SquawkRadio Comments

I’ve noticed that I’ve been more and more intrigued by “pirate” stories.  I also like romance novels with “widows” rather than the “innocent virgin”.  Some of my favorite books invovled indians in the old west, or half-blooded ones who had to overcome prejudice in order to “get the girl”.  I guess I’m a little burnt out on the “notorious rake” type of story and have moved on.....

Teresa, I’m home sick, and now I know I’m mentally ill as well. When I read the bit about you depending on your husband to get your plumbing fixed, you know what I thought at first. I am so ashamed.

I bought Thief of Hearts the other day and look forward to starting it. I love swash and the buckle, too.

I’m into Rakes, all the way—how surprising is that?  *g*

Teresa, I somehow missed Thief of Hearts and I’m so excited to pick it up!!
Eloisa

As everyone knows, I BRAKE FOR RAKES AND ROUGES but lately a cowboy/ranger/trapper/rancher/farmer and mail order brides has been grabbing my interest.  So, it looks like the only Teresa Mederios book I’ve never read, ‘Nobody’s Darling’ will be next on my hit parade plus a nice little re-visit with ‘Thief of Hearts’!

I adore re-reads!

Ya know, Maggie, when I wrote that plumbing crack, I had a moment of hesitation.  (Wait a minute.  Did I just say plumbing and crack in the same sentence?  Ooog!)

Teresa, I read Thief Of Hearts last year after I discovered your books while waiting for TVWLM to come out.  It was a keeper.

Santa, you will love Nobody’s Darling.

Although I love all the hero types in the poll, I voted for cowboy/rancher.  To me they work hard and they love hard.  Yep, give me a rough and tumble cowboy anyday!

I voted for bodyguard/protector.  I read Lisa’s _The Came You_ yesterday and Alex definitely turned into the protector (loved the book!).  I think of the strong, responsible types as often becoming the protectors because they take care of everyone.  Maybe it’s because I’m the oldest child in my family and have had to take care of everyone that I respond so to the idea of being cared for, protected, sheltered, treated like I’m precious . . . OK, you see where I’m going.

Lynn

knitterlyn, the bodyguard/protector fantasy is SO powerful for me too.  I was an only child who grew up with a bipolar mother.  I SO want someone to take care of me!  I think that’s why I’m such a sucker for massages or any activity where I feel like I’m being nurtured.  Who needs therapy when we have romance novels?

I’d take any on that list, but I’m with Santa on the cowboys, rancher, farmer type.  Anybody read the Magic of Ordinary Days by Ann Howard Creel?  The honorable simple farmer who is such an amazing hero in all his quiet strength.  Maybe I just like American heros - that rugged individualism gets me every time. 

I loved Thief of Hearts Teresa, it was the first book I read of yours and it definitely left me wanting more of your writing.

LOL, too many puns going on here this morning!

How very true about the power thing, heroes *power* appeal

I’ll always love a rake.
And it was VERY hard not to check Pro athlete. I had to go with Billionaire. Wouldn’t a Duke fall into that category sort of

...we only get to pick one?! that’s mean...!  since I HAD to, I picked the medieval knight archetype--the whole code of chivalry, protecting the weak, courtly love, etc is something I think we’re missing nowadays.  Maybe that stems from being the oldest kid, with no older brother/protector and always having to take care of my sibs.  I used to always daydream the ‘knight in shining armor’ fantasy because for once, I just wanted someone to take care of me.  I agree, there is no aphrodisiac like power!
...but of course, the rake comes in at a close second, followed by spy/secret agent/fbi/cia. Does ‘Highland warrior’ fall under Viking/warrior?

I polled Regency just because the majority of romances that I read (or have read) were Regency. A few less than stellar contemporaries turned me off from the genre for a while, but I found myself easing back into that category.

I think that no matter what kind of hero he is (as in Regency, pirate, billionaire, whatever), I’m always attracted to the emotionally damaged ones, which is most of them I guess. (Really, how many people do you know that AREN’T emotionally damaged in some way. I think I only know one and he’s only 2 and a half years old, so he doesn’t count!).

Teresa, I just read Breath of Magic yesterday and I thought it was FABULOUS. I stayed up till 2 AM just to finish it beause I couldn’t bear to stop reading. It had been a while since I had time to read anything, and I’m SO glad I picked up that book!

I agree with Miss Annalee! Just one????

For me, I love the strong hero who is a hardworker. I love rakes when they get reformed, find their passion in life, and turn out to have a strong work ethic now that they’ve found something worth applying it to. Read the Squawker’s Wallflower book with the rake who takes over her dad’s gaming club and LOVED it for precisely that reason.

Come to think of it, I love my husband for that too. He plays hard when he’s in the mood to play, but man oh man does he work hard - his job is his passion and he finds it endlessly fascinating. (If only he would find housework just as inspiring LOL)

What a great topic to have to think about Teresa.  I have been sitting . . . err, working at my desk, pondering this most important question and realize I need to think about it more thoroughly (and if I have a goofy smile on my face for most of the day, my co-workers won’t know what wicked thoughts are running through my head).  I wish there was an “All of the above” button.  They are all appealing archetypes, depending on my mood.  I experienced a shift of feelings/emotions as I read through the list. Any of these could easily take me away like a Calgon bath.

Deb

I love Rakes, Knights and Vikings. They all have something about them. I love RAkes when Im in a sexy mood well any one of the 3 could be this way, But Rakes have a more sensual bent and I love Knights and Vikings for opposite of that.

Rakes all the way, especially if they are working for the Crown.  I love the dual lifestyle in those stories. They remind me of the Scarlet Pimpernel.

Then it’s vampires/werewolves ala Teresa, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Kathryn Smith, J.R. Ward, Minda Webber(funny), Lori Handeland, Kerrelyn Sparks, Kresley Cole etc.

Ohhh, there’s one alien that I am totally enamoured of and that’s Dara Joy’s-Lorgin from “Knight of a Trillion Stars”. That’s one Hot and Sexy Man.

This is crazy, but I have a crush on a cartoon, comercial charecter.  If you have been to the movies lately you may have seen him. 

Coke has a comercial where the main charecter is the the strong silent brooding type.  The comercial begins with him driving like a crazy man to a convenient store. He buys a Coke,drinks it,and suddenly becomes a pillar of the community. Mr Wonderful gives his black leather jacket to a homeless guy, recovers an old womans stolen purse and in the end inspires a parade.  Who wouldn’t love this guy, not to mention he has an amazing chest for a cartoon charecter.

Normally tho’ I love the rake who falls for the sweet girl.  Derek Craven in Then Came You by Lisa Kleypas.

We can only pick just one?!!!  I went with rake, but vampires/werewolves run a close second.  But like you said, there’s something about just wanting to be mastered.

Gannon, whose sexy naval officer husband will be home in 9 days!!!  After a year apart, I’m ready to be mastered!! 

My word verification is bed12--take that any way you’d like!

Avery, thank you so much!  I’m so glad you enjoyed THIEF

Jenn, I’m also thrilled that you enjoyed BREATH OF MAGIC.  Tristan was my ultimate “billionaire” hero and it was so much fun watching his frosty heart melt beneath Arian’s warmth. 

Julie-Lynn, I love that new Coke commercial!  The animation reminds me of SHREK.  What a guy! 

And I agree that the billionaire could definitely be the contemp correlation to the wealthy duke.  It’s all about power, baby! 

And I also agree with all of you that it’s hard to pick a favorite archetype because it depends on my mood.  I want them all! 

Okay, some of the ones you guys have mentioned that were left out of the poll were:
1) Native American heroes
2) Highland warriors

Keep ‘em coming!

Pirate/Highwayman all the way.  As much as I love regency historicals, the adventure & suspense in pirate/highwayman books is fantastic! I just finished Shannon Drake’s, Beguiled, & that was a great story about a dashing highwayman.

Johanna Lindsay is one of the best authors when it comes to pirate romances.  Her characters are unforgettable.

I picked the pirate, highwayman, and outlaw, but if Highland warrior would have been on that list that would have been my first choice…

Thief of Hearts was the second book I read of yours Teresa and I LOVED that book! Anyone that has not read it needs to go out and get it!

I went with “Pirate/Highwayman/Outlaw” - probably the closest description to Mal, Han, Robin Hood, James Fraser, Clay, Scott, Logan, Wesley, etc in the poll.  I don’t think I have any actual sea-faring pirates on the list (right now anyway).

Apparently I have a thing for characters who don’t always stay on the right side of the law or have their own moral compass. Hmm.  Actually, I think it’s mostly that I’m drawn to damaged characters who have their own brand of humour and honour, and for some reason the damage seems to manifest itself in the “outlaw” type.

Most recently added to the list are the Winchester boys (Supernatural) - their prettiness and the few great lines per episode are enough to overcome my fear of horror, it seems (they even have the requisite daddy issues).  Though I still have to hide behind something when I watch it.

I don’t mind a (good) guy going all neaderthal once in a while, but I think having been raised on Joss and McKinley, I tend to prefer when the female saves the day, or at least has an equal part in the saving.

I’m just now starting Thief of Hearts.  Liking it so far, but mid-terms are interrupting.  And to reply to something from a few days ago, I think the Emily book you mentioned was the one I was thinking of with the ship and an island—I liked that one too.

Ooh, I Loved BREATH OF MAGIC too.

Highlanders may be what I would have checked had it been there specifically. All beginning with Jamie Frazier.

How about a badboy,-Harleyriding,-formerquarterback-Billionaire-businessman who is the long lost son of the 12th Duke of Firth

I’m with Knitterlynn and the bodyguard/protector.  I wasn’t the oldest child in my family but I somehow got the role of taking care of everyone anyway.  And now I’m a single mother that some days would pay just to have someone else to send out for milk...LOL!

Now if Musician/Bad Boy had been on the list.....

Definitely a Highland rogue, a la Jamie Fraser!  What’s not to love about him.

Well, Xtina just demanded that I add a visual aid to the blog so you have her to thank for that

BODYGUARD! Large, muscular and mean-looking. So large, in fact, that he’s afraid of hurting the heroine.

Xtina knows what I’m talkin’ about. Heh heh.

A big thanks for the pic of Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. *sigh*
Excellent visual aide for the blog!

A rake for me please! Besides, when it comes to them, I think we all want to reform them—they are still rakes, only for us and that’s it!

But boys next door are good too.

Lois

Yep, Lisa, you nailed it. I voted bodyguard, too. The trouble with the poll is I like the combination guys. Regency rake/secretly serving as a bodyguard. Vampire/secretly serving as a bodyguard. Pirate/secretly serving as a bodyguard. Which is why THIEF OF HEARTS is one of my fav books ever!!! I may have to go guy another copy to replace the one I’ve got which is tattered.

And TOUCH OF MAGIC is, um, magic.

I love the photo of Mr. Darcy, Teresa, but is he secretly a bodyguard? Huh? Huh? How about a photo of Conan the barbarian? Or a naked Viking? (don’t even ask where he hides his weapons!)

I have to trick myself these days to get through the drudgery (gro-shop, toilet duty..) of the days, and today I treated myself to your two books, Teresa! (They didn’t have yours yet, Christina!)..and lo and behold, here they are!
I might have gone for that highlander, though..
-I started re-reading romance when my DH was deployed, last year, so I definitely concur with your needing to be mastered comment! Although, just help with the dishes would have been good to start with!

-Cheers to you Gannon..it’s a long year, huh?

I agree about the power thing Teresa.  And, Knitterlynn, as I was reading Teresa’s post I immediately thought of Alex from Then Came You.  He is one of my all time favorites because, like Xtina said, he embodies both the rake and the protector.  I also like the cowboy/protector, the bad boy/protector, the pirate/protector, the billionaire/protector, etc.

I just love a man who takes control and puts the heroine’s interests first.  Another couple of examples of the type I like are Wulf Bedwyn (Slighlty Dangerous) and Rothgar (Devilish)!  I love a man who is smart enough to see through everyone else’s machinations!

And may I also put in my vote for RICH. Not only POWERFUL, but RICH.

Hi, I’m Christina Dodd, I’m shallow and proud of it.

Ok. First off I have to say THANK YOU for that lovely picture of Colin Firth. It has been a lousy morning but that makes it all better.

It was a hard choice between Vampire and Regency Rake. I voted for the vamp in the end mostly because it was the Paranormals that got me back into reading romance books.

Once again.. *drool* thanks for the Colin picture.

I reallyyyy think we should have a visual of each of the types.  Anyone else agree?  And for me it was Pirates/Highwayman, but i was torn between them, bodyguard and firemen.  Now, about the rest of those visuals...... 

Yes yes, rich, powerful, wounded and dying to be reformed.

Sign me up!!

I agree that it’s so hard to choose because I like all different kinds and combinations there of. (Except maybe cowboys...sorry, just couldn’t get into westerns!)

My verification word is deep83…

...I’ll leave that to your creative minds.

.. yeah.. visuals… good suggestion KrisM

I like what Larry said in the comments on the survey… I can’t pick just one.. I think that’s why I love so many different genres.. the authors can take any type of hero and make them so original that they are all my favorites…

Now a poll about what are some of your favorite Christina Dodd heroes, or SEP Heroes… and stuff like that would be fun, too~! :O)... that’s moving to the other spectrum of romance heroes though…

If I had to pick today which was my favorite.. I’d have to say the space ship hero.. I don’t know ... a captain? Han Solo?

Because I’m reading Patricia Waddell’s True Blood and I love it~!

Christina,

I’m right there with you.  Rich and powerful go together so perfectly.

If I had to pick today which was my favorite.. I’d have to say the space ship hero.. I don’t know ... a captain? Han Solo?

I think he’s definitely a pirate/outlaw, with his own ship and everything. 

I voted medieval knight.  Would have voted for a kilt wearing Highland Scot had it been there. 

And I agree...where are the visuals for the others categories, Teresa?!? 

--dorothy

Okay, I posted on the poll site first because we had some computer problems here at work! (Not that I would EVER squawk while at work, cough cough cough!)

First I have to say what I ALWAYS say about THIEF OF HEARTS—that the image of Lucinda gasping with fear and clutching her throat as she catches sight of that devilish pirate flag (the white skeleton hand squeezing the last drop of blood from a red, red captive heart) is the most purely visual, dizzyingly romantic and erotic image I have ever encountered in a romance.

Now, somewhere between bodyguard/protector/policeman/secret agent there is a special combination you might call either the Arresting Officer or the Stern Keeper. Sometimes in an old fashioned romance you have a hero who captures the heroine and keeps her under close supervision because she’s (to him) a suspicious, shady character. Like say, she’s the daughter of a famous jewel thief, or she’s a spy who’s left the business. And the hero is like her nemesis, the officer who makes the arrest or the authority figure she can’t flee from. Yet, after she’s been his prisoner for a while (he usually has her locked up in a place that’s very remote and austere, but quite luxurious) he starts feeling he might be mixed up about her. And he’s so stern, and unyielding, also too stubborn to admit he’s made a mistake, and yet before long she has him wrapped around her little finger! So that actually he’s the one who’s been taken prisoner, though he doesn’t realize it until it’s far too late.

I really miss that kind of story—can anyone think of any examples?

Since Navy SEAL/soldier wasn’t listed, I chose the spy/secret agent category.  But the military man is definitely my current romance hero archetype--they have to be brutal on the battlefield while trying to protect everything and everyone they love, and sometimes while fighting for a cause that they don’t believe in, but they still do their duty.  Tara Janzen’s heroes in her Crazy series, while not typical soldiers, certainly embody what I was trying to describe.

I picked the Boy Next Door.  I don’t find too-too many of these books, but I love them when I do.  The idea of becoming “awakened” to someone you grew up with (who is now absolutely gorgeous) or someone who is shy, but not with you or someone you “think” is a nerd, a goody-goody or not your type and then BAM!  You notice.  And you want.  And he surprises you in ways you never, ever, ever imagined. 

Hot!

I also love Highlander warriors.  I really, really love the men in Karen Marie Moning’s books.  They are the epitome of the Alpha male.  If you haven’t had the opportunity to crack open one of her books, I urge you to do so.  Wait until you read about the twins. . . good-goobly-goop!

This was the perfect mind candy for a Monday.

Deb

La Dodd is insatiable!  Insatiable, I say!  She keeps demanding more men!  What’s next--half-naked Vikings with really big swords?  Sweat-drenched cowboys rolling the hay?  (Hey, that’s not a bad idea! )

I like beta heroes so I was relieved to see “Boy Next Door” or else I would have complained about the “None of the Above” button. Its personal choice but I really avoid certain archtypes like sports hero, Pirate, and Cop. I really dont care for Rakes either because most authors do fake rakes but since I like regencies, its pretty unavoidable.

I have read a few Highwaymen tales but only because some of my favorite authors like Kinsale or Katherine ONeal (THE LAST HUGHWAYMAN) have done it

oh YUM… Johnny as Pirate. Teresa, who was your inspiration for Sebastian in Heather and Velvet? He was the consummate Highwayman.  Any Pics for him?

HIGH FIVE!

I love, love, love THIEF OF HEARTS! It was one of my first romance novels and it was so beautifully written! I love the scene where Gerard fights off the assulters in the alley and takes Lucy to the inn afterward. It was heart-stopping.

I love me some pirates, so of course that’s who I’d pick. What can I say? I love a rebel. Captain Jack Sparrow is a perfect (and unconventional!) romantic hero.

Oh no, now Xtina is sending me pics of shirtless sweaty cowboys!  How do I stop this SPAM? 

Kris M., When I was writing HEATHER AND VELVET I had a gorgeous pic of Mel Gibson from the first LETHAL WEAPON movie tacked up over my computer.  Except Sebastian was blonder. 

And thank you Emily!  I’d like to go to an inn with Gerard myself

I really miss that kind of story—can anyone think of any examples?

Shana Abe’s The Smoke Thief

Suzanne Enoch’s contemporary series, starting with Flirting With Danger (although this one is more a battle of wills rather than the hero overpowering the heroine to keep her safe)

Sharon Shinn’s Archangel (not quite the shady character story, but there are shades of the “Stern Keeper” - Kate Elliot’s Jaran is similar in this way, although the stories are different)

Robin McKinley’s The Blue Sword (ditto Archangel; the kidnapping scene is *great*)

Loretta Chase’s Midsummer Moon ("Stern Keeper” galore, but the heroine is not a thief, just an absentminded inventress)

I picked regency rake but I could have picked a few more. I love pirates and vikings and knights as well and not to forget bobyguards in the regency era of course.
Have Fun
Helen

I vote for the sweaty cowboys!!!  Yumm!

Wow, thanks Firefly. Next stop, Amazon!

So, Teresa, that moaning noise you’re making is the way you complain when I send you sweaty, half-naked cowboys?

Right.

Thanks Larry!  I’ve always loved that whole captive theme and the “Stern protector” is a wonderful variation of that.  I’ve always wanted to model a hero after Javert in LES MISERABLES.

I wasn’t moaning, Xtina.  I was...singing...yes, that’s it!  I was singing!  ("Ah, sweet mystery of life at last you’ve found me! ...")

It was hard picking just one, but I went with the cowboy/rancher...although I kind of like the boy next door stories...how about a “cow"boy next door story.

All of these wonderful book recs and I’m stuck at work! UGH. (it’s great I live to minutes from a bookstore!)

Btw, I like visuals :D Mmm Jack Sparrow!

Man, I am so in the mood to read/write
now. This is what happens when I have an all weekend book-a-thon. I spent all day Saturday in bookstores and all day sunday reading.

Best damn weekend I’ve had in a long time!!

*thinks of all the books she has at home to read*

My boyfriend remarked, after I told him that I had read Breath of Magic in one day, “Why’d you do that, you’ll have nothing to read tonight!”

HAH! HAH I say! He should know, I dragged him to the bookstore with me

Oooh, Teresa! I can’t resist a powerful Alpha Male, so I said billionaire businessman, but only the generous, ethical kind. I really love all of Lisa’s “self-made man” heroes like Craven, and Simon Hunt.
As for archetypes, I also love the idea of the “Beast” to be tamed, like your Gabriel in Yours Until Dawn, and to a certain extent, Eloisa’s Rafe.

Cheers,
Desiree

Teresa,
I just finished re-reading Thief of Hearts--loved it, again.  The funny thing was that I kept imagining the heroine as you.  The image was especially strong for me during the battle scene when Lucy works as a powder monkey.  I just kept picturing Lucy as Teresa Medeiros covered with soot--with extra soot collecting in her dimples.

Oh no McNan, don’t picture me!  Lucy was much cuter!  (Although I have been called a monkey before...but only by my fellow Squawkers.)

Ya know, if no one wants the half-naked cowboys, I’d be more than willing to take them off your hands....and I’ll take that Viking, too. I do want to be fair.

Oh, and Teresa, thank you so much for the Darcy fix! 

And, Desiree, you’ve hit on some of my favorite heroes of all time...just throw in Lord Dain and you’ve got my top five.

Hey, uh… Christina...pssst… can you send me some of that spam? 

haha

It was hard but I voted for the bodyguard/protector.  Usually bodyguards have rock solid emotions and scarred pasts.  I love watching them learn to trust love and life.  These guys are usually like the James Bond type.  And if anyone saw “Casino Royale” you know why I voted for the protector.  Daniel Craig doesn’t really do it for me but after that movie I wished I was the girl that he fell for.  I know technically he’s not a bodyguard but just imagine if he was.

Uh....Santa, I believe I have first dibbs on the cowboys.....I was the first one to vote for them this morning. hehehehehe

Geesh!  The things a girl’s gotta do to get a guy in this hen house!!!

Teresa, I was totally torn until you put the picture of Mr. Darcy up there - then it was Regency Rake, handsdown.  I also loved BREATH OF MAGIC.  I thought I had THIEF OF HEARTS, but I must have gotten the covers mixed up due to my perimenopausal brain disfunction.  The good thing is - a Teresa Medieros book I haven’t read yet!  Gotta go out and get it now.

Christina, I’m with you on the RICH.  Or at least, really, really comfortable.

I’m away from the computer for a few hours and Teresa kindly adds another hot picture.  I love Jack Sparrow!  He can swash my buckle anytime, savvy?!

Christina---

You told me to let you know when I found ‘Candle in the Window’.  I FOUND IT!!!!!  Son #1 wanted to go to Target for something, I forget what now, but we were close to the book section and I said I was going to mosey on over there to look and what do my eyes behold?!?  ‘Candle in the Window’ sitting right there on the shelf just waiting for me to snatch it up and take it home.  I kinda yelled to my son, who knew I had been searching for this book, that I had found it.  I think he ducked behind the display he was looking at so he would avoid detection.  Brat that he is!!  lol I can’t wait to read it. 

Now I have ‘Candle in the Window’ AND ‘Thief of Hearts’ to look forward to reading.  *sigh*

--dorothy

my word was ‘road22’---think that means I should take a road trip?!?  lol

Great news, Dorothy, and confirms my suspicion it actually came out in February, not January. ARGH! Pretty cover, tho, isn’t it?

And yes, my kids always conveniently disappeared when I was doing the happy dance because I’d found a book. Humph. Like they never embarrassed me?

Gorgeous cover, Christina!!  Love it.  Even the inside of the book is pretty.  Don’t know about the original, but in this book there is a coat of arms at every chapter.  I love those little touches in a book.

--dorothy

What a hard choice!  I love the rakes but pirates are right up there with them.

“Theif of Hearts” is the kind of book that you can’t put down, but yet you just don’t want the book to come to an end.  I read several pages over twice just to absorp more of Lucy and Gerard. 

I have to admit that I do like the wounded hero; rather it be his heart or body. A perfect example is Suzanne Enoch’s “England’s Perfect Hero.” I want to fix them all!

Well, I wasn’t going to post, but my secret word is “heart26,” and I can’t resist.  I like those guys that need saving...the kind of saving that only love can do.  I like for them to be fierce warriors, though.  lol

I’ll take a Regency Rake please.  But if I could I’d take a vampire too. 

I just love the idea of the rake being reformed like a number of people have said.  It all goes down to the idea that we all want to save the bad boy.

Christina:
So I gave my sister a copy of “Trouble in High Heels” and she calls me up and says, “Do you have any more books by this author?” Apparently, I have made her a fan...I’ll have to let her know about the new one!

Great poll!!!  I actually usually write stories about police detectives, but I kind of have a vampire and werewolf thing going on right now, so I had to pick them!!!  Though I do love pirates, too!!!  Oh, and cowboys, too!!!  I’m easy to please!!!  LOL!!!

*hugs*
Paige

I’m alittle late in this convo, but I simply LOVE the rake, something about finally being the one woman to capture that elusive, slippery heart of his *sigh*. For honorable mention I’d have to go with vampire/werewolf/wizard, simply because most of them have such tattered hearts, seeing the worst this world has to offer and being jaded...you just want to hug them and make everything better for them....

Man, can you tell I think about this waaaaay too much....

Teresa Medeiros said…
Ya know, Maggie, when I wrote that plumbing crack, I had a moment of hesitation.  (Wait a minute.  Did I just say plumbing and crack in the same sentence?  Ooog!)

Teresa, you also said, “...what woman doesn’t yearn to “stand and deliver” when her carriage is being robbed by a dashing highwayman?”

Erm. I’d rather be lying down with an epidural, but that’s just me.

Christina, it took my brick-n-mortar B&N so long to get my book order for Candle that I finally ordered it from Amazon. The local Target still doesn’t have it.

Jenn, the solution to that problem is simple.  If you read BREATH OF MAGIC in one day, then you just read the sequel TOUCH OF ENCHANTMENT that night

Carolyn, the covers for ONCE AN ANGEL and THIEF OF HEARTS were WAY too similar.  That turned out to be a big marketing problem when THIEF OF HEARTS was first published, which is another reason I’m delighted to see it getting another chance.

Haha I know! I wanted to read it so bad but I couldn’t find it!! I went to three different book stores and no one had it in stock. It was horrible :(

I think I might have scared the clerk boy when I nearly grabbed his shirt collor and demanded to know if there were any in the back.

Amazon saves the day again!

btw, I think that the amount of comments is directly proportionate to the amount of visual aids in a post :D

I’ve noticed that too Jenn.  I should have added that cowboy Xtina was drooling over!

(And okay, that’s twice in two days when my verification word has been “death”.  It’s creeping me out!)

off subject:

Teresa....you have turned me into a 24 junkie.  I’m so not kidding.

My husband is now calling it his “precious,” a la Gollum. 

My aunt sent us seasons 1,2,3,4,&5...and we watched seasons 1 and 2 in two weeks.  We can’t stop. 

HELP.

But I’m so sick right now, I fell asleep during a Season 3 episode. 

It’s the universe telling me to read.

Oh poor J Perry!  I’m so sorry you’re sick.  I agree that being sick is a wonderful excuse for pampering yourself with lots of TLC and some wonderful books. 

I actually had a Jack Bauer dream the other night. Interrogate me, baby!