Today we have Lynne Raye Harris guesting! She lives in Alabama, and with the terrible beating Mother Nature has doled out to the state, it’s uncertain how much time she’ll be able to spend here. I know her power is cutting in and out – she had a generator as of Saturday… but… So – good thoughts to everyone in Alabama – and of course all the other places affected- and remember to donate if you can. To the Red Cross, or your charity of choice. Just remember to check Charity Navigator, please! But on with lighter and happier things: the guest post!
Thanks for having me here today, Lime! And even if I don’t quite remember it as well as I should, it was a pleasure meeting you at RT in Columbus. Yes, it was. Don’t tease me. <g>
1. What’s your writing process?
The zillion dollar question! I wish I had a definable process, but in truth it’s a bit of a mess. I think it’s stabilizing though as I write more and more books for Harlequin. Basically, I start thinking about something. And then I write an opening scene. Then I delete the scene. Then I write another one. Then I write some more. Then I delete a bunch and write some new stuff. Eventually, I get happy with the opening 3 chapters or so and then I write the rest with less deletion and more forward motion. By the time I reach the end, there’s not a lot of rewriting going on. Then I send it to my editor. If I’m lucky, I have very little revisions. If I’m not lucky, I have a lot more work to do.
2. What’s the best admonishment your mom ever gave you, or that you’ve ever given a kid? e.g. “If you keep making that face it’ll freeze like that.” or… “If you walk from the kitchen to the table with a fork in your mouth you’ll stab yourself through the throat and die.”
Probably the one about not running with scissors. I think that’s a pretty good one in general. You’re never too old for that one.
3. If you have to listen to a song 24/7 for four days, which one would you choose?
Depends on what I’m working on. When writing Presents, I like angsty stuff. Right now, I’d probably choose Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” or Christina Perri’s “Jar of Hearts.” But then there’s also Rascal Flatts with “Here Comes Goodbye.” So angsty!
4. Winter Olympics, or Summer? And which sport/event?
Summer. Equestrian. Though in truth I like a lot of the winter sports better than the summer ones. But I was a rider as a kid, and I wanted to be in the Olympics on the Equestrian team someday. Little did I know (probably a good thing) that I was never going to have the kind of money it took to be an Olympic equestrienne. :/
5. What’s your favorite hair care product? Shampoo, conditioner, and other?
LOL! You do ask the most fun questions. I am a slave to Redken’s Hot Sets. I can actually keep a curl in my hair if I use it before using the curling iron.
6. What’s the best promotional event/tool you’ve ever done or used? What did you like most, and/or what was most effective?
Hmm, it’s hard to quantify what works and what doesn’t with promotion, but a couple of my favorites have been the RT convention and the big red bags that I had made up with Kimberly Lang. People love those bags! They hold a lot, and they’re sturdy. I also like bookmarks because people always seem to want them. I did postcards, and while I like the way they turned out, they didn’t seem to be nearly as popular as the bookmarks have been. Probably my biggest favorite, however, is the excerpt book that I did with Kimberly Lang and Kira Sinclair. Linda Howard gave us a cover quote, which still tickles me pink every time I think about it. It’s kind of awesome to be one of Linda’s favorite writers, you know?
😉
7. What is the super power you would most like to have? Least like to have?
I think I’d like the ability to be invisible when I want to be. I know a lot of men might like X-ray vision, but I find that one creepy. Would not want!
8. What’s the most unique/strange silly skill you possess? e.g. being double jointed, being able to find north in any location
My husband would say I have a photographic memory. It’s not quite true, but I do seem to remember a lot that he does wrong, so maybe that’s why he thinks so. <g> I do have an excellent sense of direction, though if you set me in the middle of nowhere and didn’t orient me, I doubt I’d find north on my own (unless it was a sunny day). But give me a couple of reference points and I know where I am. It’s a handy skill to have.
9. If you had to become a bear, which type would you choose?
LOL! Um, a grizzly, because then the other bears would leave me alone. I think.
10. Would you shave your head for $50,000.00? If yes, would you do it for a lesser amount/ what’s your minimum? If no, how much would it take for you to go bald? And then… would you do anything with your hair?
I’m saying no, but who knows if the hard cash was right there? I really, really don’t think I’d look good without my hair. That’s something I’m rather attached to. If I were to ever shave it, though, I’d donate it to Locks of Love. 🙂
And speaking of being charitable (thanks for that segue, Lime!)….
Though no one in my current book (The Devil’s Heart, Harlequin Presents, April 2011) shaves their head for a good cause, my hero is dedicated to taking care of disadvantaged children. Naturally the heroine has no idea that Marcos is so warm and fuzzy and cuddly at first. As far as she’s concerned, he’s the devil incarnate. This is why:
A diamond, and a deal with the devil…
Francesca D’ Oro was just eighteen when darkly sexy Marcos Navarre swept her up the aisle—then fled before the ink on the marriage licence had dried. Marcos might have given Francesca a jewel for her finger, but he stole another: the Devil’ s Heart—a dazzling yellow diamond he believed belonged to his family…
Years later Francesca, no longer so youthfully naïve, is determined to reclaim the precious gem! But she’ s forgotten that Marcos lives up to the treasure’ s name— and dealing with the devil is always dangerous!
And if you like reading about Marcos and Francesca, I have another book out next month! Behind the Palace Walls features Prince Alexei Voronov and Paige Barnes. This book was originally released in the UK as Prince Voronov’s Virgin – it was the #1 selling book on the Mills & Boon site for 3 weeks, and sat on the bestseller list there for 6 weeks. It’s all sold out at Mills & Boon, but you can get a copy of Behind the Palace Walls on eHarlequin right now, or you can wait until June and buy in stores!
‘Kiss me,’ he growled… ‘And make it believable.’
Alone and scared on the dark streets of Moscow, staid, bespectacled Paige Barnes has no choice but to comply with the handsome stranger’ s command…
Little does Paige know she’ s been rescued by Alexei Voronov—a Russian prince and her boss’ s deadliest rival. Now he has Paige unexpectedly in his sights, Alexei is prepared to play emotional Russian roulette to keep her close and discover her true motives. But in his splendid gilded palace his game of chance spins out of control and passion takes over…
It’s only when she’ s back home that Paige realizes she’ s pregnant with the Prince’ s baby…
To celebrate all things Lime, today I’ll give away a copy of The Devil’s Heart, one of the aforementioned tote bags (seriously, you could put a compact car in it if you could lift it), an excerpt book, and several bookmarks, postcards, and romance novel trading cards to one lucky commenter!
Lynn Raye Harris is a USA Today bestselling author who writes glamorous, sexy romance for Harlequin Presents. To learn more about Lynn and her books, visit her at www.LynnRayeHarris.com. You can also follow her on Twitter at @LynnRayeHarris and visit her author page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLynnRayeHarris
I have one of the large red bags – got it at RT10 and it’s great for conferences – you can fit so many things in it! Currently mine’s the home to many books. It’s perfect. So – have questions for Lynn? Questions? Do you read Harlequin Presents? Why or why not? Willing to give one a try?