Writers' Wednesday: What the Heck is Speculative Fiction??

So I'm working on a new YA (young adult) project, and in my browsing of the Web yesterday found this helpful website: YA Highway. Especially valuable is the "Field Trip Friday" feature, which seems to highlight the best YA stuff that's been out/talked about in each week.

I find YA lit interesting, I really do - the whole idea of your protagonist figuring him/herself out and taking on the world in the process. That's probably also an influence of my teaching teenagers. Despite all the attitude and all the hormones, that's exactly what they're trying to do too, and it's fascinating to watch and shape.

Having said that, I'm at a bit of a crossroads in trying to decide which genre my YA falls into, exactly. Very loosely, it's Shakespeare's Twelfth Night set in an alternate, post-9/11 universe, a la the television show "Fringe." It's not a dystopian society, which is what everyone seems to be writing and buying these days. It's just another, similar-except-for-a-few-key-differences, world. it's a world inhabited by people who used to live on Earth, so they've brought most of their previous life with them except for some changes they've had to make to actually live in a different world with a different atmosphere and different physical makeup. I don't think it's science fiction. I think it may be speculative fiction, but when I tried to find a definition of that I found about 20 of them:

'Speculative fiction is a world that writers create, where anything can happen. It is a place beyond reality, a place that could have been, or might have been, if only the rules of the universe were altered just a bit.'

'Speculative fiction stories, however fanciful, can have a big emotional and inspirational impact, teaching us much about ethics, bravery, kindness, good, and evil.'

'Some experts define speculative fiction as 'genre' fiction. A lot of readers think speculative fiction consists of science fiction and fantasy only. Other readers include horror, mystery and romance.

To me, it is writing that pushes the boundaries of the imagination. A good speculative fiction story would make you think, provide a new insight into human nature or even give you a new outlook on life.'

And so on...

Is anyone familiar with the speculative fiction genre? Do you read or write it? How would you define it?

Monday's Mentionables: Writing up a Storm

First off, congrats to JackieW and Charlene, winners in last week's Great Print Book Giveaway! 2 more winners to be randomly chosen this week, so stay tuned :)

I'm on a whirlwind of writing right now; I started a new book last week that's been bouncing around in my head for a while. It's different than anything I've written before - basically, a Young Adult set in a post-9/11 alternate (not dystopian) universe. I just.......needed to do something different. I was feeling frustrated and a little stale with my other projects, so I thought maybe I'd jump-start my creativity a little by switching gears for a while.

I have to say, it's been very freeing. I've done a decent job of turning off my inner editor to just write - and since I have to create a whole other world, there's been a lot to write. Also since I'm not teaching during the summer, I have lots of extra time, and I'm trying to take full advantage by not booking a lot of other things to do. My goal was 3K words a day, and so far I'm doing well. After 1 week, I have 22K words.

Yay! Of course a good half of that (or more) might turn out to be edited or deleted when I go back through, but at least I have words on the page.

So I'm off the try and continue the good vibes and get my 3K words done today...Happy Monday!

Reviewing Fifty Shades of Grey

OK folks, I did it. I read the runaway best seller Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. So far t's sold roughly 20 million copies, been optioned for a movie, and made its debut author oodles of royalty money.It's also been both lavishly praised and lambasted by readers and reviewers. Since I'm a writer, and honestly since everywhere I went people asked if I'd read it, I thought I needed to. I wanted to see what the fuss was all about.

Here's my unofficial, gut reaction: it's horrifying.

Here's my more carefully formed opinion: it is a poorly written novel with roots in Twilight fan fiction that creates a disturbing so-called romance from a BDSM relationship between an older man and an college-aged virgin.

These are the problems I had with this book:

1. It's poorly written. The writing is choppy, repetitive, verbose, repetitive, and features unrealistic dialogue and characters. Also, it's repetitive. Honestly, I wanted to put it down after the first chapter. I can't even count (well, I probably could, but I didn't) the number of times Christian's "long index finger" is mentioned, Ana bites her bottom lip, she says "Holy Cow" or refers to her "inner goddess," or we hear about the "gray linen pants" that hang off his hips.

2. It's wholly unbelievable. Why on earth would a 27-year old mega-millionaire have any interest in a bumbling, insecure 21-year old virgin? Why IS she a virgin in 2011 (religion aside, because that's never touted as a reason)? Moreover, she's also never masturbated or been kissed, but the moment she meets Christian, she has multiple orgasms and gives perfect oral sex? Really?

3. It started as Twilight fan fiction, which means the characters of Christian and Ana are Edward and Bella, grown up and having sex. First of all, I'm more likely to support an author who creates her own original characters, instead of drawing upon a fan base established by someone else. Beyond that, I didn't like the characters in Twilight because Bella's a weak heroine who gives up everything in her life for a controlling, creepy man, and lo and behold! The same thing happens in Fifty Shades, only Edward/Christian is about 100 times creepier and more controlling. From a high school teacher's POV, I tell my female students not to want to be Bella or want a guy like Edward, which brings me to my next point...

4. I understand that BDSM is a lifestyle that some people choose. However, the way in which inexperienced Ana is brought into the lifestyle horrified me in both a physical and emotional sense. Arousal through physical dominance/punishment borders wayyy too closely on abuse for me. Ana is taught that sexual pleasure comes from giving up everything to her man, and if she doesn't "behave" then he is allowed to control and punish her as he sees fit. Yes, I know they negotiate a contract, and she has safe words and is allowed to say no at any point. I don't care. To deliver the message to someone who has zero sexual experience that THIS is how you achieve that pleasure is disturbing. It is tantamount to telling young girls that they should obey and submit, that men should be allowed to control them this way because it's in everyone's best interests. What kind of message does that send to women? To men? How can we be sure they aren't taking those kinds of ideas from the bedroom into their professional and public lives? I read a commentary that suggested that the reason so many women enjoyed this book was because secretly, they were tired of being "in charge" in the rest of their lives and wanted to give up control and let someone else lead in the bedroom. Perhaps. To me, there is still a difference between letting someone else lead during sex and allowing your partner to order you to kneel in the corner without looking at him or allowing him to spank you if you "misbehave."

5. Finally, it's not a romance. The book does not end happily, nor does it really even have closure of any kind - I'm guessing that's because there are 2 more books in the trilogy, and the author knew that when she was finishing the first one. However, a romance is expected to have at least a "Happy For Now" ending and this one doesn't. Of course, in my opinion this isn't a romance in the first place, so if we file it under Women's Fiction I suppose it could get away without the ending neartly tied up. I'd still like to see some progress made in Ana's character, though, and I don.'t

I finished the book. I will not read the other 2 in the trilogy. I'm glad, I guess, that I read it so I know what everyone's talking about, but this is my take. I will say this: if Fifty Shades brought the romance genre more into the mainstream, and increased sales of other romance titles, then I'm glad, That's about the only redeeming quality I can see from this book.

And now....I'm done. Thoughts, anyone??

Writers' Wednesday: Guest Blogging at Romance Junkies Today!

Hey, all, I'm guest blogging over at Romance Junkies today with a little insight about long it sometimes takes for a story to find a publishing home. In the words of one of my favorite heroines, Summer Thompson, I give the lowdown on the bumps and detours in the road to publishing Summer's Song. (Hint: it took almost 10 years from first idea to release date).

Now, most books don't usually take that long, honestly. But I also want to dispel the myth that writing is "easy" or that authors can conceive of a story and find it a home in a few weeks or months. Sometimes, maybe, yes. Usually it takes longer, and that's where an author's patience comes in.

You must be patient to become a published author, and you must develop a thick skin, because so many people will tell you "No" along the way.

OK, enough blabbing on here. Come over and visit my blog at Romance Junkies, won't you?

(And back here on Friday, I'll be sharing my thoughts on Fifty Shades of Grey, which I just finished reading last night. See you then!)

Congrats to this Week's Winners!

First off, welcome back to the Great Print Book Giveaway! This week's winners are Virginia Campbell and Carol McLain. Congrats and thanks for following my blog and FB page! Virgina & Carol, let me know which book you'd like from the list right here, and I'll get it in the mail to you!

On a side note, tomorrow will be the first of 3 blog posts I've written for Savvy Authors on Audio Books: basically the process involved and whether or not it's something that you, as a writer, should be investigating as another way of getting your books into the public eye. I'll put up the specific link on Monday, but tomorrow you can check the Savvy Authors front page, and it should be there.

Happy (almost) weekend!

Writers' Wednesday: Does Length Really Matter?

So I'm spending this week finishing up a major revision to my novella Tequila Sunrise - only to have this nagging feeling that I haven't really "finished" it. Here's the thing: I'm not sure a novella-length is really my strong point. While in theory I like the shorter length (it isn't so intimidating to write lol), and I like reading some romance novellas, for me my story and characters end up under-developed. This is what I've been told by some of my beta readers, anyway, and maybe they're right.

My plan is to finish this one - it'll be "finished" at about 33K words and put it aside for a week or two. Then I'll try going back with fresh eyes and see if and where it needs to be developed.

Anyway, here's my question: if you're a reader, what's your favorite length story to read? Does it matter? And if you're a writer, what your preferred length story to write? Does that matter?

And just for kicks, here's my favorite few lines I wrote yesterday. Enjoy:

“Do you love her?”

Love. Hell of a terrifying four-letter word. He’d asked himself that question more times than he could count over the past few weeks, and the bottom line was, he didn’t know. He didn’t know what it was supposed to feel like. Like a punch in the gut? Like the comforting silence of a summer night? Hope crossed with fear, with a healthy dose of hormones tossed in? Depending on the day, he felt all that and then some, which seemed as though it could be love or maybe just insanity.

Maybe they weren’t that far apart.

Monday Mentionables: Back to Reality...

Happy July, everyone! I've returned from a long vacation (well, long for me - 2 weeks!) away from everything to do with work, writing, and social media. Hubby and I took a 10-day cruise in the Mediterranean, and it was beautiful! Had such a wonderful time just relaxing and taking in the sights. I'll be posting lots of pictures on my Facebook Fan Page later today, so if you're interested, stop by there and take a peek!

Also, the Great Print Book Giveaway is back in full swing, which means this Friday, July 13, I'll be announcing another 2 winners to choose any print book from my listed library for free!

Finally, I'm the "Sexy Host" (their words, not mine!) over at Coffee Time Romance's I'm Diggin forum for the month of July, and there are more books to win there if you post a comment in response to my weekly question. Plus, I'll feel less lonely if people are actually talking to me instead of just lurking there lol ;)

Have a wonderful Monday!

Friday Fun Facts: Winners and an Upcoming Trip!

Congratulations to this week's Great Print Book Giveaway winners: Melissa Keith and Skip Doodle! Pick your choice of books from my list here and they'll be in the mail ASAP!

Heads up, everyone: the Giveaway will be suspended for a couple of weeks while I'm out of town on vacation. Hubby and I are taking a trip to Italy (so excited!! pictures to follow when we return!), and I'll be away from most technology during that time.

BUT...Summer's Song will be listed for another Goodreads Giveaway beginning on July 1, so if you'd like to snag a signed copy, toss your name in the ring!

Happy summer...see you when we return!

Writers' Wednesday: Call for Submissions

Hey writers! Do you have a holiday-themed story that's looking for a publisher? Here's a call from Avon for upcoming novellas:

Avon Impulse is Avon Romance’s digital-first publishing program. The editors at Impulse are currently seeking 15,000 to 20,000 word novellas for the following themed collections:

Home for the Holidays — these sweet, romantic stories should center around the theme of being home for the Thanksgiving holidays. Stories must include at least one Thanksgiving-appropriate recipe. Quirky secondary characters, small town settings and a feeling of warmth, community and romance are welcome. Deadline for submissions is July 1, 2012.

Five Golden Rings — these historical Christmas novellas will center around a ring. This can be a family heirloom, a fairy ring — any kind of ring. Any historical time period. These should be moderately sensual to sexy. Submit by August 1, 2012

New Year’s Eve and Other Disasters — submit your romantic story centered around surprising things happening on New Year’s Eve. These can be historical or contemporary and may be moderately to super-sexy. Submit your story by September 15.

Submit using Avon’s online form: (http://www.avonromance.com/impulse/).

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And here's a quick peek at some of what I wrote yesterday, a (very thorough) revision of Tequila Sunrise:

“Oh my God I need a drink.” She collapsed onto the couch.


“You were fantastic.” He offered her coffee, but she shook her head.

“Something stronger than that.” She stared at the television, where Brigitte sat alone on stage now, talking to her audience about some new line of cookware. “How did I look? Really?” She mashed her hands against her cheeks. “Fat?”

He joined her on the couch and took both hands in his. “Gorgeous.”

She stuck out her tongue. “Liar.”

“You gonna use that? Don’t tease me with it unless you are.”

At that, she smiled and relaxed into his embrace. “You’re awful.”

“Not what you said the other day.”

“Mmm.” She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. “I like you,” she said in a quiet voice. “Have I told you that?”

He ran one hand over her hair, surprised at the swell of happiness in his gut. “I like you too. A lot.”

Monday Mentionables: I Need a Cough Remedy!

So I've been getting over a cold recently and dealing with the dreaded night-time cough, which drives me absolutely crazy! It's lasted a little over a week so far, and in my efforts to ease it, I've tried the following:
~sleeping on extra pillows
~sleeping with a humidifier next to me
~drinking tea with honey
~putting Vicks on the soles of my feet
~drinking lots of water
~taking a teaspoon of honey mixed with lemon juice
~sucking on cough drops
~taking doctor-prescribed medicine with codeine
~drinking a glass or two of wine before bed (not with the codeine lol)

Nothing has worked. The tea has come the closest. I know I'm on the mend (it gets a little better each night), I know my lungs are clear, and I know a cough is the body's way of clearing my airways. But I can only survive on 4 hours of sleep for so long! If anyone has other remedies I haven't tried, please please share them!

On the flip side, lying awake at night gives me lots of time to think about my plotline and my next story...

Friday Fun Facts: Great Print Book Giveaway Winners Announced!

Congrats to the winners of my weekly Great Print Book Giveaway: Diane Sallans and Chris L! Two more winners announced each week, and all you have to do is comment or chat or post about my giveaway! More info here, on the original post. Di and Chris, let me know your pics, and the books will be in the mail to you ASAP!

Writers' Wednesday: A Beginning and an End

So what's beginning today? My review of the audio files of Summer's Song - yes, that's right, it will be releasing in audio book format in early September, and the files arrived in my inbox yesterday ready to proof. Basically, this involves listening carefully to each chapter with the book in hand, and noting any errors and the time at which they occur. Then I send my notes back to the editor, who has the narrator do retakes. I have to say, there is something so cool about hearing your words read out loud by someone else. Though the listening process is a little tedious, I'm looking forward to it :)

Want to know more about the whole audio book process? I'm blogging about it in a 3-part series this summer/fall over at Savvy Authors. I'll let you know when those posts are up.

And what's ending? This school year, since I'm a high school teacher in my day-time, real-world job. Yesterday was the last day with students, which is always bittersweet. Lots of food, games, goodbyes, yearbook signings, gift giving, and general reflection on the year. How is it possible that each seems to go faster than the last?

Monday Mentionables: A Writers' Meeting in Review

So over the weekend I attended my local RWA (Romance Writers of America) chapter meeting. I've been a member for about 5 years, though I attend meetings with sporadic attendance. This year I've vowed to be better - because really, it's both comforting and inspiring to be in the company of fellow romance writers.

So how does a meeting shape up for us? Well, we spend about the first 1/2 hour or so socializing & catching up, since most of us don't see each other, or sometimes even talk online, in between meetings. You know, who's recovering from a cold, who adopted new kittens, whose dishwasher is on the fritz...that sort of thing.

Then we discuss Old Business (this time, it was the items we donated to the Brenda Novak Auction) and New Business (Wendy Felter of Red Rose Publishing will be coming to our July meeting and taking pitches!).

Next comes the "Round Up" - who's working on what, who's submitted what, who's sold what. A lot of us are actively revising stories, or in the middle of projects, so there wasn't a lot of sales news this time around, but that's OK. I will proudly say that we have quite a prolific chapter, with a good number of our members published in various genres and with various publishers, so like I said, it's inspiring to be around :)

And finally, we wrap up with people reading 5 pages of their current WIP. This is optional, though I've always found it quite valuable (once you get past the initial awkwardness of reading your writing out loud). We go around the table and everyone gives feedback. It's interesting to hear what certain people pick up on.

Every June we go to lunch together after the meeting, so this time we enjoyed some yummy food along with some non-writing related conversation. Among the topics discussed: domestic vs. foreign cars; the pros and cons of owning an iguana; naming cats; single motherhood; and the price of tattoos. I kid you not.

Happy Monday!

Friday Fun Facts

It's the end of another week of the Great Print Book Giveaway! Later tonight I'll share the names of the 2 people who have won their choice of books from my list. Love sharing the wealth!

Speaking of wealth, in numbers anyway, a total of 788 people entered my week-long Goodreads Giveaway for Summer's Song. Not too bad! I'm thinking of sending follow-up messages to those who entered who specifically list my genre on their reading preferences (I think some people just enter every giveaway, no matter what) - and I may offer a few ebook copies of Summer's Song if people seem interested. I'll also, of course, direct them to my blog and website. Always a good way to get a few more readers and followers! I do have to figure out a time-efficient way to do this, though, since it will involve sending individual messages and even if I only write to half those who entered, well, that's a lot!

In other news, I'm about 13K words through my revision of Tequila Sunrise. Making some major changes but the characters are cooperating so far, which is always a good thing~

Local RWA chapter meeting tomorrow, which I'm looking forward to. Always nice to chat with fellow authors and be inspired anew!

Writers' Wednesday: Pitch Results & What's Being Requested

The results are in from Romance University's pitch session with Entangled Publishing last week, and I'm thrilled to say that one of their managing editors requested both novellas I pitched, SEX ON THE BEACH & TEQUILA SUNRISE! Very exciting :)

I think about half the pitches received requests from the Entangled editors, which is great news. I scanned the other posts to see which kind of works were requested (and which weren't). In a nutshell here are the results:

~Most commonly requested material: single-title full-length (above 75K) contemporaries, romantic suspense, a couple time travel romances, and a few historicals; category-length (50K-70K) contemporaries; and a few YA romances (Young Adult).

~Some reasons that material wasn't requested: Heroine was a teenager battling Lucifer (tough for her to win...); they had just acquired a story with a rock star heroine and didn't feel they could take another; they had just acquired a military romance series and didn't feel they could take another; pitch didn't follow the guidelines (longer than 3-5 sentences); heroine was sleeping around to try and get pregnant; the story started in the wrong place; too much telling and not enough showing; no editors were looking for a shape-shifter story; didn't want a story with the main character "waking up"; a 20-year age gap between H/H was too much; the person had already pitched the story before; writing "not strong enough."

Hope you find these results interesting - I know I did. If you're an author, definitely keep your eyes out for online pitch sessions. They are great ways to get past the email slush pile and get a fairly quick response to your query and sample pages. I'll mention one: Savvy Authors often has pitch sessions with both agents and editors - there are a few coming up this summer, and here's the link.

Good luck pitching, and keep on writing!

Monday Mentionables: A Great Way to Learn is to Pitch!

OK, time for another week of the Great Print Book Giveaway - remember, all you have to do to win FREE books is comment right here or on my Facebook Fan Page (what book would you like to win? what do you like to read?) or Tweet about the contest. Last week's winners have their books on the way right now!

I pitched my 2 novellas to Entangled Publishing over at Romance University last week. The managing editor will be posting feedback on all 120+ pitches (wowzer!!) as well as making requests too. And I'll tell you a secret: it was sooooo interesting to read over the various pitches and see what people are writing and how powerful some of the first 100 words of a manuscript can be. If you ever have a chance to participate in something like that, do so. Reading over others' work can be a great learning experience for your own writing.

My Goodreads Giveaway of Summer's Song runs through this Thursday and is already up to 330 requests (as of late Sunday night). Have you entered??

Saturday Update

Sorry I'm a little late in posting this week's Great Print Book Giveaway winners BUT.....they are

Mary Hay
Debby (debby236)

Congrats! They each have their pick of the books on my list :) Email me your choice at allieb@allieboniface.com The next round os giveaways starts again Monday...

Also, just an FYI: my Facebook Fan Page is going to be down for a few days while I make some changes/updates. Stay tuned and I'll let you know when it's back up and accessible!

Friday Fun Facts!

First week of the Great Print Book Giveaway! At 6 pm today (EST), I'll announce 2 winners from all those who have commented/posted/Tweeted about the contest - and those 2 winners can have their pick of any print book from my bookshelf. Want a chance? More info on how to enter right here.

My Goodreads Giveaway for Summer's Song is going strong, now through next week! Enter here to win an autographed print copy.

Summer's Song will also be releasing as an audio book later this summer. I'm expecting the proofs of the audio files next week sometime, which is always exciting. It's so cool to hear your own words spoken by a professional narrator!

And on a writing note, I've decided my next project will be a major reworking of my novella Tequila Sunrise, which needed loads more conflict driving the action. The good news is that I have a complete draft to work with. The bad news is that I'm planning on changing a whole lot of it. Ah, well. Back to the drawing board. School is almost over, and then I'll embrace my summer vacation and the extra writing time it brings, with open arms!

Here's the new blurb for Tequila Sunrise. What do you think?

When accountant Lou, newly-divorced and unable to have children, is given the chance to sign up for a free dating service, she decides to take a chance on Toby, a construction worker who has no interest in kids or commitment. But when both end up in the “second-choice speed dating room” because they don’t meet the criteria for Charming Hearts, Lou must decide whether she’ll confront the Charming Hearts owners by suing for discrimination, as well as deal with Toby’s surprise announcement that he has a son he never knew about, in spite of the fact that she has no legal experience and suspects Toby only wants a relationship so she’ll take care of his child. 

Writers' Wednesday: Something for Everyone

For readers: in addition to the print books I'm giving away all summer long (see Monday's post if you missed the news), I'm also giving away one signed print copy of my novel Summer's Song, over on Goodreads. Check it out if you're interested!

For writers: Entangled Publishing is taking pitches tomorrow, all genres, heat levels, and lengths. Click here for more information.

Happy Hump Day!

Monday Mentionables: The Great Print Book GIveaway

Announcing.......The Great Print Book Giveaway!

OK, here's the deal: my closet and several bookshelves are overflowing with books. Many I've read. A select few I'll keep. Most I would love to pass on to new readers. That's where you come in. Every week, until the list is exhausted, I'm going to give away 2 print books for free. Yes, totally free - I'll even pay for the shipping. Sorry, this one's for US readers only :(

(Notes: These books all come from a smoke-free home. Most are in good-to-excellent condition. A few are brand new.)

How can you get your hands on free books? Each week, do any of the following:

1. Post a comment on my blog.
2. Post a comment on my Facebook Fan Page.
3. Retweet the contest news.
4. Post an original Tweet about the contest.
5. Talk about the contest on your own blog or Facebook page (make sure to email me the link! Send it to allieb@allieboniface.com)

Earn up to 10 chances a week by doing any combination of these, and then every Friday I'll pick 2 names randomly to choose a book from the list below. No limit to the times you can win, either :) A new round will begin every Monday, with the updated book list, and will continue until there are no more books to give away. And that's it!

The Great Print Book Giveaway starts right now!

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Books currently available:

The Accidental Tourist (Anne Tyler)
An Affair Before Christmas (Eloisa James)
Alison's Automotive Repair Manual (Brad Barkley)
Animal Husbandry (Laura Zigman)
Baby Proof (Emily Giffin)
Bungalow 2 (Danielle Steel)
The Carousel (Belva Plain)
A Child Called It (Dave Pelzer)
The Color of Water (James McBride)
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (Rebecca Wells)
Emergence: Labeled Autistic (Temple Grandin)
Everything's Eventual (Stephen King)
Fireworks over Toccoa (Jeffrey Stepakoff)
Five Men Who Broke My Heart (Susan Shapiro)
A Good Dog (Jon Katz)
Her Father's House (Belva Plain)
How to Deal (Sarah Dessen)
Intimate Enemy (Marilyn Pappano)
Little Children (Tom Perrotta)
Mama Makes up her Mind (Bailey White)
McKettrick's Luck (Linda Lael Miller)
The Memory of Water (Karen White)
The Mommy Fund (Madeline K. Jacob)
On the Street Where You Live (Mary Higgins Clark)
One Child (Torey Hayden)
One Day (David Nichols)
The Poet (Michael Connelly)
Prep (Curtis Sittenfield)
The Prince of Tides (Pat Conroy)
Rachel's Holiday (Marian Keyes)
Secrecy (Belva Plain)
Sleeping at the Starlite Motel (Bailey White)
Slow Waltz in Cedar Bend (Robert James Waller)
Snow Falling on Cedars (David Guterson)
The Things They Carried (Tim O'Brien)
Twilight Before Christmas (Christine Feehan)
Vinegar Hill (A. Manette Ansay)
The Wedding in White (Diana Palmer)
We Were Soldiers Once, and Young (Moore & Galloway)