Here’s a little You Tube video that author Jonathan Santlofer did for his new book, The Murder Notebook which I reviewed here.
Check it out:
The Murder Notebook is available from William Morrow. You can buy it here. Also, Jonathan is doing a podcast of his first book, ANATOMY OF FEAR, here: http://anatomyoffear.com/podcast-2/.
Have your book-tastes changed over the years? More fiction? Less? Books that are darker and more serious? Lighter and more frivolous? Challenging? Easy? How-to books over novels? Mysteries over Romance?
Casee: My book tastes have definitely changed over the years. I still read almost all romance, but I don’t mind if it’s mixed with something else (i.e. fantasy or mystery). One thing that hasn’t changed is that I still love reading the Happily Ever After. I neeeeed that when I read a book. I do have much less patience for stupidity in characters. A book I may have loved 10 years ago may not seem the same if I re-read it now. I also don’t really care for virginal heroines in contemporaries anymore.
Holly: Yes, they’ve changed somewhat over the years. I still read a variety of genre’s, though my primary focus now is romance. I think the biggest change for me is that I’ve realized I don’t have the time, energy or inclination to read something I’m not enjoying. Oh, sure, there are exceptions – like when a book is sooo bad morbid curiosity forces me to finish it – but for the most part I realized my reading time is to be treasured, not wasted on crap.
I’m also a lot pickier about what I’ll read. Where before I’d let things slide (like a heroine who’s TSTL or a plot with holes in it or etc, etc), now I find myself focusing on them, unable to move on. I guess you could say I’m more anal about what I’m reading than I ever used to be.
Rowena: My book tastes have changed over the years, not in the sense that I’ve stopped reading some stuff and have tried other stuff but in the sense that I am a lot more open to trying new genres and what not. When I first started reading a few years back, I only read historical and some contemporaries but then I went through a phase where I read nothing but contemporary but I wouldn’t touch a paranormal or an erotica, these days I’m reading just about everything and even some stuff outside of the romance genre. I just recently read my first mystery novel and I’m reading memoirs and biographies where I used to read nothing but romance. If it wasn’t romance of some kind, I wasn’t interested…I can finally say that I’ve evolved as a reader, I’ll read almost anything now if it’s got a good plot and likable characters. It surprises me how much I’ve grown as a reader because I remember once upon a time being very picky about what I read. Now, I read what I want, when I want and I’m happier for it.
So what about you guys? Have your tastes changed over the years?
The Darkest Kiss by Gena Showalter
Paranormal romance published on June 1, 2008 by HQN. Buy it here.
She has tempted many men… but never found her equal.
Until now.
Though she has lived for centuries, Anya, goddess of anarchy, has never known pleasure. Until Lucien, the incarnation of death—a warrior eternally doomed to take souls to the hereafter. He draws her like no other. And Anya will risk anything to have him.
But when the merciless Lord of the Underworld is ordered by the gods to claim Anya herself, their uncontrollable attraction becomes an anguished pursuit. Now they must defeat the unconquerable forces that control them, before their thirst for one another demands a sacrifice of love beyond imagining.…
Pitch Black by Susan Crandall
Romantic Suspense published on June 1, 2008 by Forever Books. Buy it here.
Journalist Madison Wade decides to move to Philadelphia when one of her articles on violence in the city hits too close to home. Madison and her fourteen-year-old adopted son, Ethan, take refuge in Buckeye, a small town in eastern Tennessee where her father had grown up. Despite the tranquility, Madison and Ethan feel like outsiders. But Gabe Wyatt, the local sheriff, is determined to welcome them to the town. He immediately falls for this beautiful journalist from the city. Madison resists Gabe’s advances, but he’s persistent and unlike anyone she’s ever met before. As a romance develops between them, Madison becomes comfortable in the rural setting, and when Ethan becomes friends with Jordan, a fellow outsider at school, Buckeye begins to feel like home. But a tragic death changes everything for them. When Jordan’s father is murdered during a weekend camping trip, Ethan becomes the prime suspect. Gabe’s investigation of the murder causes a rift in his relationship with Madison. As small town gossip builds a damaging case against Ethan, Madison races to discover the truth. Heartbroken and lost, she struggles to find anyone who will believe in her and Ethan, despite their past.
Season of Strangers by Kat Martin
Paranormal romance published on June 1, 2008 by Mira Books. Buy it here.
Dedicated, driven real estate agent Julie Ferris is enjoying a day at the beach with her sister Laura when a strange, almost undetectable charge fills the air. Then, under the hot Malibu sun, time stops altogether.
Neither sister can explain their “lost day”—nor the blinding headaches and horrific nightmares that follow—but Julie chalks it up to the stress she’s been under since her boss’s son took over Donovan Real Estate.
Patrick Donovan would be a real catch if not for his notorious playboy lifestyle and matching attitude. But when a cocaine-fueled heart attack nearly kills him, Patrick makes an astonishingly fast—and peculiar—recovery. Julie barely recognizes the newly sober Patrick as the same man she once struggled to resist. Maybe it’s the strange beach experience fueling her paranoia, but she can’t help sensing something just isn’t…right.
As Julie’s feelings for Patrick intensify, she’s about to discover how that day at the beach links her newfound happiness with her wildest suspicions.…
Superb and Sexy by Jill Shalvis
Contemporary romance published on June 1, 2008 by Brava. Buy it here.
Despite his brooding bad-boy attitude, Brody knows life has treated him pretty well. His luxury charter airline, Sky High, has given him financial security and the means to take to the skies whenever things on the ground get complicated. And lately, things have become very complicated, thanks to the insanely passionate, or perhaps just insane, kiss he shared with Sky High’s gorgeous, wisecracking concierge, Maddie. He’s tried to keep his distance, but now Maddie desperately needs help, and it’s triggering protective alpha-male urges Brody didn’t even know he had.
For months, Maddie hid her crush on sexy, exasperating Brody behind a cool, kick-ass exterior and then blew that to smithereens by jumping him in the lobby. Yeah, real smooth. She’s tried to break her ties with Sky High, but Brody won’t let her walk away-especially now that he knows that Maddie and her twin sister Leena are in big-time trouble. To save Leena, Maddie and Brody must pose as husband and wife, and Maddie is amazed that the man she thought was oblivious to her existence knows her very well indeed. But that’s nothing compared to the way she’s about to get to know him-intimately, in depth, and over and over again.
Read Casee’s review here.
Wilde For Him by Janelle Dennison
Contemporary romance published on June 3, 2008 by Berkley. Buy it here.
Ex-Marine and security agent Ben Cabrera isn’t going to complain about his latest assignment protecting the daughter of a gubernatorial candidate. After all, spending 24/7 with Christy Delacroix isn’t exactly a chore. But it turns out that Christy’s seduction tactics are top notch and it soon becomes impossible to keep things strictly professional . . .
Christy is an uptown girl who’s spent her whole life being perfect. Now she just wants to have fun. And who better to have fun with than the gorgeous guy hired to protect her around the clock? They’re utterly wild for each other, in and out of the bedroom, but will Christy be able to convince Ben to give her the kind of pleasure that lasts a lifetime?
Through the Veil by Shiloh Walker
Paranormal romance published on June 3, 2008 by Berkley. Buy it here.
Found wandering in a field as a child, Lee Ross was given a name by the state and placed in a foster home–without anyone realizing that she wasn’t entirely human. All her life, she’s tried to dismiss the odd dreams that have plagued her, dreams of monsters creeping through the night and a man fighting demons by her side. But the bruises she wakes up with are all too real to ignore. . .
Then the man from her dreams appears–in the flesh. His name is Kalen, and he insists that her destiny lies in his world, the world of her dreams. To save their people, he mist convince Lee to give up everything she knows, follow her heart, and cross over into the Under Realm–even though once she does, she’ll never be able to return.
Read Casee’s review here.
Running Wild by Sarah McCarty
Paranormal romance published on June 3, 2008 by Berkley. Buy it here.
Donovan must bring the Pack Alpha home and nothing more. But when he catches the sexy scent of Lisa Delaney, he’s hers, body and soul—and ready to risk both on an erotic desire that will shatter all boundaries.
Kelon intends to return to his pack after helping Donovan, but he never counted on the voluptuous distraction of Robin Delaney. She’s the one woman who can make him contemplate a choice no werewolf should have to make.
Wyatt can’t afford to be attracted to the practical, completely human Heather Delaney. But she isn’t a woman a man ignores—no matter what the cost.
Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward
Paranormal romance published on June 3, 2008 by Signet. Buy it here.
Fiercely loyal to the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Phury has sacrificed himself for the good of the race, becoming the male responsible for keeping the Brotherhood’s bloodlines alive. As Primale of the Chosen, he is to father the sons and daughters who will ensure that the traditions of the race survive and that there are warriors to fight those who want all vampires extinguished.
As his first mate, the Chosen Cormia wants to win not only his body but his heart for herself- she sees the emotionally scarred male behind all his noble responsibility. But while the war with the Lessening Society grows more grim, and tragedy looms over the Brotherhood’s mansion, Phury must decide between duty and love.
How to Knit a Wild Bikini by Christie Ridgway
Contemporary romance published on June 3, 2008 by Berkley. Buy it here.
The beachside knitting shop Malibu & Ewe is the perfect place for L.A.’s hip young crowd to enjoy colorful yarn and intimate conversation. For personal chef Nikki Carmichael, it could be the softest place to land if her new job falls through. Working for magazine writer Jay Buchanan has come with some strange conditions—like pretending to be his girlfriend. As for Jay, he finds himself drawn to the kitchen, where he’s intrigued by his sexy cook’s ability to withstand the heat between them. And now he thinks it’s time to turn up the flames.
Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich
Mystery published on June 17, 2008 by St. Martin’s Press. Buy it here.
The Crime: Armed robbery to the tune of nine million dollars
Dom Rizzi robbed a bank, stashed the money, and did the time. His family couldn’t be more proud. He always was the smart one.The Cousin: Joe Morelli
Joe Morelli, Dom Rizzi, and Dom’s sister, Loretta, are cousins. Morelli is a cop, Rizzi robs banks, and Loretta is a single mother waiting tables at the firehouse. The all-American family.The Complications: Murder, kidnapping, destruction of personal property, and acid reflux
Less than a week after Dom’s release from prison, Joe Morelli has shadowy figures breaking into his house and dying in his basement. He’s getting threatening messages, Loretta is kidnapped, and Dom is missing.The Catastrophe: Moonman
Morelli hires Walter “Mooner” Dunphy, stoner and “inventor” turned crime fighter, to protect his house. Morelli can’t afford a lot on a cop’s salary, and Mooner will work for potatoes.The Cupcake: Stephanie Plum
Stephanie and Morelli have a long-standing relationship that involves sex, affection, and driving each other nuts. She’s a bond enforcement agent with more luck than talent, and she’s involved in this bank-robbery-gone-bad disaster from day one.The Crisis: A favor for Ranger
Security expert Carlos Manoso, street name Ranger, has a job for Stephanie that will involve night work. Morelli has his own ideas regarding Stephanie’s evening activities.The Conclusion: Only the fearless should read Fourteen.
Thrills, chills, and incontinence may result.
Return to Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux
Contemporary romance published on June 17, 2008 by Pocket Books. Buy it here.
Magic most definitely resides in the Maine summerhouse where the mysterious Madame Zoya has granted the innermost wishes of its visitors. Now, three women have come to this special place with one thing in common: a painful past they would each like to rewrite. Amy, who hides a heartbreaking loss behind her seemingly perfect marriage and family…Faith, a widow in her thirties whose deepest grief is for a man from years ago…and Zoë, an artist shunned by her hometown for reasons she doesn’t know, after a traumatic night erased her memory. With their mystical powers, Madame Zoya and her sister Primrose are about to transport the trio to eighteenth-century England to alter Amy’s ancestry. But although surprises await each of them, will stepping back in time bring the women the happy endings they seek?
No Choice But Seduction by Johanna Lindsey
Historical romance published on June 17, 2008 by Pocket Books. Buy it here.
When Sir Anthony Malory’s daughter is abducted from London’s Hyde Park, the ransom note is mistakenly delivered to the home of his brother James Malory. But with James and Georgina in the Caribbean, only their house guest Boyd Anderson, Georgina’s youngest brother, a notoriously hot-headed American sea captain, can help Anthony locate the girl and punish the foolhardy villain.
Vivacious Katey Tyler fled the dull small town of Gardener, Connecticut when her mother died, seeking adventure and romance on a grand tour of Europe. At an inn one night she hears a pitiful mewling in the room next door and finds a little girl bound and gagged. Sweeping the girl to safety, she agrees to escort the girl back to her family in London. But Katey hardly expects to be apprehended by a big, handsome American man and be blamed for kidnapping the very girl she rescued! Little does Katey realize that in having caught the attention of Boyd Anderson she’s about to experience more adventure and passion than the typical young lady encounters on a very grand tour, and in meeting up with the Malorys her life will never be dull again!
Queen of Babble Gets Hitched by Meg Cabot
Chick-lit published on June 24, 2008 by HarperCollins. Buy it here.
Big mouth. Big heart.
Big wedding. Big problems.
It’s the wedding of the century!
Things are looking up at last for Lizzie Nichols. She has a career she loves in the field of her choice (wedding gown restoration), and the love of her life, Jean-Luc, has finally proposed. Life’s become a dizzying whirl of wedding gown fittings—not necessarily her own—as Lizzie prepares for her dream wedding at her fiancé’s château in the south of France.
But the dream soon becomes a nightmare as the best man—whom Lizzie might once have accidentally slept with . . . no, really, just slept—announces his total lack of support for the couple, a sentiment the maid of honor happens to second; Lizzie’s Midwestern family can’t understand why she doesn’t want to have her wedding in the family backyard; her future, oh-so-proper French in-laws seem to be slowly trying to lure the groom away from medical school and back into investment banking; and Lizzie finds herself wondering if her Prince Charming really is as charming as she once believed.
Is Lizzie really ready to embrace her new role as wife and mistress of Château Mirac? Or is she destined to fall into another man’s arms . . . and into the trap of becoming a Bad Girl instead?
After the Kiss by Suzanne Enoch
Historical romance published on June 24, 2008 by Avon. Buy it here.
A Notorious Gentleman . . .
Sullivan Waring wants only two things: his rightful inheritance, and revenge against the man who stole it from him. By day, Sullivan is the most respected horse breeder in England; by night, he plunders the ton’s most opulent homes to reclaim his late mother’s beautiful paintings. His quest is going swimmingly . . . until the night he’s discovered by Lady Isabel Chalsey. Clad only in a revealing nightdress, she’s an entrancingly different kind of plunder, and how can a thief resist stealing a kiss?
A Curious Lady . . .
Surprised by a masked man in her own home, Isabel should be quaking with fear. Instead the sight of the sinfully handsome Sullivan makes her tremble with excitement. Who is this man, and why is he so set on this reckless pursuit? Lady Isabel loves a challenge, and she’ll dare anything to uncover Sullivan’s secret—but she may instead convince him that she is the greatest prize of all.
Wicked As Sin by Jillian Hunter
Historical romance published on June 24, 2008 by Ballantine. Buy it here.
Handsome cavalry officer Sir Gabriel Boscastle returns from Waterloo a hero, only to resume his pursuit of forbidden pleasures in London. There is no bet this cynical gentleman will not take–and no woman he cannot seduce. But when he travels to the country manor he wins during a card game, he discovers there is one gamble he has never risked and that he may have met his match. His opponent and neighbor is none other than Alethea Claridge, the only person who stood by him during his wildest years and the only woman ever to captivate his heart.
The beautiful and solitary Lady Alethea is seemingly still mourning for her fiancé, who died in battle. But beneath her shield of feigned sorrow, she hides an unspeakable secret–one that could destroy her reputation forever. So when this dark horseman thunders back into her life one night, she is understandably wary of him. She had defended Gabriel once when he was a wicked boy. But now, as a beguiling man, he makes his sensual desires well known even as he swears he will reform. Will the irresistible scoundrel redeem himself and restore her trust in love or ruin her completely? She will soon have her answer as Gabriel challenges everything she believes about love, about herself, and about what it takes to be a hero.
Duchess by Night by Eloisa James
Historical romance published on June 24, 2008 by Avon. Buy it here.
A Mischievous Charade . . .
Harriet, Duchess of Berrow, is tired of her title and the responsibilities that come along with it. Enough with proper tea parties and elegant balls; what Harriet really wants is to attend an outrageous soiree where she can unleash her wildest whims and desires. But to attend such an event—especially if the event in question is Lord Justinian Strange’s rollicking fete, filled with noble rogues and rotters, risqué ladies and illicit lovers—would be certain scandal. That’s why she must disguise herself . . .
Looking forward to a night of uninhibited pleasure, Lord Strange is shocked to discover that beneath the clothes of a no-good rake is the most beautiful woman in the room. Why is a woman like her risking her reputation at his notorious affair? And can he possibly entice her to stay . . . forever?
Lessons From a Courtesan by Jenna Petersen
Historical romance published on June 24, 2008 by Avon. Buy it here.
Lesson #1: Every man loves a mystery.
A scandalous siren called “Ria” has electrified the ton. Every gentleman in London desires her; every woman envies her. And they are all desperate to know the secrets of the tantalizing, seductively beautiful courtesan. All except Justin, the Earl of Baybary. He knows all about Ria. He learned every inch of her tender skin, every taste of her luscious lips . . . on their wedding night.
Lesson #2: No man can make you lose control . . . unless you let him.
Though theirs was an arranged marrige, still Victoria surrendered to passion and gave herself to Justin completely. When he left her alone the next morning, she swore she would never again let him into her bed. Now, though she has other reasons for returning to the city, she enjoys tormenting Justin, letting him see the way other men lust for her. But keeping herself from him is such exquisite torture . . . and forgiveness will lead to an ecstasy unbelievably divine.
The Iron Hunt by Marjorie M. Liu
Paranormal romance (Fantasy?) published on June 24, 2008 by Ace Books. Buy it here.
Silver smoke winds around my torso, peeling away from my ribs and back, stealing the dark mist covering my hands and lower extremities . . . tattoos dissolving into demon flesh, coalescing into small dark bodies. My boys. The only friends I have in this world. Demons.
I am a demon hunter. I am a demon. I am Hunter Kiss.
By day, her tattoos are her armor. By night, they unwind from her body to take on forms of their own. Demons of the flesh, turned into flesh. This is the only family demon hunter Maxine Kiss has ever known. The only way to live-and the very way she’ll die. For one day, her demons will abandon her for her daughter to assure their own survival-leaving Maxine helpless against her enemies.
But such is the way of Earth’s last protector-the only one standing between humanity and the demons breaking out from behind the prison veils. It is a life lacking in love, reveling in death, until one moment-and one man-changes everything . . .
Let the Night Begin by Kathryn Smith
Paranormal romance published on June 24, 2008 by Avon. Buy it here.
A Vampire Will Not Rest Until He Satisfies His Hunger . . .
And what I, Reign, hungered for most of all was Olivia Gavin. I have never met a woman more beautiful, more tantalizing, and so I made her my bride. She promised me her heart and soul . . . in return, I plundered her flesh, and bound her to me for all eternity. Then, terrified of what I’d made her, she fled.
Now she has returned, desperate for my help in saving her beloved nephew. But my assistance comes at a price: She must share my bed once more, for the feel of her soft skin, the heat of her kiss, excite me still. And I know she desires me, even as she resists her own heart.
Yet, as we rediscover the passion that brought us together, an enemy waits to destroy us both . . .
Then You Hide by Roxanne St. Claire
Romantic suspense published on June 24, 2008 by Pocket. Buy it here.
When Bullet Catcher Wade Cordell is offered a cushy assignment to track down a woman on vacation in the Caribbean and persuade her to meet her birth mother, the secret ops sharpshooter decides it’s the perfect antidote to his stressful job. Except spirited and sassy Vanessa Porter isn’t on vacation, she’s on a hunt for a friend who has disappeared. Wade’s news doesn’t faze a woman who swims with the sharks on Wall Street — Vanessa knows she’s adopted and has no intention of meeting or helping the woman who gave her up in a black market scheme. But as it becomes clear that her missing friend is deep in hiding and deeper in trouble, Vanessa strikes a shaky bargain with the sexy bodyguard who’s an expert at finding people who don’t want to be found. How high a price will she have to pay the Bullet Catcher willing to put his life on the line for her? Will she sacrifice her pride . . . her heart . . . even her life?
I was running late.
I thought I was going to miss her but when I finally got to Borders in West L.A. I must have walked through the bookstore three times before I found someone that could tell me where the book signing was. I was finally steered in the right direction and once I was upstairs walking toward the book signing, I was greeted with pleasant welcomes and a delightful author who was more than happy to sign copies of books for my blog and sign my own book.
I was so excited.
It was my first ever book signing and I thought it was a fantastic one. Short but definitely sweet. I enjoyed The Best Day of Someone Else’s Life and I was beyond happy that I got to meet the author who wrote the book and that she was delightful and witty.
Kerry Reichs is so great that she agreed to meet with us today to answer some of the questions we had for her and without further adeu, let’s get into the questions, shall we?
Book Binge: Your mother is an author as well, has anyone compared your writing to hers yet? If so, how does that make you feel? If not, are you prepared for it?
Kerry Reichs: We write in such different genres, it doesn’t really beg comparison. People who know us both say we have a similar sense of humor. My mother is such a talented writer it would only be a compliment to be compared to her, but I think we’ve followed very different paths into writing fiction.
BB: Your mother writes thriller novels, did you ever want to go that route instead of writing chick lit?
KR: I didn’t really deliberate what to write prior to beginning my book – my story presented itself to me fully-formed. I’m a believer in “write what you know,” and I’m happy to say I don’t “know” murder, so thrillers were out for me! While my book is a work of fiction, it is drawn from life experience. Though much of any book is imagination, the soul of being able to interpret our imagination into something people can connect to derives from our real life experiences. In my case, Vi’s wedding odyssey is informed by my own thorough experience.
BB: Would you ever consider collaborating with your mother to write a book, like Jennifer Crusie did with Bob Mayer?
KR: I won’t say yes or no to the question of whether my mother and I would ever collaborate, but I will say the topic has been discussed, and she’s continually pestering me to put a dead body in my stories so that we could.
BB: What was the first thing you did when you found out Harper Avon picked up your book?
KR: I think it probably involved some sort of embarrassing dancing about holding the phone. What I recall most clearly was when I learned I had an agent. I was in Hawaii for the first time ever. Two days before, I had completed a 100-mile one-day bicycle ride to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training. After, I treated myself to a few days relaxation in Maui. I was resting on a beach chair with a frozen drink in my hand thinking “it doesn’t get much better than this,” when I got the email from William Morris Agency on my Treo, and realized, actually, it just had.
BB: What was going through your head when you held The Best Day of Someone Else’s Life in your hands for the first time?
KR: “Finally! Now people will believe me!”
BB: Has becoming a published author changed your life in any way? Has it changed you, as a person in any way?
KR: The thing that struck me the most after leaving the security and regimen of Large Law Firm life was that if you take a risk, and open yourself to opportunity, fortuities land like birds on your shoulders. I was amazed at all the wonderful opportunities that presented themselves to me when I opened myself up to chance and trusted that I would land on my feet. I am truly fortunate in that I love what I do, and it affords the chance to continually challenge myself and try new paths.
BB: So what’s next for Kerry Reichs? Are you working on another book? Can you tell us anything about it?
KR: I am currently working on book two. It’s a spin off, following the story of Maeve Connelly, Vi’s sister from The Best Day of Someone Else’s Life. I can’t say much, but Maeve is a great character and she’s going to have some wonderful adventures in the course of a cross-country trek with her bird, Oliver.
BB: When did you decide to take up writing?
KR: I always intended to write a book. In my mind, it was to be when I was older, perhaps an empty-nester, and I had Something to say. I felt that some nadir in my life had to occur to give me a sadness and wisdom to write anything meaningful. As I approached 35 and partnership in a large law firm, I questioned why I was waiting. I realized that I did have something to say. You don’t have to be a James Joyce to write something that people will want to read. You simply have to tell a story people can connect to. For me, I write what I know. Romantic comedy may be the second-class citizen of fiction, but it gives me a good laugh, and often, that’s what I need.
BB: What are you reading right now?
KR: I just finished the remarkable And Then We Came To The End, by Joshua Ferris. It was excellent. I was actually a “judge” in an “Ides of March” bracketology organized by a friend. The brackets faced off the best fiction of 2007 in a tournament style challenge to raise money for literacy. I judged Ferris’s book the winner of my bracket in round one.
BB: Who’s your favorite author?
KR: It’s impossible to answer this question – so much depends on my mood. The easy answer is Jane Austen, but Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 is some of the best satire written, and Michael Bond’s A Bear Called Paddington still makes me laugh every time.
About the Book
BB: So how much of Vi is in you?
KR: Certainly Vi’s experiences are derived from my own, but she is not me. She is a unique character with thoughts that sometime surprise me, and, occasionally, persuade me. I have thought that Vi and Imogen represent two different sides of my own personality. But, I have to be careful when I joke about characteristics of myself that resemble my characters. The other day a friend said, “I can’t believe you had your first alcoholic drink at age 6!!” I was surprised to hear that as well, and asked wherever she’d gotten the idea, to which she replied, “Chapter 1!” I had to remind her that the book is, in fact, fiction.
BB: When you were writing BDOSEL did you ever have another hero for Vi in mind, like I don’t know…A Candadian tile salesmen, eh? =)
KR: I never had an alternate hero, though I originally wrote an alternate ending. It didn’t sit well, and only lasted about a week before I realized it was all wrong and changed it.
BB: How did you keep all of those characters straight in your head? There were so many weddings, so many circle of friends that it was like a roller coaster of people running in and out of the story…how in the world were you able to keep them all straight while writing?
KR: Lots and lots of outlining. Every wedding had identified characters and a back-story somewhere in my notes. Even if a wedding was only referenced in passing, I could tell you what Vi wore, what the ceremony was like and how she knew the bride and groom. With over sixty weddings under my belt, I had an excellent library of factual experience to instruct me.
BB: Let’s talk Caleb, is he someone you know from real life? =P
KR: Doesn’t everyone have a Caleb in their past?
BB: Quick…don’t take time to think about this but why should people buy this book?
KR: Because they will laugh out loud at scenarios they recognize, and because after reading it they will feel like they’ve just spent a really good time with wonderful people they’d like to see again.
BB: Do you have any plans for a sequel to this book or did it end the way it was supposed to end?
KR: I originally wrote a different ending, but realized it was wrong and changed it. Now, it ends the way it is supposed to end. There won’t be a sequel, but as I was finishing up The Best Day of Someone Else’s Life, Vi’s sister Maeve gave me a nudge and told me her story. It’s a good one, so I’m writing it now. I think you’ll like it, and you’ll get a peek back at how Vi and…her friends are doing now.
BB: Where did the name Kevin for a girl come from?
KR: Naming Kevin “Vi” Connelly was challenging. I wanted an Irish name and spent a lot of time trying out different ones that just didn’t work. When one day Kevin popped into my head, I knew it was right. Unfortunately, it makes me a poor “interviewee” because often, truthfully, my answer is “it just popped into my head…”
BB: Casting Call…if BDOSEL was turned into a movie, who would you cast as Vi? Niall? Imogen? Ethan? Come to think of it..that’d be a really large cast.
KR: In an ideal world, I’d cast Colin Firth, Daniel Craig, James Marsden, Orlando Bloom, Jon Stewart and Johnny Depp…so I could meet them. But, that would give our female heroines some hairy legs and chests.
BB: Don’t you think Rowena is a fine name for a character in your next book? I do. j/k. =)
KR: My sister teases me about my penchant for unique names. Rowena would be a good fit!
GIVEAWAY ALERT: Now if you haven’t read Kerry’s book, you should because it’s a great chick lit story that most every woman out there can relate to…and since we are the greatest like that, us Book Bingers are going to give three of you lucky readers a shot at winning an autographed copy of Kerry Reichs debut novel, The Best Day of Someone Else’s Life. All you have to do is leave a question, a comment or anything you want in the comments section of this post and you will be automatically entered to win 1 of 3 copies of this fabulous book. 3 lucky winners will be chosen at random and will walk away with lovely gifts from us Book Bingers. Just because we love you guys like that. So what are you waiting for….show us and Kerry Reichs some love and win a free book! =)
Winners will be announced on Friday, 6/6/08 at 5pm, so all entries must be in by noon tomorrow PST.
We’d like to thank Kerry Reichs, who will popping in and out of the blog all throughout the day to answer any questions you lovelies have for her. She’s incredibly busy, being out on the road right now and all but because she’s the greatest, she will be popping in and out so let’s take advantage of the time we have with her.
Thanks again to Kerry and good luck on the rest of your book tour and many hugs from your fans here at Book Binge.
This book is available from Avon. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
Reviewer: Holly 
The island of Aristos holds bittersweet memories for Louisa. Here she met and married gorgeous Greek playboy Andreas Markonos and bore him a precious son. But when tragedy struck, Louisa fled….
Now, years later, Andreas can't believe that his runaway wife has dared set foot on Aristos again—and that he still desires her. Andreas will reclaim his wife with the one thing they still have in common…intense physical passion!
I love the Harlequin Presents line. There’s so much emotion packed into such a short story, you can’t help but feel emotionally wrung out when all is said and done. This one was an emotional roller coaster ride.
Andreas blames himself for Louisa taking off, knowing he didn’t comfort her and stand strong for her as she needed him to. His father is pressuring him to file for divorce and find a new bride, but he can’t bring himself to do it. Even after five years, he’s mired in grief. Both for his dead son and his estranged wife.
This part just made me melt.
Divorce, Andreas repeated to himself as he stared at those damn ferry lights. Now, there was a word that mocked itself. For how did you divorce yourself from the woman who’d lain in your arms night after night and loved you with every look and touch and soft sigh she uttered? How did you divorce yourself from the sight of her giving birth to your child?
And how did you divorce yourself from the inconsolable sight of her the day you placed that child in the ground?
You didn’t. You lived with it. Night and day you lived with it. Night and day you scanned through a kaleidoscope of memories; some light, some dark, some so unbearable you wished you could switch off your head. And for the best became a soul-stripping insult, just as time to move on did. For how did you divorce yourself from all of that grief and agony and move on in your life as if it had never happened at all?
You didn’t. You just lived with it.
He was such a strong character, yet had hints of vulnerability in him. His reaction to seeing Louisa again is mostly pure animal instinct. To possess her. It was totally hot. And overbearing. And annoying. And hot.
He immediately turns caveman on her and decides she’s not leaving now that she’s home. I had some issues with some of his tactics, but I couldn’t fault him for realizing he still cared for her and wanting to keep her close.
Louisa thinks she’s over Andreas. Every year she comes back to the island to visit her son’s grave and never has had an issue with leaving. So she’s shocked when she runs into Andreas and is just as attracted to him as she was as a hormonal teenager.
She definitely still wants sex with Andreas, but she isn’t willing to give her heart back to him. It was trampled on once already, and she was devastated. She’s terrified of being that vulnerable to him again. But she can’t seem to resist him. I understood where she was coming from, but I personally would have karate chopped Andreas for a few of the stunts he pulled, and I think Louisa should have done the same. She wasn’t necessarily weak, she just chose to fight the wrong battles, IMO.
They both suffer from jealously issues, though Andreas worse than Louisa. Halfway through the novel he convinces himself Louisa has been the live-in love of her boss and has a conniption fit. This is one of those times I would have karate chopped him. Two or three times. Still, the resolution wasn’t an easy one, but it worked. There wasn’t some trite apology and then they all lived happily ever after. They both worked for it, which was nice.
It was such an emotionally powerful story with flawed characters who needed to see past their own pride and insecurities to find what really mattered. The hero bugged some, but then so did the heroine. Overall I was very pleased with it.
4.0 out of 5
This book is available from Harlequin Presents. You can buy it here or here in e-format.