I was thrilled to be nominated for a RITA this week. Technically, one of my books got nominated and in the interest of learning to separate myself more from work, I should probably be clear about that distinction. But a lot of us creative types are pretty well-identified with our work. A bad review on a book is often taken kind of personally. And an award nomination… that’s like a huge gold star to wear around on one’s lapel for many moons afterward. (more…)

I joined a book club last year. I’d love it even if we didn’t read any books since it provides a night of vino and chat with friends. But the extracurricular reading has been really fun too, especially since I’ve read less books since becoming an author.

Seems counterintuitive doesn’t it? Write more = Read less? Unfortunately, when you only have so much time where your brain can process words in a day, you end up using your word ration on books that need to be written rather than books you’d like to read.

But book club has helped me to make time for reading. There’s something about the social obligation of it—like working out with a friend—that makes me feel accountable for each month’s book. And of course, reading is no chore for me! I really love those hours spent with a book, and book club helps me to feel like they’re more justified.

We talk about many aspects of our book of the month at our meetings. The characters’ choices and backstories, the surprises in the plot, the resonant meaning we found in the work as applied to our own lives. And once the conversation devolves into the personal, I know the real meat of our book talk has concluded. But much of the fun—and the wine—has only just begun.

What about you? Have you ever belonged to a book club? What kinds of books did you read and how did you enjoy the experience?

***Join Joanne on the boards this week to discuss book clubs and one random poster will win a signed copy of Joanne’s new Blaze, Just One Look, along with a recent book club pick—Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

There’s no time like Super Bowl day to share my lot in life as the spouse of a sports nut. It’s not surprising really, since I was the first one in line to fall in love with all of Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ sports heroes and I went on to write a snowboarder, a race car driver and a hockey player into my own books. What can I say? I’ve got a thing for jocks.

Two things really work for me about athletes. On a strictly physical level, there’s something tremendously attractive about a man who uses his body for a competitive edge. A jock not only looks fantastic in boxers, he is also trained for endurance. Enough said.

But the second thing I love about athletes is more esoteric and probably even more of a draw. It’s the attitude, baby. There’s a certain amount of—can I call it conceit?—in men who constantly push the limits of their physical capabilities. The best athletes know their game rides on their mental attitude as much as their skill, and that comes out in a world of confidence that might be off-putting to some, but me? I think it’s incredibly sexy. A jock brings his A game—all day, every day. And he struts through the world with that in mind. It puts a certain gleam in the eye…

All of which puts me in the mood to go watch wet men in tights (it’s raining in Miami– :-)). What about you? Are you with me on jock heroes or do sports guys make you run screaming? What kinds of heroes—or hero professions—are auto-buys for you?

***Chat with Joanne this week for a chance to win a copy of her February Blaze, Don’t Look Back. One poster from this thread will be chosen at random to win a signed book on Thursday morning.

Happy New Year! I’m inspired by the turn of the calendar page as I look forward to 2007 and make plans for how I hope my life will take shape. Every year I make resolutions for my personal life, professional life and in my relationships. Most years I’ve resolved to work harder, but for the last two, I’ve been embroiled in a search for balance.

I like to work and I’m good at it. I like that I can control the pace and drive myself to new lengths. That’s an empowering feeling to know I’ve done what I set out to at the end of a day. For me, that feeling was almost addictive and I gladly lost myself in that fulfillment for years on end. (more…)

As a writer, I am often asked where I get my ideas for stories. I have a few answers for this—all of them true.

Stories come from everywhere, I’ve insisted in online interviews and casual conversations alike. A magazine article, a TV news snippet, a character in a movie, an argument between a couple in an airport—all of these have sent my mind on the “what-if” journey that leads to a story.

Other times, depending on my opinions about my work on a given day, I might suggest that story ideas often start with plot or character and then I’ll build one to suit the other. When characters are dogging me for a story, I might ask myself what would be the most problematic situation I could put that particular hero and heroine in. If a plot hook is niggling in my brain, I’ll twist it in the other direction and ask myself what kinds of characters would find that particular plot problem the most devastating? Yes, making life tough for our characters is a writer’s job.

But today I’ve decided that trying to track down the roots of a story is sort of like making my way through a labyrinth without the benefit of Ariadne’s thread. I’ve culled inspiration from so many numerous sources, pulling together so many different ideas, that the end product feels wholly unique. The ideas have fused so fully that to trace the root causes is almost impossible. I might have pulled a character into the story that I conceived years ago and couldn’t find a place to put him. I might build a world around a tiny germ of an idea that didn’t work in a book I wrote eons ago but now I’ve got new fuel for the concept and think I can make it work.

Truly, some of the ideas are so deep rooted that they seem to come from my toes. My stories represent a million facets of my mental make up, the snippets of thoughts, ideas, fears and dreams that make me.

So where do my stories come from? It’s a topic I love to think about. But I’ll warn you… you may be sorry you asked.

***What ideas have rattled around in your brain forever? A new and improved way to recycle? An idea for a business? A life goal you haven’t met or a place you’ve always wanted to visit? Characters people my brain whenever I’ve got a free moment. What occupies yours?

Prize opportunity—a reader’s tote bag and a signed copy of Joanne’s book The Pleasure Trip awarded to a random poster.

With apologies to the wonders of modern transportation, I can’t help but think there is no faster way to take a long journey than four simple words—once upon a time.

There is magic in those words. If you don’t believe it, try watching the opening to Disney’s Beauty and the Beast sometime, where a wonderful narrator’s voice sucks you in with a long ago legend told over the still pictures of a story book. Whether or not our books begin with the classic words that begin a fairy tale, our brains still hear them as we sit down to open a book. And by “we” I’m referring to romance readers, readers who believe in the transporting power of story and are eager to undertake that journey again and again through the pages of a book. The magic of “once upon a time” is engrained, a mental portal we go through whenever we open a new book and that excitement for a story begins all over again.

Of course, maybe I’m a very susceptible reader. I willingly suspend disbelief at the drop of a hat, always ready to take a new journey and see where a story leads. Perhaps not all readers are as eager to see the world through pages as I am.

But even the most cynical of readers will undertake that magical story journey every now and then. No matter that they fight the pull of “once upon a time,” sooner or later something will draw them in and lead them deep into a story. For my oldest son recently, it was DaVinci Code. For my youngest, it was Harry Potter. You’ve got to hand it to J.K. Rowling. Nothing captures a six-year-old’s attention like a giant driving out of the sky on a motorcycle.

Thanks to the power of story, I’ve been all around the world and through time to save the world, save the family farm, save numerous rocky marriages. I’ve battled plagues, bad guys and vampires. And of course, I’ve fallen for a few bad guys and vampires. And sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively, it all started once upon a time.

***Is there any one book in particular that began your love of reading? How about a book that started your love of the romance genre? Join me on the boards this week to share your answers and one random poster will win a prize basket of 5 books from a variety of romance subgenres, including a signed copy of Joanne’s The Pleasure Trip.

I’m going to admit it.

I’m the type of author who likes to cheat wherever possible. I like shortcuts. I like doing things the easy way. I’m a big fan of not reinventing the wheel. How does one cheat in writing romance, you might ask? Well you can be sure I’m not passing off anyone else’s text as my own. Even cheaters have standards.

No, my shortcuts are far more ethical and way more creative. I steal character types and conflicts from all sorts of pop culture personality analysis tools. From Enneagram charts to the Myers-Briggs test, I love anything that catalogs character types and helps people figure out their strengths and weaknesses. Better yet, I love it when these tools go so far as to say Type A is a difficult match with Type B because then I have great ideas to plug in for my heroes and heroines.

Of course, my long time favorite analysis system is astrology. One look at Linda Goodman’s Love Signs and I was hooked. Say for example, I’m writing a tempestuous heroine with a dark side. Goodman’s book let’s me look up a Scorpio profile that can help me flesh out secondary character traits and helps me see my character more three dimensionally. Then, if I want to give my heroine as much man trouble as possible, the Goodman text helps me see who are the most challenging matches for her and why. Then voila! I can read all about why the Scorpio-Aquarius mix clashes and apply the generalizations to the life situations I’ve given my characters. It’s a great resource.

I adore any kind of compatibility tests, personality profiles, and even the occasional Cosmo quiz to help me develop characters and conflicts. Numerology? Been there. Color profiles? I know I’m yellow and my husband is red. Bright red.

And of course, when it comes to star signs, my husband and I have one of those combustible mixes that aren’t for the faint of heart. But then, I’m a big believer that opposites attract. Really. Just read one of my books…

Come chat with Joanne about your star sign! Or your colors, or your Myers-Briggs results (I’m an INFJ). Have any of these personality profile systems taught you anything about yourself or made you see yourself in new way?

Joanne will be giving a copy of her book THE PLEASURE TRIP to one random poster. Winner announced Sunday!