We spent a lot of time yesterday thinking about the brave men and women who have taken their lives into their hands to protect not only Americans, but kindred souls across the globe.

People want to help in little ways--sending letters, beanie babies...even toaster pastries!...to show love and support to the members of our armed forces. We asked ourselves, "well, what can *we* do?"

Well, we know that soldiers love books and paperbacks are great diversion in war zones. So, please, comment on this post and tell us about your service man or woman. We're hoping to pick a bunch and to send boxes of books (we hear that APO addresses are easiest if we want packages to get through and we need to send to a specific person, as opposed to a battalion or unit). We're all book lovers--and firmly believe that good books help us see troubled times through.

Also, if you are interested in helping out, here are some good sites that support veterans and active servicemen and servicewomen: www.paulmalmont.com/warrior-library and www.soldiersangels.org

For your own information, here are some handy guidelines on how you could best go about sending books to soldiers.

Thanks to our fantastic armed forces for all they do!

If you haven't read TRUE CONFESSIONS by Rachel Gibson, I really wish you would. Here are the Top Five reasons why I love this book:

1) It contains the great opening lines: "There were two universal truths in Gospel, Idaho. First, God had done His best work when He'd created the Sawtooth Wilderness Area. And except for the unfortunate incident of '95, Gospel had always been heaven on earth. Second--a truth just as adamantly believed as the first--every sin known to heaven and earth was California's fault."

2) Every chapter opens with a "headline" that could be ripped from the Weekly World News. For example, MAN SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUSTS or MICROPHONE DETECTS SOUND OF BREAKING HEART. I miss the Weekly World News and am a little obsessed about spontaneous combustion.

3) There is a toilet tossing contest in the book.

4) The heroine, who is from California, drives a car with the license plate MZBHAVN.

5) The hero is a sheriff who's way sexier than Andy Taylor. Way.

I'm also curious about what you think of the cover. We went in a different direction for this edition of TRUE CONFESSIONS, and I'd really love to hear some opinions.

It's well-known that I am not crafty. I cannot sew; I do not scrapbook. (And, I never knew that scrapbook could be used as a verb until recently.) Unlike Martha Stewart and her many minions, I can't make lovely centerpieces from pine cones, autumnal leaves, and a few well-placed twigs.

I can't do anything with frosting, (my cakes are famously embarrassing). Every time I watch one of those television shows where someone is off building replicas of the Eiffel Tower or the Empire State Building, I gasp with admiration and then I switch the channel. I just feel guilty that I can't do any of this.

And, I cannot knit.

A few years ago, I had an assistant who could not only knit, she could also quilt. It was amazing stuff. Not an office baby shower went by that she didn't bring in some gorgeous blanket that everyone would ooo and ahh over. She hailed from the mid-west and, back in her parents' home, there was an entire quilting room, complete with some sort of frame from which quilts somehow sprung.

All this really intimidates me, so it was kind of a surprise when I found myself seeking out a book just like THE SWEETHEART'S' KNITTING CLUB by Lori Wilde. Because I might be the only person left in the USA who doesn't know how to use a knitting needle. Even hipsters in trendy restaurants are all wielding knitting needles like pros.

But what I love about THE SWEETHEARTS' KNITTING CLUB (on sale 11/24/09) is its heroine has a secret: she can't knit. So I relate to her in a big way.

This is the start of a marvelous new series--the next is called THE TRUE LOVE QUILTING CLUB (April 2010) and the next has to do with cookies. Now cookies, that's something I can do!

As a reader, I'm always fascinated to learn an author's writing method.

Do they outline first, even whole series at a time (like JK Rowling famously did for HARRY POTTER)?

Are they "pantsters," (writing by the seat of your pants), as one of the lovely ladies of the Utah RWA chapter explained to me at a recent conference?

Do they write, edit, throw away, and start again?

When I was much younger, I posted a question to Diana Gabaldon's fan email asking how far ahead she had planned a certain far-reaching plot twist in one of the later books in the Outlander series. Each of her books is just so epochly long, I couldn't imagine how she kept all the details and characters straight without some serious outlining. Never did get an answer though!

So you can imagine my delight, when Carrie pointed out this great article from Friday's Wall Street Journal about several authors and their unique writing practices. And, closing out the list is our very own mystery writer Laura Lipmann! If you're nosy like me, this piece is definitely worth a look.

Every now and then we just can't help but toot our authors' horns...

Okay fine, we sing their much-deserved praises from the rooftops any chance we get, but it's hard to ignore good news when it comes flooding in!

In September, we found out Eloisa James' WHEN THE DUKE RETURNS grabbed a spot in Book List's Top Ten Romance Fiction of 2009

Then, this week, we learned Julia Quinn's WHAT HAPPENS IN LONDON and Eloisa's A DUKE OF HER OWN made Amazon's list of Top Ten Romance Books Of 2009!

AND, as if that news weren't enough, Anna Campbell's CAPTIVE OF SIN and Margaret Carroll's A DARK LOVE landed on Publishers Weekly Top Five Mass Market Books Of 2009!


Congrats Eloisa, Julia, Anna, and Margaret!

Romance Radio Event: Jordan Dane’s on THE WRONG SIDE OF DEAD!

Mysterious computer wizard Seth Harper awakens in a bloody motel room to find he’s not alone. The vacant eyes of a grisly corpse stare accusingly at him--the body of a young woman. Seth becomes the prime suspect of a heinous murder. If only he could remember what happened...

For a thrilling ride of suspense and hot romance, start reading Jordan Dane’s THE WRONG SIDE OF DEAD, the second in her Sweet Justice series!

Then, tune into Romance Radio Thursday, 11/5 at 2 PM as Jordan joins us to discuss her hot new release and takes questions from fans. Call in (347) 826-9686.

Recently, I found myself sitting in an audience filled with teens and tweens at a movie theater showing of FAME. At the start of the previews, the screen suddenly filled with a rather non-descript lake scene--well, apparently not that non-descript--as the 100 or so adolescent girls in the room began screaming with joy. Of course, it was the opening to the preview of the TWILIGHT sequel NEW MOON. Recently buff teenage werewolves and all...

It got me thinking, what pop-culture fad had my friends and me falling over ourselves like that? The answer came rather quickly: Leonardo DiCaprio and all things TITANIC.

I bought the soundtrack, took TITANIC quizzes in Teen People magazine, covered my wall in movie posters, memorized lines...yes, it's true. I then recalled something I had truly forgotten...the birth of a late-90s sub-genre of disaster-focused YA fiction. Very suddenly, my bookshelf acquired HINDENBURG 1937, WASHINGTON AVALANCHE 1910, and SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE 1906.

Ah, what's a love story without a sinking ship, burning Zeppelin, or natural catastrophe? To my young heart, nothing could be more tragically romantic. (Is that truly any stranger than an obsession with a stalkerish vamp?) Am I the only one that remembers these books?

And, speaking of YA-reminiscing fun...Starting November 1st, blogger "Booking Mama" launched a six-month SHELF DISCOVERY reading challenge. Pick six (or more) of the titles covered in Lizzie Skurnick's book about classic YA fiction and write quick "book reports" of each...go to her site for details...looks like winners could get free copies!

UPDATE: Anna Campbell will visit Avon's Facebook Boards TODAY!

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE ZOMBIES

It happens every year, and we all tolerate it...well, maybe just barely. Advertisers and stores love to push the yuletide envelope--dragging out Christmas decorations or displays far before trick-or-treaters have had a chance to put a dent in their Halloween candy.

At the risk of jumping on the way-too-early bandwagon, but while giving all that goes bump in the night a fair shake at the season, I'd like to bring up a book that I find utterly delightful.


Yes, that's right.... ZOMBIE CHRISTMAS CAROLS! (or rather classic carols littered with zombie-esque words)

Ex:

Up on the housetop, Zombies pause,

Eating poor old Santa Claus.

Down through the chimney come Santa's parts.

Once a Zombie bites--ouch that smarts!

Written by YA author and longtime friend of Avon, Michael P. Spradlin, with a Forward by the hilarious Christopher Moore, and with lots of delightful (and rather gruesome) illustrations, it's 81 pages of addictive fun. (Just ask Esi. I may or may not have wandered into her office singing when I first grabbed a copy…she may or may not have asked me to leave).

Extra points for anyone who can come up with any fun vampire-related holiday song lyrics!