’s Italian publisher Mondadori

Ciao, baby!

http://www.teresamedeiros.com

Dearest Friends,
During this, our last official day as Squawkers on a daily blog, we wanted to leave you with the most important information of all--a way to keep in touch!  So if you’ll scroll down, you’ll find a brief note from each of the chicks plus one last chance to win some amazing Squawk prizes!  (And just in case you’re already suffering from withdrawal the Squawk chicks will be giving one last hurrah over at Romance:By the Blog at http://romancebytheblog.blogspot.com/ on Monday.)

FROM TERESA:  When we first started SQUAWK RADIO, we thought it would be a great promotional tool for our careers.  We had no idea it would snowball into this extraordinary community that would spawn countless other author-driven blogs and make best friends of complete strangers.  The last thing I want to do is lose track of the friends I’ve made here.  I hope you’ll visit my website at http://www.teresamedeiros.com to keep up with what’s happening in my own little corner of the universe.  You can sign up for my bi-monthly newsletter on the home page or just click on the button below and leave your name and e-mail addy.  (Which I promise not to share with anybody else...not even Xtina...well, not unless she begs...)

I’ve also gathered every one of my blogs from Squawk Radio plus blogs I’ve done on other sites into my own blogsite CHARMED LIFE:  http://www.teresamedeiros.blogspot.com I have no plans to actively blog right now but if I ever get bitten by the bug again, I’ll have a place to post my meanderings.  And if you have a really lazy Sunday afternoon, you can find all of my non-fiction offerings gathered in one place for your enjoyment.  As the resident geek, I’d like to leave you with the words of Mr. Spock to Captain Kirk at the end of STAR TREK: THE WRATH OF KHAN:  “You are, and always will be, my friends.” May God bless every one of you.  See you in cyberspace!

Later this evening, Teresa will be privately contacting 2 lucky winners from our Member List who will win an autographed Teresa Medeiros book! 

FROM ELOISA: I find the idea of saying goodbye to all the Squawkettes incredibly sad.  I keep staring at this computer screen and not typing.  I guess I want to repeat what I said the other day:  friendship is never a mistake, even if it doesn’t last forever.  I truly believe that.  I also truly believe that many of you will find ways to hang out with us.  We’d love to see you at a signing or a romance conference.  We’d love to see you at our websites.  The Squawkers fully intend to be wobbling over to see each other in our walkers, a few years down the road (a leeetle earlier for Kitty maybe than for the rest of us)—so come to a booksigning with any Squawker and we’ll give you an update on the whole crew!  Plus I’ll try to drag the Squawkers over to my Bulletin Board whenever I can.

I wish I was as organized as Teresea and sent out a bi-monthly newsletter—but mine goes out at least twice a year, which is pretty good for me.  Please sign up.  I’d love to be able to tell you when I have a new book out, and what contest is happening on my site (right now there’s a lot of chocolate up for grabs!).  Plus, if you’re signed up for my website, your password will get you into my Readers’ Pages—full of extra chapters, free short stories, crossword puzzles (there’s a new one coming), and other fun things to do.  And I won’t share your address, even if Christina BEGS!

Eloisa’s Mailing List Sign-up

Finally, whenever I’m doing a signing, I post a meet-and-greet time, about an hour before, on my Bulletin Board.  New York and New Jersey this month, and then Texas in July—I’d love to see you!

FROM CHRISTINA: Yesterday I called a family friend. Lillian lived next door when I was born, she’s 92, and she never stops going. She has the best memory of any person I’ve ever met. She uses it to make people feel special — she remembers the birthdays of every person she’s ever met. At one of her family gatherings, they announced it was talent night, and she named the birthdays of everyone there. When we talked, she was fretting because this year, she didn’t manage send a birthday card to her grandkids and great-grandkids (and their spouses) and great-great-grandkids for their birthdays — and she has 19 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great-grandchildren (and 2 on the way.) A huge family? Yes, but she only had three children. It’s just that all three have been married twice, and she considers their exs and their exs’s families still part of her family. I’m part of her family. My husband and kids are part of her family. Think about it — she remembers the birthdays of every person she’s ever lived next to (she’s lived in different homes in Missouri, California and Alaska) and their children and their mates and their childrens’ children … and more important, she considers them all friends. Lillian just lost a friend of 78 years, a friend she visited every day. And once you’re Lillian’s friend, death is the only way she’ll lose track of you (temporarily, I suppose) because she always calls, always cares, always remembers.

Those are the kind of relationships we’ve formed at Squawk Radio, built from generosity, kindness, thoughtfulness, with bonds that will last 78 years. Squawk Radio’s legacy is that out of our friendships — Lisa, Connie, Liz, Terri, Eloisa and me — so many other friendships have formed.

Okay, let me toss my damp wad of Kleenex in the trash and give you the info you need so we can continue to see each other around the internet. Click here to see my new video for the DARKNESS CHOSEN series — very cool! — and while you’re there, sign up for my mailing list to receive news about my books, chats, and signings, play the games in my exclusive “Members only” section, and have the chance to watch the more book videos, including the upcoming videos for SCENT OF DARKNESS and TOUCH OF DARKNESS. Oh, and did I mention that one of our commenters today is going to receive an arc of both SCENT OF DARKNESS and TOUCH OF DARKNESS?

Dear Friends,

When my fellow Squawkers and I decided to blog together, I wasn’t altogether clear on what a blog was. But they told me it would be fun, and I believed them.

And they were right, it was definitely fun. Fun to be a chicken, and fun to engage in all the cheerful debauchery that was Squawk Radio. I sort of expected it would be like that.

What I didn’t expect was how personal this blog would become. We’ve all shared our experiences, our insights and feelings . . . and even when the subject was delicate, or potentially explosive, there was always respect and caring. Squawk Radio was something rare on the internet: a safe place to be.

So thanks for your generosity of spirit. Thanks for the gift of your friendship. And most of all . . .

Thanks for the memories.

--From Lisa, with love

FROM LIZ: Okay, appropriately, I tossed back a couple glasses of wine before writing this, so forgive me if I stray off into incoherence from time to time or start typing like Connie.  I am amazed, truly, at the adventure that was Squawk Radio. Of the six of us, I think I was most reluctant to get involved with this blogging thing, because I just didn’t think anyone would be interested in what I have to say that isn’t between the pages of a novel. I’ve been surprised by how much I enjoyed writing something from the heart that didn’t involve imaginary characters. And I have loveloveloved getting to know all of you.

It wasn’t until I started writing romance that I really started collecting women friends and enjoying the community of women.  And the community that has evolved from Squawk has been extraordinary. Frankly, I don’t want to let you go. So, like Terri, I’ve set up a blog of my own at Blogger.  But my hope is to keep actively contributing to it. Right now, I’m only going to post something new once a week, interspersed with old blogs from Squawk. Eventually--soon, I hope--I want to go back to a weekly music blog. So if you want to check in with me at my new digs, I’ll be at:  http://bevarly.blogspot.com At some point, too, I’ll be updating my web site that hasn’t been updated since...um, I really don’t want to say. But I hope to see you guys again SOON. And I thank you for making the last two years incredibly special.

FROM CONNIE: Hey. What’s wrong with typing like Connie? Connie intends to keep typing that way, and she intends to keep typing on her website at www.conniebrockway.com and when she is finally harangued into submission, she has a cool new medium to loose upon the unsuspecting cyberverse--- videoblogs! That’s right, Connie bought that MAC and now she is going ape with its fun and richly appointed video and graphic capabilities. She also promises never again to refer to herself in the third person if you are kind enough to sign up for my mailing list. However, I will not lie: if Dodd pays me enough, I will sell your name to her (and regardless of what she says, so will Terri) but only to Christina. See? Wasn’t that refreshingly above-board?  How can you resist such candor? You can’t! Why would you even want to? Please do visit. The only down side is that Kitty is taking hacking lessons and has threatened to “visit” me. Just ignore her if this happens. Finally, thank you for two years of being here. My life is the richer for it.

Don’t forget that you’re all invited to the SQUAWK FAREWELL BASH CHAT this Thursday, May 31st, at 9 eastern, 8 central, 7 mountain and 6 pacific over at Writerspace.  Lisa, Teresa, Liz, Eloisa, Connie and Christina will reminisce about the great times at Squawk Radio, discuss what’s up next, answer all questions except those concerning age and weight, and of course, squabble and argue even as they close up shop.

To join the chat, go to http://writerspace.com/chat/readers/ and register, then sign in and join the party! That’s tomorrow night--Thursday, May 31. Mark your calendars! 

Dearest Friends,
I suppose it was inevitable.  It happened to the Go-Go’s.  It happened to the Bangles.  And if you listen to Kitty Kuttlestone’s drunken ramblings in the podcast blog below this one, you know it’s happening to the chicks of Squawk Radio.  That’s right.  As of June 2nd, Squawk Radio will be closing its barn doors as a daily blog. 

Although some have tried to start ugly rumors about internal strife (Hush, Yoko...um...Kitty!), the chicks of Squawk Radio are still clucking adoringly to each other.  As you can see from this recent photo taken at a Squawk gathering, we’re pretty proud of the fact that the six of us have managed to work in such creative close quarters for over two years with only a minimum of mud-slinging and hair-pulling.  (Except for Kitty, of course, but we’re all afraid to pull her hair because we’ve long suspected it’s one of Zsa Zsa Gabor’s old wigs.)

Working together on Squawk Radio has been one of the highlights of our careers (and this tells you pretty much all you need to know about our careers.) Look what we’ve accomplished in the past two years! There’s ... um ... there’s… (Eloisa taps Teresa frantically on the shoulder.  Teresa leans to Eloisa, who whispers in her ear) ... Oh, yeah! Led by our estimable Eloisa James, the Squawk authors and our devoted readers (that would be YOU!) formed an intrepid band of do-gooders to help a Hurricane Katrina family get back on their feet. How like our darling Eloisa to remember that!  I can promise you that whenever she’s not thinking of herself, she’s thinking of others. 

(Liz turns on her iPod really loud, blasting out a reggae jazz fusion of Afro-Cuban-Jamaican punk rock as performed by a Clash tribute band.) And yes!  How could I forget!  Every week Liz led us through exotic weekend music adventures that featured beloved old artists and introduced us to thrilling new ones.  (Teresa turns on her iPod even louder, drowning out Liz’s iPod with Bon Jovi’s LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER.)

And, um ... we ... (Christina passes a note to Teresa, who reads it) ... That’s right! Led by Christina Dodd and our Guest Blogger program, we introduced you to fabulous new authors like J. R. Ward, Elizabeth Vaughan and Jayne Ann Krentz! (Teresa turns on Christina and in a frenzied whisper points out that Squawk Radio cannot take credit for Jayne Anne Krentz.  Christina sulks and goes zipping off on her broom.) We provided a venue for authors who didn’t have their own blogs, chatted with New York editors, and introduced you to some of our all-time favorite books and authors through our Saturday Book Blogs. 

(Connie puts on an old Zsa Zsa wig and swigs gin from a bottle.) Yes, Connie, I was getting to that. You were Kitty. We know. Funny HaHa Kitty, interviewing guests repeatedly even when they begged for mercy, getting poor J. R. Ward drunk on pink flamingos, saying mean things about Russell Crowe when you were sleeping with him behind my back.  Don’t worry, Connie.  We’ll never forget Kitty!  (No matter how hard we may try.) Nor will we forget the artistic skill Connie displayed while drawing our early chicken counterparts.  (I know Liz will never forget her legendary purple muff!)

Now what was I saying again?  (Stop that, Lisa!  No, I don’t need any more lip gloss right now!  And my eyelashes are silky enough!  Stop fluffing my hair, will you?!) And yes, there was our wonderful Lisa, telling us which moisturizer and lipstick to buy so that we don’t end up looking like Kitty Kuttlestone in drag and waxing eloquent on the joys of really hot villains and the perfect pair of jeans. 

And I guess I have to crow(e) about my own accomplishments as the resident “Hot Guy” expert on Squawk Radio.  It was a dirty job but somebody had to download all of those pics of Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Johnny Depp, Daniel Craig, Gerard Butler… (Lisa, stop wiping the drool off of my chin! I can do it myself!  Put the powder puff away!)

So if we’re still having this much fun together (Quit trying to shove me away from the keyboard, Christina!), why are we leaving you in this heartless manner, you ask?  It’s not because we don’t love you enough.  It’s because we love you too much.  It’s so much fun hanging around here writing blogs for you and chatting in the comments that we can’t get anything else done.  (I haven’t even downloaded a new pic of Russell for months!)

So with Squawk Radio gone, what will we do with all of our spare time, you ask?  That’s the good news!  Because we’re going to write books.  Lots of books.  With heroes to die for and heroines you’d like to invite home for tea (or margaritas if you’re Kitty).  And you don’t have to worry about missing us too much.  You can still keep us on speed dial by visiting our websites and signing up for our individual newsletters.  We’ll each be posting our personal links in the next few days to make sure you have a way to keep in touch. 

And now that I’ve locked all of the other chickens in the coop so I can cry without them making fun of me (just ignore any thumping or cursing you might hear), I can wax sentimental and tell you that Squawk Radio’s most important and treasured accomplishment was creating a community of like-minded readers who spoke our own language and were polite enough to listen to our meanderings on pretty much every subject known to womankind.  You e-mailed us.  You encouraged us.  You came to our signings and our Squawk gatherings with your beautiful smiles and your generous hearts.  You sent us chocolate chickens, stuffed chickens, Beanie Baby chickens, and crocheted chickens.  You made us laugh and cry by sharing your own stories and lives in the comments of this blog. 

You may have started out as our audience but you became our friends.  And that’s a gift we’ll continue to treasure long after our last blogs have posted. 

Don’t fly the coop yet!  We still have almost two weeks of blogs for you plus you didn’t think we’d leave without throwing a party, did you?  We’re throwing a big FAREWELL BASH CHAT over at Writerspace with a tentative date of Thursday May 31st.  We’ll let you know the date and time as soon as it’s confirmed so dig out those party hats and dancing shoes and get ready to boogie! 

And tune in Friday June 1st for our final Group Blog as Squawkers and some VERY special surprises! 

On Monday, join Christina Dodd for a discussion on the historical romance, THE SECRET PASSION OF SIMON BLACKWELL, and on Tuesday, join us at Squawk Radio as we welcome the author and brand-new New York Times bestseller, Samantha James. I’ve known Samantha James for years, and before I knew her I worked at the bookstore and happily sold her books, always knowing the customers would come back looking for her backlist. Last month, when THE SECRET PASSION OF SIMON BLACKWELL hit the bookshelves, it also slammed into the bestseller lists propelled by tortured hero, a forced marriage, and Samantha James’s reputation for writing great stories. Join us and meet Samantha James!

Christina received arcs for her August book and the second in her new paranormal series, TOUCH OF DARKNESS. That means that in June, I’ll run a contest on my website and give away three arcs to three lucky winners! Oh, and did I mention I’m running a contest right now for arcs of book 1, SCENT OF DARKNESS? Visit my website, read the excepts, and enter now!

A few weeks ago TERESA promised that if you’d come back to tour her office again, she’d have some new gleaming hardwood floors to show you and as you can see, they’ve arrived!  Thanks to the incredible labor and skills of her super-talented father-in-law and husband, the project was completed in only a week. 

Aside from the hard labor of handing them boards, making 8000 trips to Lowe’s Home Improvement Center, writing on her laptop and making sandwiches for the “boys”, Teresa also painted her office (it’s actually a lovely beige and not pink like it looks in this picture) and put up a new wallpaper border all by herself.  (This requires several chairs and a fluency in profanity.) She can’t wait to get back to work on Monday in her beautifully redecorated office! 

Eloisa is facing that last nervous week or so before a book comes out.  Any author can attest that this is the worst.  The book isn’t out and you’re longing for readers to get their hands on it and tell you what they think.  On the other hand, it’s like putting your ungainly six-year-old out on a stage in a pink tutu—what if the audience doesn’t like it?  The idea is enough to keep you up at night!

Eloisa gets through the last few weeks by fiddling endlessly with her website.  There’s a particularly terrific contest going at the moment—the prize is a pink jeweled domino set.  And the runner-up prizes are chocolate dominos - yum!  Please come on over to Eloisa James.com and check it out… And see you on the 28th when Desperate Duchessesfinally pubs!