Unbuckling

Blaunch Sign-Off

2011-10-26T20:33:00.002-04:00

Thank you, everyone, for stopping by. I really appreciate it. Your comments were great. Some of them had me howling. I'm off to work on the virtual bookplates. If anyone else wants one, just email me at gwyn@cready.com.

Warmly,

G

Blaunch Party Winner!

2011-10-26T20:30:00.002-04:00

Carol M, you're the winner of a signed copy of A Novel Seduction! Send your mailing address to gwyn@cready.com and I'll ship it out to you.

The Top 5 Reasons Women Love a Kilt -- Reason #1

2011-10-26T20:22:00.002-04:00

And the #1 reason for loving a kilt: Kilts hide as much as they reveal. The shapely calf catches our eye, but the flash of knee and a hint of thigh remind us there are hidden worlds to explore. Say it, ladies. We know you want it. Up with kilts.

The Top 5 Reasons Women Love a Kilt -- Reason #2

2011-10-26T20:12:00.001-04:00

Reason #2: Kilts require courage. A man has to be willing to say, "I'm different" to wear one and to invite the gaze of those around him. A woman loves a man who thinks independently and embraces his individuality.

The Top 5 Reasons Women Love a Kilt -- Reason #3

2011-10-26T19:52:00.002-04:00

Reason #3: A kilt undulates. It's rhythmic, it's eye-catching. He moves; it sways. Think Marilyn Monroe in that form-fitting dress. Think Beyoncé in that "Single Ladies video. Only it's the sword-wielding, hell-raising, testosterone-laden version of that.

The Top 5 Reasons Women Love a Kilt -- Reason #4

2011-10-26T18:30:00.003-04:00

Reason #4: Kilts are versatile. In the olden days, when kilts, or rather plaids, were formed out of tediously folded wool that was belted at one's waist, the garment served not only as a display of one's affiliation but also a dress jacket, an insulator, a windbreaker, a rain coat and a blanket. Don't we love heroes who are canny enough to get the most out of the tools they've been given?

The Top 5 Reasons Women Love a Kilt -- Reason #5

2011-10-26T17:14:00.002-04:00

First, let me point out the man on the cover of A Novel Seduction is not an eighteenth century Highland warrior—though I'm pretty sure Ellery, my heroine, not to mention about a gazillion other romance readers, wouldn't mind if he were. You can tell he's not an eighteenth century Highlander because—ta da!—he's wearing boxers. (Publishers are so smart.)

The man on this cover represents my hero, Ellery's ex-boyfriend, Axel. Things did not end well for Ellery and Axel, and, of course, who more to root for than two people who broke up for the wrong reasons and are clearly meant to be together? Axel is Canadian, and I actually tried to convince the publisher to put a Canadian flag tattoo on the cover model's arm instead of a Celtic cross, which isn't to say I don't love the cross—I do, and I think it captures the essence of Axel's bad boy past quite well--but I would have found the Canadian flag personally entertaining. I can't say why exactly, but I find almost everything about Canada personally entertaining.

Axel's father was born in Scotland—he's very proud of his Clan Mackenzie background—but moved to Canada as a kid, so Axel got a lot of practice wearing a kilt growing up. Because of this, Axel is not at all hesitant about donning one to fill in as bartender at the themed party at the hotel outside Edinburgh where he and Ellery are staying. Which is how Ellery ends up getting to live out every (reasonable) woman's fantasy of getting to make love to a kilted Highlander.

I have spent a little time ruminating on the reasons women love a kilt. Actually, I have spent quite a bit of time ruminating on this. In fact, there have been many times my husband has found me at my laptop, staring open-mouthed into space thinking about kilts, which no doubt explains why it takes me so long to finish a book.

I've come up with five reasons why, when it comes to heroes, women say, "Up with kilts" and I'm going to count them down, one by one.

Reason #5: Kilts represent ancient ties to one's family. What woman doesn't love a man who holds his blood ties dear? It means he respects tradition and honors the past.

Bad Boys. Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?

2011-10-26T15:46:00.003-04:00

Axel has a bit of a party boy past (pills, drinking, drugs), which is part of the reason he and Ellery broke up the first time they were a couple. Is it okay or not for the hero of a romance novel to have a bad boy past? Why?

Blaunching!

2011-10-26T15:25:00.001-04:00

Welcome to my live, online Blaunch Party. We're doing live Q&A, contests, surveys, pictures and more. Leave a comment on any of today's posts to be entered to win a signed copy of A Novel Seduction. Email me at gwyn@cready.com if you'd like a free signed virtual bookplate (with tartan trim!)

Haven't Gotten A Novel Seduction Yet, But Want a Taste?

2011-10-26T15:21:00.002-04:00

Here's a link to the first chapter. Enjoy!

Pittsburgh

2011-10-26T14:43:00.003-04:00

The first city Ellery and Axel visit as they do research on the article they have to write is (naturally) Pittsburgh. This visit is a little bittersweet for them as it's the town in which they met and fell in love in. But after a year together they broke up and each headed to New York to pursue their respective careers--for Axel, being a photographer, and for Ellery, being a magazine writer. That was five years earlier. Since then, they've kept their distance from one another, so neither are happy about being forced into a magazine assignment together, especially when it brings them back to their old home

It's Easy to Be Entered to Win

2011-10-26T14:23:00.002-04:00

Leave a comment on any of today's posts and you're automatically entered to win a signed copy of A Novel Seduction. And if you're interested in a free virtual signed bookplate (with a real tartan border!), just email me at gwyn@cready.com before 8 pm.

Another Picture

2011-10-26T14:15:00.002-04:00

This is the Blue Lagoon in Iceland. It's a geothermal hot springs. I've never been there, but apparently one can swim all year long because the water is so warm. I have the book's two villains meet here, since it's about halfway between London, where the female villain lives, and New York, where her male counterpart is. It is a beautiful place. And I have to say it's sort of a shame to waste such a beautiful place on the villains instead of using it for the hero and heroine, but they had other things to do in the book.

A Quick Survey

2011-10-26T13:54:00.002-04:00

How hot do you like your romances? No pepper, green pepper, serrano pepper or jalapeno pepper? Just leave a comment below. And anyone who leaves a comment on any of today's posts is automatically entered to win a signed copy of A Novel Seduction.

Time for a Picture

2011-10-26T13:41:00.004-04:00

This is Cairnpapple. It's a hill in Scotland, not far from Edinburgh, upon which prehistoric folks did a lot of ceremonies and rituals. It's also the highest point between Edinburgh and the Solway Firth to the west, which is probably why the hill was of interest to them. It's a place Ellery, my heroine, reads about in Kiltlander and she wants to go there to feel the magic the hero and heroine in Kiltlander felt there. Cairnpapple also ends being a place that Ellery and Axel make a little magic of their own (he in the famed kilt.)

Win a Signed Copy of A Novel Seduction

2011-10-26T13:34:00.003-04:00

Everyone who leaves a comment on any of today's post will be entered to win a free signed copy of A Novel Seduction. And if you're interested in a free signed virtual bookplate, email me at gwyn@cready.com before 8 pm tonight.

A Novel Seduction's Title

2011-10-26T13:29:00.003-04:00

Someone asked about the title of A Novel Seduction. As I said, unless you're James Patterson or Nora Roberts, authors don't get a lot of say in the title of a book. Publishers know that the cover, title and back copy of a book are probably the most important things in getting a book store shopper to pick up a book and they are very territorial about them. I'm lucky. I have an editor who always asks me if I have ideas for the title, but not all editors seek input. A Novel Seduction represents the first time the publisher has ever used a book title that I not only came up with but that I think represents the best possible title for the book. I love the play on words, and I guess they did, too. Needless to say, I'm pretty pleased.

What Inspired Me

2011-10-26T13:19:00.002-04:00

A number of inspirations helped bring about A Novel Seduction. First, I get tired of people who marginalize romances and romance readers, and I wanted to write a book that talked about the joy and fellowship readers get from a great love story. Second, I wanted to honor the book that made me fall in loves with romances. Ellery, my heroine, mocks romance novels even though she's never read one. Then she reads Kiltlander, a wonderful, engaging story with a Highlander hero who's brave and true and honorable (can you guess yet which book inspired me?), and she finds, much to her surprise, that she can hardly put it down.

Welcome

2011-10-26T13:05:00.005-04:00

Thanks for stopping by my Blaunch Party. I'm here to talk to you today about love, writing and, of course, A Novel Seduction. If you pop down to the post entitled "Ode to an Autumn Night, 1981," you can read about my own love story, which should give you a hint as to why I love stories.

Please drop by on and off during the day. We're going running a couple contests, doing surveys, showing pictures and taking questions. There will be a lot of new stuff posted here each time you return. And everyone who leaves a comment on any of today's posts will be entered to win a signed copy of A Novel Seduction, so comment away!

First, let me ask: Has anyone out there begun to read A Novel Seduction? My next post will be on what inspired me to write it.

Welcome to the Blaunch Party!

2011-10-25T23:19:00.003-04:00

You're in the right place. It starts at 1 pm EDT. I'll be online all day, answering your questions, blogging about the different topics, sharing pictures from the books and giving away some free copies of A Novel Seduction. If you have a question, post it as a comment here or email me at gwyn@cready.com.

Ode to an Autumn Night, 1981

2011-09-30T17:04:00.004-04:00

Thirty years ago tonight, I borrowed a vacuum from my friend Diane's brother. Diane was a year ahead of me in college, and the apartment she shared with her older brother and a third roommate was a real grown-up place, with all the accoutrements one expects such places to have, unlike the cheerless place I'd sublet for the summer, though I freely admit my desire to vacuum, which is not exactly characteristic of me, had its motives.

When I returned the vacuum, I invited Lester, the brother, to a gathering of our friends later at one of our favorite bars, the Cove. What I hadn't told him was that I had no intention of inviting anyone else. I arrived at 10:15, after my shift at the local Greek diner ended, to find Lester holding down a table for eight upon which three pitchers of beer sat. The seats, unsurprisingly, were empty except for Lester's. "So where is everyone?" I asked. He shrugged. "Damned good for nothing friends," I said and poured myself a tall one. After drinking as much as we could (a lot in those days), we went to the Hyde Park Coffee Shop, an all-night diner, where I had my first-ever fried eggs at Lester's suggestion. We headed from there to Cyril's House of Tiki for more drinks, then to an all-night grocery store for snacks and, at last, to his apartment, where we listened to all four sides of The River (Yes, "sides." That's how long ago it was.) and looked for a dirty word on every page of the dictionary (an early hint of my future writing career?) Around three or four, Diane emerged from her bedroom, and suggested we take our non-stop giggling to Lester's bedroom. We did—and shared our first kiss (and nothing more, for the low-minded out there. Lester still had to prove he could go the distance.)

That was the Wednesday, the night before the first day of my junior year of college. On Saturday, I moved in with him (apparently he'd proved he could go the distance.) Though this might have been a surprise to Lester, it was not to me. After all, not even halfway through the very first few words we'd ever exchanged two months earlier, the thought, "Oh my God, this is the man I'm going to marry!" had gone through my head, shocking me into a blushing silence. I was as certain of it as I'd ever been of anything else in my life. By November, we were engaged, and we walked down the aisle the day after I graduated to the sounds of a string quartet playing "Jungleland." It was a long time before I admitted to Lester I hadn't invited anyone else to the Cove that night. It was an even longer time before Lester admitted to me he used to sit in the park across from my diner and watch me walk to my car at the end of my shifts.

Our marriage has been wonderful, and we do celebrate our wedding anniversary, but the date that means the most to us is September 30. Happy 30th, Lester. You are a testament to trusting one's instincts. Love at first sight happens. It happened to me, and perhaps, when you sweep away the hot, sweaty stuff, that's really what's at the bottom of my romance writing. I remain amazed and grateful that the person I was attracted to at 19 is still the one I'm attracted to at 49. Les, want to meet me tonight at Il Pizzaiolo? A bunch of us are getting together for a drink...

Grand Central

2011-07-10T10:29:00.000-04:00

Wrestling the Outline

2010-12-21T16:26:00.007-05:00

Starting to writing a book outline is a little bit like going on a first date. I always needed to feel like the guy had a shot as a potential life mate or what was the point? Eight Minute Dating had nothing on me. I was able to come to a clear decision on a guy's odds of meeting the challenge in about eight seconds. Unsurprisingly with a vetting process like that, very few of them made the cut.

Writing a book outline is like a veeeerrrrry looooooong first date, which of course goes against every innate sensibility I have. I know I will be intimately involved in whatever idea I'm trying to hammer into shape for half a year or more, so I want it to be a goer, something I'll be happy to put my name on at the end, but, before that, something that will make my toes curl with excitement each morning. There's nothing worse than pouring eight or ten hours a day into a manuscript that doesn't make you dizzy with pleasure. At the start of outlining, every instinct tells me to ditch the idea, that it's too boring or too stupid or (mostly) too convoluted to work. But unlike a first date, when you can happily kick the poor fellow to the curb, an outline is your problem. If you don't like who you've set yourself up with, it's up to you to either find someone new or--egad!--fix the poor schmoe you've mistakenly said yes to when you were feeling sorry for yourself after a bad day at work and two double margaritas.

Aargh.

I hit bottom on this outline about a week in. At that point I have to go back to the core elements, the things that gave me that original tingle, in this case a librarian facing budget cuts and the bastard son of a nobleman. Feeling the tingle seems to be the only true gift I have been given as a writer. Learning to trust it and make use of it has been hard work.

A dozen ways to tie the core elements together into a coherent whole battled in my head. Each one, delivering what I considered to be a great twist, had to be worked back to the front of the book and forward to the end to see if the resultant structure fit with the characters and story. It's a lot to be going on in the head of someone with such an extreme case of attention disorder, and I found myself spending a lot of time frowning into the distance and wondering who was on Facebook. Suffice to say, I am not a natural writer.

But then, as it always has, the pieces have started to fall into place, most happily the ending, which is what the whole book should be laid down to pay off, so now I am in the process of falling in love with the story and finding myself looking forward to January, when I will begin to write.

Thank God. I'm not sure I could stand another first date.

BLAUNCH PARTY SIGN-OFF -- Giveaway Winner #3

2010-09-28T20:11:00.002-04:00

Thanks, everyone, for coming to my party. I loved sharing my pictures with you and hearing your thoughts on many topics. Because your support, I know Aching for Always will be a success.

The winner of the last giveaway is Laurie Faelan. Laurie, send your mailing address to me at gwyn@cready.com.

Thanks, again, all. There will be more contests. Please sign up for my newsletter at cready.com if you're not already on the mailing list.

Best,

Gwyn

BLAUNCH PARTY LIVE -- Pictures #15 and #16

2010-09-28T18:50:00.005-04:00

Burke's Building is the oldest extant business office in Pittsburgh, built in 1836. It's not really a home, but it looks like one, a fairly fancy one, which is why I made it the home of Rogan Reynolds, the very sexy millionaire who's trying to help Joss save her mapmaking company at the start of the book.

What I find interesting about the building, however, is that is sits right next to a soaring glass skyscraper, the PPG Building, home to PPG Industries, downtown. I love the contrast between the 19th century building and the late 20th century skyscraper.

By the way, Burke's Building is just down the street from Dollar Bank and its lions.

BLAUNCH PARTY LIVE -- Picture #12, #13 and #14

2010-09-28T18:08:00.009-04:00

Aching for Always begins with a bit of a scary adventure involving a deserted islet in the middle of the North Atlantic, 200 miles from the closest inhabitable place, which in this case would be an island off of Scotland's northwest shore. In Aching for Aching, this island, which--ta da!--really exists, is one of the passageways for time travel.

The island, which is called Rockall, is very steep, has no plants or animal life and the only fresh water it offers is rainwater that settles in depressions in the rock. However, it is technically habitable, which means it can be claimed. As such, it became the final territorial expansion of the British Empire when it was scaled, inhabited and claimed in 1955.

I love rocks, and this is a weird and interesting one, which is why I knew I had to put it in the book.

BLAUNCH LAUNCH PARTY -- Giveaway #2 Winner

2010-09-28T18:08:00.002-04:00

Book Sake is the winner of the noon to 5 pm signed book giveaway. Book Sake, send your mailing address to me at gwyn@cready.com. Thanks, everyone, for posting. There's one more giveaway. Everyone who posts a comment between now and 8 pm EDT, when the Blaunch Party will end, will be entered.

Good luck, all!

BLAUNCH PARTY LIVE -- Quick Survey #3

2010-09-28T18:05:00.002-04:00

Have you ever read a romance novel that had a cover that really didn't fit the story?

Yes
No

[And do tell us what it was and why it didn't fit.]

BLAUNCH PARTY LIVE -- Picture #8, #9, #10 and #11

2010-09-28T16:49:00.006-04:00

So what could be more magical than lions, right? I don't want to give away any secrets but lions play a key role in Aching for Always, these lions in particular.

These are the Dollar Bank lions. They guard the downtown branch of Dollar Bank in Pittburgh. Not only are they adorable, but they are historic. They were cast when Dollar Bank was built in 1871 (look at the detailed facade.) They each weigh 13,000 pounds. How do we know? Because a year ago, Dollar Bank began a big restoration project on them and had them both lifted and taken to a specialty restoration place in Ohio, where they'll be repaired, a mold will be made of them and a new set of lions, carved to match them exactly, will be made from material that can better withstand the elements. The original lions will return to Pittburgh and take a place of honor inside Dollar Bank's current headquarters.

You can read an article about it here.

BLAUNCH PARTY LIVE -- My Next Book, A Novel Seduction

2010-09-28T14:59:00.003-04:00

Hi, thanks for joining the Blaunch Party. Be sure to read all the Blaunch posts dated from this morning onward. We have a lot going on with giveaways, free signed book plates and surveys, etc.

I wanted to talk a little about the book I'm working on now. Believe it or not, this book is not a time travel book (though the one I write after this one will be.) This one is about the power of a romance novel, hence its working title, A Novel Seduction.

Emma Sharpe, a very snobby literary editor at Vanity Place magazine, screws up at work and her punishment is to write an article on why women love romance novels. She has no idea why, having never read one, but Axel Mackenzie, the sexy, streetwise photographer assigned to the story who just happens to be her ex-boyfriend has a sister who sends him her most beloved book. The sister tells Axel she doesn't know why more men don't read it because if they could learn to act like the hero, they'd be able to bed any woman they chose. Soon, Axel finds himself taking lessons from the hero and Emma discovers literary plots have nothing the action in a great romance.

It's been a ton of fun to write, since each character becomes a better person though the power of romances (We knew romances had the power to change the world, right?) I admit I'm a little nervous about having this not be a time travel, but the book in the story has almost magical powers, so it has a wee bit of the same feel. Let me know what you think of the idea.

BLAUNCH PARTY LIVE -- Morning Giveaway Winner

2010-09-28T14:51:00.003-04:00

The winner of the first signed copy of Aching for Always is "Susan," who left a comment on the very first blog post this morning. Susan, if you're out there, send your mailing address to me at gwyn@cready.com.

There are more chances to win. Just leave a comment on any Blaunch post between noon and 5 pm EDT and you'll be entered to win another copy of Aching for Always.

BLAUNCH PARTY LIVE -- Picture #6 and #7

2010-09-28T13:43:00.004-04:00

Hugh and Joss get thrust back to the past unexpectedly at one point and find themselves smack dab in the middle of raging rapids. Believe it or not, it wasn't that easy to find raging rapids in merry old England. Apparently, most of its rivers are calm--like its inhabitants. But one place seemed to suit my needs--the River Barle in Exmoor National Park in Somerset, England, the only naturally occuring rapids in England (who knew?)

Unfortunately for Joss and Hugh, their journey in the river is further imperiled by Tarr Steps, an ancient clapper bridge (from claperius, which in Latin means "pile of stones") that sits in the middle of the River Barle, fabled to have been built by the Devil himself. It's made only of slabs of stone sitting on other slabs of stone, with only their weight to hold everthing together. No mortar was used. It's the largest clapper bridge in the world.

BLAUNCH PARTY LIVE -- Quick Survey #2

2010-09-28T13:16:00.007-04:00

I've asked this before, but the answers never fail to fascinate me. First, which sort of romance novel cover do you like best and why, and, second, what kind of cover was on the book you most recently read:

A man and a woman in a clinch
A woman in a gorgeous outfit
A cartoon cover
A place cover
A thing cover

I've attached some examples. You should be able to figure out which is which. Remember, I'm asking for your vote for the best type of cover in general, not among these covers specifically (otherwise, of course, all your votes would be split between Flirting with Forever and Seducing Mr. Darcy.)

BLAUNCH PARTY LIVE -- Free Signed Bookplate, Anyone?

2010-09-28T13:12:00.002-04:00

Yes, one of these charming personalized bookplates could be yours. All you need to do is send an email to me at gwyn@cready.com and tell me to whom you want me to make it out. Then, quick as a whip (or slightly slower if I get backlogged), I'll email it back to you, just like that.

BLAUNCH PARTY LIVE -- Rules of Engagement (2nd Book Giveaway)

2010-09-28T12:47:00.002-04:00

You can swing by anytime, all day long, until 8 pm EDT. To catch up, just read the posts below you've missed. If you have a question about the writing process, the books (any of them), time travel, me, the characters--anything at all, just enter it below. I'll be posting pictures from Aching for Always all day, so you can see what's in my head as I'm writing. Send requests for virtual signed bookplates to me at gwyn@cready.com and I'll send a personalized, signed PDF right back to you. Enter a comment anywhere on any post between noon and 5 pm EDT and you'll be entered to win a signed copy of Aching for Always. If you entered the 9 am to noon giveaway, feel free to enter again with another comment.

BLAUNCH PARTY LIVE -- Majorly Great Launch Contest

2010-09-28T12:29:00.003-04:00

Surely you know about my Aching for Always Launch Contest. The prize is a GORGEOUS Kate Spade handbag with a leopard print that evokes the shoes on the cover of Aching for Always. It's easy to enter. Just click here. But hurry, the contest ends October 4, 2010.

BLAUNCH PARTY LIVE -- Thoughts on Maps

2010-09-28T12:15:00.002-04:00

Click here to see the first map that I, like Joss, the heroine in Aching for Always, fell in love with.

To me maps are magical. They help us understand more about places we know and lands we don't, but for every question they answer they give us two more to ask. Maps can also beautiful--hand-lettered and often hand-colored, and filled with representations as eye-catching as any piece of art.

In Aching for Always, one map can forever changes the lives of two people--Hugh Hawksmoor, a handsome, determined sea captain who has traveled from the eighteenth century to avenge his brother's death, and Joss O'Mally, whose struggles to keep her mother's mapmaking company afloat ties her to her own past. When they meet, there are fireworks--literally, and Joss finds herself falling for Hugh's ample charms. But when he tricks her into returning to the past with him, each will face the hardest decision each has ever had to make.

BLAUNCH PARTY LIVE -- Picture #2, #3, #4 and #5

2010-09-28T11:04:00.007-04:00

Joss, the heroine in Aching for Always, discovers a little alleyway in downtown Pittsburgh that she never knew about. The alleyway really exists. It's off of Grant Street, where Joss's office building sit. It's called Strawberry Way. Though it's just wide enough for cars, it's mostly used by pedestrians cutting from Liberty Avenue to Grant. There are a number of intersting buildings on it where the alley crosses larger streets and the alley itself is home to one of the oldest extant building in Pittsburgh, a house from the mid-1800s, which, of course, becomes the base of operations for Hugh Hawksmoor, the hero, when he arrives from the past. The house really is the home of a custom tailor shop.

Clockwise from top left, the first picture is the view down the alley from Grant Street. The alley slopes down slightly on its way to Liberty Avenue. The next picture is the tailor shop. The next is the view up the alley to Grant. Isn't it weird to see the huge skyscraper (the USX Tower, where Joss has her office) looming over such a quaint little street? The final one is the view of Strawberry Way in the evening, with the Smithfield United Church (1926) with it open-work spire above it. The spire is made of aluminum (very big in Pittsburgh given that many fortunes were made in aluminum in the 1800s.)

Beautiful and magical...

BLAUNCH PARTY LIVE -- Quick Survey #1

2010-09-28T10:26:00.003-04:00

What is your favorite profession for a hero from the past and why? Enter answer below.

Nobleman/Land Owner
Soldier/Warrior
Naval officer
Artist
Farmer
Inventor
Surgeon
Spy
Other (What?)

BLAUNCH PARTY LIVE -- Picture #1

2010-09-28T10:01:00.006-04:00

You know I'm big on time travel. I spend a lot of time thinking about what device will allow my characters to time travel. In Tumbling Through Time, it was shoes and some magic powder. In Seducing Mr. Darcy, it was a massage. In Aching for Always, the passageways always exist and characters stumble (sometimes literally) upon them.

I don't want to give away too much, but I will say that there is sometimes a signal if the characters are getting close to an active passageway. The signal for one particular passageway in downtown Pittsburgh is the weather beacon at the top of the Gulf Tower, a resplendent, old-timey skyscraper from the thirties. The weather beacon really exists, glowing pink for clear skies and blue for precipitation, and blinking if the weather is changing. In Aching for Always, though, the beacon also gives off sparks that float down to the street, and Joss, our heroine, who works in the office building next door, sees the sparks and finds herself very intrigued. Who wouldn't be, right.

Here's the Gulf Tower at night, the taller building on the left, with its blue beacon ablaze.

BLAUNCH PARTY LIVE -- Rules of Engagement

2010-09-28T09:43:00.002-04:00

You can swing by anytime, all day long, until 8 pm EDT. To catch up, just read the posts below you've missed. If you have a question about the writing process, the books (any of them), time travel, me, the characters--anything at all, just enter it below. I'll be posting pictures from Aching for Always all day, so you can see what's in my head as I'm writing. Send requests for virtual signed bookplates to me at gwyn@cready.com and I'll send a personalized, signed PDF right back to you. Enter a comment anywhere on any post by noon and you'll be entered to win a signed copy of Aching for Always.

BLAUNCH PARTY LIVE -- Book Video

2010-09-28T09:17:00.005-04:00

Okay, of course, the first thing you're going to want to see is my book trailer. It's my first one. I am extraordinarily proud of it. I worked with a great videographer, Mike Marsh, and to get exactly what I wanted (and to save oodles of money), I choose all the photos myself and scripted the board. It turned out rather well, I think. Have you watched it? Does it make you eager to read the story? I'd love to know what you think. Click here to view it.

WELCOME TO MY BLAUNCH PARTY!

2010-09-28T08:54:00.003-04:00

Today is the release day of my new book, Aching for Always, and we're going to celebrate. Everyone who enters at least one comment by noon, EDT, will be entered to win an autographed copy of Aching for Always.

I'll be posting pictures, answering questions, giving away prizes and signing free virtual book plates all day. If you'd like a bookplate, just email me at gwyn@cready.com, saying the name you'd like it to go to.

Let's party!

G

How a Romance is Born #3 -- Real Places

2010-08-22T15:38:00.004-04:00

I like to use real places in my books. I think it tickles readers and it adds a level of life to the story. I can't tell you how people told me excitedly they loved the mention of the 44U bus route in Flirting with Forever. One guy even politely pointed out that the route number had since changed. I told him I'd mention it to my editor for the next edition. And, of course, since my books are generally set in Pittsburgh, it let's me share some of my favorite places with others. People ask, do you have to get permission? The answer is no. People, yes. Places and products, no. Writers get a lot of freedom. People also ask, do people like to have their places of business put on the book? And the answer is, people are funny. Some people are THRILLED. Others are, well, let's say, less so.

In one book--I won't say which one--one of the main characters frequented a place and raved about in the book. I hadn't told the owner in advance, but assumed he'd be excited. I sent him an email a few weeks before the book came out, to see if he'd like to host a signing, etc. No response. Nada. I waited a week or so then went to the place and introduced myself, assuming he hadn't gotten the email. I mean who wouldn't respond to an email like that? He shook my hand and said, oh yeah, he knew me. He'd gotten my email. He said this in the same sort of tone one might say, what are you doing on my property? Or, I think you tracked poop into my place. I was speechless (which isn't easy to effect, by the way.) I said, okay, just wanted to say hello. He nodded and that was the end of it. Needless to say, there was no signing there.
But for the most part, people are very happy to have their name or business mentioned.

How a Romance is Born #2 -- The Sex Problem (Addendum)

2010-08-05T20:19:00.004-04:00

At a fab dinner in Orlando with my rockin' agent, Claudia, and my dear former work colleague, Camille, I was astonished to discover there are at least two other ways to get a sex scene(or near sex scene) in the book early. When I posited my dilemma to my dinner mates, listed the four methods I could think of and opened the floor for further suggestions, Claudia put in, "Masquerade sex" at almost the same time Camille said, "Black out sex." Leave it to Camille to put a modern-day edge on things, but I do applaud my peeps for their insightful additions to the list and certainly have some food for thought for future books.

Poolside

2010-07-31T13:10:00.001-04:00

One of the many pleasures of the RWA conference.

The amazing crowd at the signing

2010-07-28T18:49:00.000-04:00

I arrived late, but there are still lots of people.

How a Romance is Born #2 -- The Sex Problem

2010-07-10T20:43:00.003-04:00

Okay, it's not really a problem. Authors like writing it; readers like reading it. My editor asks me, "When is the first scene? How hot is it?" I get the message: Sex sells, so get it in early can and make it good.

Here's the problem: how fast do you really want your hero and heroine jumping into bed? You'd like them to follow some sort of natural progression, which generally doesn't include falling into each other's arms the second hour they know each other. We'll I've looked at it a number of ways. It seems to me that if you want sex in the first hundred pages (and, trust me, I'm pretty sure my editor would be cheering if it happened in the first ten pages), you've got four choices:

1. Mistake Sex. They actually do fall into each other's arms almost as soon as they meet, and while the interlude is physically satisfying*, it is too soon for the emotion maturity of the relationship, and their punishment is they must suffer for their eagerness. Upside: great way to reveal character flaws and build tension. Downside: it's tricky to make characters who engage in mistake sex sympathetic. Said another way, it's easy to make one character appear sympathetic after mistake sex. Harder to make them both.

2. Flashback Sex. The hero and heroine were involved once in the past. It ended unhappily. They meet again, each certain the other would be the worst possible choice for him, yet one or the other cannot help but remember what they once had. A great way to contrast what could be again versus what is. Upside: wonderful compare/contrast with their present circumstances and mucho fun for an author, as you truly need no set-up to toss them between the sheets. Downside: flashbacks eat up a lot of pages, reducing the potential scope of the main plot.

3. Dream Sex. Heroine and hero are butting heads over something. Best word to describe heroine's attraction level: irritation. Yet, something he does sets off a spark in her, and next thing she knows, her mind is drifting off at a meeting or she awakes after a too-real-not-to-be-believed tussle. Upside: can push the bounds of propriety and there's a certain level of author pleasure in tricking the reader, if ever so briefly. Downside: losing your reader's trust.

4. Sex with Someone Else. The heroine starts the story with a boyfriend who's either obviously wrong for her or very soon to be obviously wrong for her. It's fun to write triangles. After Tumbling Through Time came out, I got an email from a fan who was halfway through the book--couldn't put it down, in fact--but was partly confused, partly irritated and partly enthralled by the fact she couldn't figure out whether Tom was the hero or Drum. In this case, both Drum and Tom would have been perfect for Seph, so this situation was a little out of the ordinary. Upside: leaves readers breathless with anticipation. Downside: there's a fine line between following your heart and slutty.

*Related consideration: What constitutes sex? I don't want to go all Bill Clinton on you, but, as the author, if your objective is to deliver a satisfying sex scene, how much is enough? Can they almost do it? On one hand you could argue it advances the plot under more realistic circumstances. On the other, nobody, including the reader, leaves the room happy.

See the things writers have to wrestle with? And you thought it was all cover shoots and interviews. This stuff is tricky, folks.

Would love to hear your thoughts on this, and if you can think of another way to slip something satisfying in earlier [insert joke here], I'd love to hear that, too.

How a Romance is Born #1 -- Beer

2010-06-11T14:58:00.006-04:00

Wherever I go, people inevitably ask a lot of questions about the process of writing a book--where the ideas come from, how I do research, the making of the cover, etc. So as I plunge into book #5 (working title, A Novel Seduction), a book, by the way, that won't come out until the second half of 2011, I thought I begin a series of posts in no particular order about the things that go into it. You can get a peek inside the world of romance writing (pack your Vivarin) and find out how I spend my days.

In A Novel Seduction, the hero, beer lover and freelance photographer, has had it with the snooty world of NYC magazine publishing and wants to ditch it all and buy his friend's small craft brewery in Pittsburgh.

Since I knew zippo about brewing beer and because I am interested in getting the information about it right, I was thrilled to discover that one of my local writer friends, Todd DePastino, is neighbors with Scott Smith, owner of Pittsburgh's East End Brewing Company. Todd provided a handy email introduction, and I begged Scott for a chance to take a tour of his facility. Scott, who turned out to be a very friendly and interesting chap, was happy to offer me some time, so off I went to Point Breeze, where his facility is located.

It was pouring when I arrived (the rain, not the beer), but I was able to shake off the water and step into a whole new, magical, malty-smelling world as soon as I opened the door. Scott took me on an hour-long tour of his two-man facility, rather amazing, since the whole place is about as big as an elementary school gym, but we needed the time for the great stories Scott was able to give me about running a microbrewery. Scott was the perfect source because he seemed to understand instinctively that writers are looking for both the authentic details (80% of the time running a brewery is spent cleaning) and the quirky (the most amazing ingredient he's ever used in making beer is 100 loaves of rye bread.) Unfortunately, I've talked to many sources who I think can't believe anything they do is interesting and therefore freeze when you ask them to talk about it. Scott is not one of those people. His passion for brewing is infectious.

Since my hero's dream is to buy his friend's microbrewery, I asked Scott if people ever ask him if they could partner with him or buy his place or even if they should start one on their own. He said, "Only about four or five times a week."

The space he uses used to be a printing shop and there is a fairly large, open dumb waiter Scott uses to carry his hops and grains to the brewery's second floor. Since I think like a romance novelist, I figured the contraption could definitely serve as an interesting place for a liaison. I'm sure Scott was wondering why I kept asking about how much weight it could carry and whether shaking would do it damage. Scott also had a great line about baker's yeast compared to brewer's yeast being "fast, hard and dirty," which will definitely find a home in the story.

Scott also holds the principle of reducing environmental impact pretty high. He told me they generate only about one kitchen-can-sized bag of garbage each month, and that's mostly the disposable coffee cups his customers bring in and throw away.

I can't say enough about Scott and East End Brewing--especially the Monkey Boy Hefeweizen he plied me with on my way out. Loved the irony of the tap that looks like a Chiquita banana. Please visit him at http://www.eastendbrewing.com/.

Laminated List

2010-05-16T14:13:00.011-04:00

Ah, the laminated list. For those of you who aren't familiar with this phrase, it comes from an episode of Friends, when each person had permission from their current boyfriend or girlfriend to sleep with five celebrities if they ever got the chance. The list had to be laminated, meaning, once they made their selections, the choices couldn't be changed.

The topic comes up because my daughter is in the process of reading The Time Traveler's Wife, one of my favorite books. In fact, it's not just one of my favorites. If I had a laminated list for books, The Time Traveler's Wife would be on it. My daughter asked me if I thought it would be cheating if someone went back in time to sleep with their spouse earlier in their relationship. I told her I thought it probably did count as cheating, even thought it doesn't fit the traditional definition, and that it's the feeling that you're doing something you shouldn't be that makes it not okay.

But I had to smile as I answered. A month or so ago, my husband and I had finally rented The Time Traveler's Wife. My husband hadn't read the book, but I had. In fact, the reason I wasn't driven to see the movie in theaters or even to rent it very quickly after it came out, was because I, like most of you, know movies are rarely as good as the books they're based on, and movies made from books that are among one's favorite are certain to disappoint. And the fact that Audrey Niffenegger herself hadn't seen the movie didn't encourage me very much.

Nonetheless, I knew I would eventually see it, so my husband and I were watching it and the question had come up there. Would it be considered cheating if one of us went back in time to sleep with the other earlier in our marriage. Of course, I knew what my husband's position would be, which, to be truthful, is no different than mine, but it's more fun to ask him since he gets so riled up about it. Once, we nearly stopped speaking during a discussion about whether Claire was right to sleep with Louis XIV to get Jamie out of prison and a near certain death in the Outlander series. I, enjoying having my wonderful husband alive and with me, said I would certainly sleep with Louis XIV to save his life, and in that case, I wouldn't count it as cheating. I'd count is as being heroic. My husband, on the other hand, thought I should let him die in prison. [Sidenote: A more pragmatic friend, when I asked what she'd do in a similar situation, said she'd sleep with Louis XIV to get her husband out of a parking ticket. She was a history major, so perhaps it was the historical nature of the challenge that appealed to her. I don't know.

In any case, my husband got his imperious face on (part of the reason I do imperious heroes so well) and said, yes, it would definitely be cheating. Playing the innocent, I looked surprised and said, "But I'd be sleeping with you!" in response to which he growled and crossed his arms, so I let it drop. He is quite easy to tease, which is part of the reason I love him.

So my laminated list exists, but is purely theoretical, since I would never to anything to hurt my family or my marriage, which isn't to say, of course, that I don't sometimes think about these fellows when I'm creating a hero for my next book.

Gwyn's List

Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth (very hard to disentangle the two for me.)

Jamie Fraser

Jack Aubrey, not as played by Russell Crowe (the disentangling is not so hard here.)

Michael Kitchen

Johnny Carson, circa 1974

Note that I include not only fictional characters but dead celebrities. Heck, as long as the list is theoretical, I think I should be allowed to pick whomever I want.

Two questions: Who is on your laminated list, and does going back in time to sleep with your significant other earlier in your relationship count as cheating to you? I'll send a copy of Flirting with Forever to a randomly drawn winner from those who post their answers by the end of the day on Monday, May 24.

P.S. My daughter finished The Time Traveler's Wife yesterday then watched the movie herself last night. Her verdict: not nearly as good as the book.

Mileage milestone

2010-04-25T10:37:00.001-04:00

Hitting a big one here.

Rain

2010-04-24T17:47:00.000-04:00

Sadly, it's pretty rainy now in Cincy, as I head to the home of my
friends, Pam and Richard. Good to catch after a long time.

Borders Northgate

2010-04-24T17:45:00.000-04:00

Had a great reading and signing here in Cincinnati. Thank you to
everyone who came, especially Adrienne, a very loyal fan.

2010-04-23T11:07:00.000-04:00

Veteran's Memorial in front of the Columbus, IN, Courthouse.

2010-04-23T11:02:00.001-04:00

Fence around a construction site. They love art here.

2010-04-23T10:55:00.000-04:00

Even the restrooms in the municipal park look great in Columbus, IN.

2010-04-23T10:53:00.001-04:00

Look how they hide the parking lot.

Cummins Headquarters

2010-04-23T10:50:00.001-04:00

News!

2010-04-22T21:37:00.001-04:00

Finished the talk, got into my car and got a text from my friend,
Theresa Gallick, telling me Flirting with Forever had gotten a glowing
review in entertainmentweekly.com. On the home page!!! Great end to a
great night.

The Bartholomew County Library in beautiful, downtown Columbus, IN

2010-04-22T21:33:00.001-04:00

This is where I did my talk tonight. Columbus, IN, some of you may
know is one of the top five architecturally significant city in the
US. Surprised? I was, too. It's totally gorgeous, situated along a
river, with huge, old homes on big lots and a charming commercial
district. I'm taking the architectural tour tomorrow. More pics then.

2010-04-22T14:42:00.002-04:00

Jalpeno sliders. Mmmmmm.

Had to stop at White Castle.

2010-04-22T14:42:00.001-04:00

They don't have these in Pittsburgh.

2010-04-22T10:55:00.000-04:00

I've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of Diet Pepsi and 48 hours of
Diana Gabaldon's Echo in the Bone.

2010-04-22T10:50:00.000-04:00

My bon voyage crew.

My favorite road-trip partner.

2010-04-22T10:49:00.000-04:00

Hitting the road for Beetle-Mania Tour.

2010-04-22T10:48:00.000-04:00

Can you spot the all-important wine carrier?

Blaunch Party -- Portrait of Peter Lely

2010-04-05T19:16:00.002-04:00

Read the "Blaunch Party" many posts below to discover all the fun things going on today, including" surveys, contests, free virtual bookplates and pictures every hour.

The last picture is this:

This is a self-portrait of Peter Lely. He didn't paint very many self-portraits. In the book, Cam first grows interested in Peter when she sees this self-portrait. I'm not a big fan of mustaches, so I used my author power and ignored that part, but I love the rest of it. He really does look like a man who's lived through some unhappiness. I hope Peter (and each of you) enjoys the journey I've taken him on. I'd like to think it's one he would have picked for himself.

Blaunch Party -- Romantic Paintings in the Book (3)

2010-04-05T18:15:00.001-04:00

Read the "Blaunch Party" many posts below to discover all the fun things going on today, including" surveys, contests, free virtual bookplates and pictures every hour.

This is the next picture:

This is a painting by French painter, Pierre Bonnard. He had a very turbulent relationship with his wife/muse, Marte. Like Wyeth and Katz, he painted his favorite subject over and over, but Bonnard was a little different. He always painted Marte at the same age, when they first fell in love. Even as she got older, he painted her as a young woman, often in her bath, and it continued that way even after she died. He always saw her the same way.

To me, this is very different than Katz or even Wyeth. What do you think?

Blaunch Party -- Romantic Paintings in the Book (2)

2010-04-05T17:10:00.004-04:00

Read the "Blaunch Party" many posts below to discover all the fun things going on today, including" surveys, contests, free virtual bookplates and pictures every hour.

The next picture is this:

This is another painting that has significance in the book. In 1986, Andrew Wyeth revealed his Helga collection, 247 works of a woman named Helga who was his neighbor and helper. He painted and drew her over and over, naked and dressed, without the knowledge (Wyeth says) of Wyeth's wife or Helga's husband over a period of 14 years. It was the first time such a massive collection, done around a single subject, was revealed as a whole, and rather shocked the art world. He sold the collection to a single buyer for a massive amount of money, but I find his whole fascination with this woman very interesting.

Forget the naked part. Do you think it's fair to devote so much of your time to such an effort without revealing the details to your spouse?

Blaunch Party -- Romantic Paintings in the Book (1)

2010-04-05T15:44:00.004-04:00

Read the "Blaunch Party" many posts below to discover all the fun things going on today, including" surveys, contests, free virtual bookplates and pictures every hour.

The next picture is this:

There's a lot of art in Flirting with Forever--Peter's, Van Dyck's and a trio of other painters that help set up parallels to Peter's own relationship. This is a painting done by Alex Katz of his beloved Ada. While Katz has painted other subjects, he has come back time after time to his favorite subject, Ada, his wife of many decades. I love that you can see how much he loves her, even with wrinkles and gray hair. He always paints her through a lens of deep affection.

Have you ever seen a painting or a photograph or a sculpture where you could tell the artist loved (or didn't like) his subject?

Blaunch Party -- Zebra-striped Shoes Contest

2010-04-05T15:36:00.003-04:00

Read the "Blaunch Party" many posts below to discover all the fun things going on today, including" surveys, contests, free virtual bookplates and pictures every hour.

It's not too late to enter the contest to win a pair of Michael Kors zebra-striped shoes ($165 value.) There are three easy ways to enter. The contest ends April 11. Click here to find out more.

Blaunch Party -- Quickie Survey

2010-04-05T14:40:00.002-04:00

Read the "Blaunch Party" many posts below to discover all the fun things going on today, including" surveys, contests, free virtual bookplates and pictures every hour.

Here's the next survey:

Should romance novels concentrate on the heroine's point of view, the hero's point of view or be pretty evenly divided down the middle? Post your vote below and tell us why.

Blaunch Party -- Peter's Building

2010-04-05T12:41:00.004-04:00

Read the "Blaunch Party" post several posts below to discover all the fun things going on today, including" surveys, contests, free virtual bookplates and pictures every hour.

Here's the next picture:

This is another building on Washington Road in Mt. Lebanon. Tt's the building where Peter takes lodging when he decides he'll stay in Cam's time until he changes her mind. It's a building with a very interesting history, but what I love about it is the fact it looks like a castle. I figured if Peter were going to live anywhere, it would have to be in a building that almost looks as if could have been build in 1673. The building was designed in 1928 or so to be a theatre. That's why it has a marquee in the front. But before it was finished, the stock market crash of 1929 happened and the man who was building it lost all his money. It was never finished as a theatre. Instead it became an insurance company for William Hall Insurance. There are apartments on the second floor, though. For many years, until this year, actually, the first floor housed a very upscale wedding dress shop called Anne Gregory for the Bride. This building and the bridal shop was used as a location in a really romantic movie called, The Bread, My Sweet (though the title was changed to A Wedding for Bella when it went to DVD), another good reason for Peter to make it his home.

Here's a picture of the door to the apartments upstairs. It's to the left of the bridal shop entrance as you're facing the building. Those are the original light fixtures. They're gorgeous, and I love the rosettes above the door:

Blaunch Party -- Aldo Coffee Shop

2010-04-05T12:09:00.003-04:00

Read the "Blaunch Party" post several posts below to discover all the fun things going on today, including" surveys, contests, free virtual bookplates and pictures every hour.

Here's the next picture:

This is Aldo Coffee in Mt. Lebanon. It is directly across the street from the Cyclops Building. Once he's smitten with Cam, poor Peter plants himself here every day to watch her come home. And while he loves the coffee, I think he ultimately sets himself up for more pain than happiness there, for he ends up seeing Jacket greet Cam, hug her and lead her upstairs. Rough for a hero who's falling in love again for the first time in over 300 years...

This is Peter's view, looking out the window.

Did you ever sit someplace where you knew you'd catch a glimpse of someone you had feelings for?

Blaunch Party -- Win a Signed Copy of Your Favorite Cready Novel

2010-04-05T11:59:00.002-04:00

Read the longish "Blaunch Party" post several posts below to discover all the fun things going on today, including" surveys, contests, free virtual bookplates and pictures every hour.

Anyone who sends me a question, asks for a bookplate or posts a comments between 11 am Eastern time and 4 pm Eastern time will be entered to win a signed copy of one of my books (your choice.)

Blaunch Party -- Quickie Survey

2010-04-05T11:39:00.002-04:00

Read the "Blaunch Party" post four posts below to discover all the fun things going on today, including" surveys, contests, free virtual bookplates and pictures every hour.

First survey: Should Sandra Bullock kick Jesse James sorry tattooed ass out of her life forever or should she reflect on the fact that everyone makes mistakes and try to work things out? Kick or reflect? Post your vote below.

Blaunch Party -- Bookplates!

2010-04-05T10:46:00.001-04:00

Read the Blaunch Party" three posts below to discover all the fun things going on today, including" surveys, contests, free virtual bookplates and pictures every hour.

Don't forget to send me your email address and name if you'd like a free virtual bookplate.

Blaunch Party -- The Carnegie Museum of Art

2010-04-05T10:22:00.004-04:00

Read the Blaunch Party" two posts below to discover all the fun things going on today, including" surveys, contests, free virtual bookplates and picturs every hour.

Here's the next picture:

This is the Carnegie Museum of Art, part of the Carnegie Museum, one of Andrew Carnegie's wonderful gifts to the city of Pittsburgh. Cam works here as the curator of modern art. It is here, in her office, that she first falls through the time tube while trying to do research to inject some much-needed intrigue into her biography of the painter, Anthony Van Dyck. I think she gets all the intrigue she can handle.

Here are the steps just inside the entrance that take a visitor up to the galleries. These are the steps Cam is running down near the start of the book. The steps are at least twice as deep as regular steps, which means you take two steps on each stair, which makes running down or up them very awkward.

Cam's Loft

2010-04-05T09:21:00.005-04:00

Read the Blaunch Party" post below to discover all the fun things going on today, including" surveys, contests, free virtual bookplates and picturs every hour.

Here's the next picture:

This is the building Cam lives in in Mt. Lebanon. It used to be called the Cyclops Building and many of the floors served as the headquarters to Cyclops Steel Corp. Now it is the more anonymous "650 Washington Road," a significant decline if you ask me. It's the tallest building in Mt. Lebanon counting floors--I'm sure many church spires are taller--and it always struck me as odd that someone would build such a relatively tall building in a suburb. It has a magnificent view of the South Hills, which is why I put Cam in a loft at the top, though it really isn't a residential building at all. I would love to see a restaurant or bar at the top so that everyone could enjoy the view. When I was a kid my orthodontist was on the second floor of this building.

I took the picture from the top of the Mt. Lebanon parking garage. In the book, Cam and Jacket are standing on the top of garage when Jacket asks her to marry him.

Blaunch Party!

2010-04-04T23:20:00.006-04:00

Welcome aboard! I'll be here all day, hovering over my little keyboard, ready to talk about Flirting with Forever, answer your questions and have a little fun.

Blaunch stands for Book Launch. I am having a live and in-person book launch this Thursday, April 8, at Joseph Beth Booksellers here at the South Side Works in Pittsburgh, but if you can't be there in person, I will endeavor to offer you as much fun here at the virtual one.

Here are some of the events:

Virtual bookplates--ALL DAY: Email me at gwyn@cready.com with your name and I'll email you back a signed Blaunch Party-exclusive full-color bookplate for your copy of Flirting with Forever.

Pictures--ONE PER HOUR: I'll post pictures relating to stuff in the book--people, places and things--and talk about what they mean. You'll discover all the secret insights.

Quickie surveys--THROUGHOUT THE DAY: No, this isn't surveys about your impromptu carnal practices. I know my readers like to vote, and I'll give you guys the chance.

Prizes--FIRST ONE: Post a comment or question by 11 am Eastern time and be entered to win an autographed copy of any of my books (your choice.)

Here's the first picture:

It's one of my favorite Peter Lely's paintings. It also happens to be the Duchess of Portsmouth. Have any of you gotten far enough in the book to know the part she plays in our heroine's life? Cam is understandably none too fond of her. She really was French. She was a lady-in-waiting to Charles II's queen when Charles grew enamoured of her. She was elevated to the title of duchess a few months before she appears in our story, mainly because she gave birth to one of Charles II's many illegitimate sons a year earlier. Charles, known as the "Merry Monarch," fathered many illegitimate children, at six of which he made into dukes, including one of the two sons he fathered to Nell Gwynn.

In any case, this is an excellent example of the amazing work Lely did. The silk of her skirt makes you absolutely want to run your fingers through it.

If you had the chance to pose for a painter, perhaps even Peter Lely, would you do it? Why or why not?

Hot Tub Time Machine

2010-03-28T23:18:00.004-04:00

Ya gotta love a movie that uses a hot tub as the time vehicle. As star and producer John Cusask said, "You're pretty much in or out after you hear the title."

Well, I was in, and it was a lot of fun. Sort of a cross between The Hangover and 13 Going on 30, the movie was a perfect Friday night fling for a time travel romance writer. I think what I liked most was that it paid tribute to my favorite time travel movie--one of my favorite movies of all time, actually--Back to the Future. It had Crispin Glover in a funny supporting role. There was a clock tower. There was a guy from the future who flickers out of existance without warning to remind everyone of the importance of finding their way back. All it needed was a DeLorean and a truckload of angry Libyans.

I was trying to think of all the devices writers have used to grease the time tubes, so to speak. We've got a hot tub, of course, a DeLorean, ghosts of Christmas Past and Future, a ring of standing stones, a telephone box, a time machine, a wardrobe, an hourglass necklace, a tesseract, the sound of Sonny and Cher singing, a baseball field, a pair of pink shoes and a massage (And, by the way, an autographed copy of Flirting with Forever to the first person who provides the book or movie from which each of these comes. Several have more than one answer. Email me at gwyn@cready.com. I'll post the winner here.) I personally think it's the device that sets the tone for the whole story. What says fun more than a decade-hopping DeLorean?

I get asked, "Why time travel?" a lot. Sometimes they mean because romance time travel is such a narrow niche, but sometimes it's because they honestly don't understand the allure. I feel like answering, "So take me away, I don't mind. But you better promise me, I'll be back in time. Gotta get back in time." There's just something really interesting about the conflicts characters face when they have the chance to change what's already happened in their lives. Would you take a do-over if you got the chance? How much would you risk to make it happen or to stop it from happening? And of course in a love story, if the characters come from different times, you know the ending can come in one of three ways: they'll be together in his time, they'll be together in her time or they'll be apart, which adds an extra twist to the usual they'll be together or they won't choices.

My Top Five Time Travel Stories:
> Back to the Future
> Outlander
> The Time Traveler's Wife
> 13 Going on 30
> To Say Nothing of the Dog

What's on your list?

Editorial Letters and the Boss

2010-02-13T21:25:00.014-05:00

Right now, sitting on the floor of my family room, tucked out of sight under my ottoman, sits the editorial note on book #4 from my editor, the all-powerful Megan (APM), and her notes on my manuscript. It isn't that I don't want to see it, or perhaps I should say it isn't only that I don't want to see it, it's that things like editorial letters are best left to settle for a few days before one acts. One mustn't be too hasty. I have read the letter, and APM as usual did a great job suggesting what would improve the story and sharpen the pace. And she actually liked the book quite a bit so, on the whole, there's very little I will have to change. Which is waaaaaay different than book #3, Flirting with Forever, which required a major rewrite of the first 100 pages after receipt of the editorial letter.

Nonetheless, I'd prefer not to think about or even look at that mass of paper, even if it only represents a couple weeks' worth of work instead of a month or more. It's still work, after all, and I'm much more of an ass-on-couch-type gal.

So instead I'm going to do a riff on Springsteen while I flip back and forth between the Olympics and a rerun of Die Hard here in Pittsburgh. Anyone who knows even the smallest bit about me is probably aware I'm a big Bruce fan. I've seen him dozens of time in concert. I've met him. My husband and I had our first date at a Springsteen concert. A string quartet played "Jungleland" as the guests filed into the chapel before our wedding. My 21-year-old son proudly wears a "Tunnel of Love" Tour t-shirt with a list of 1988 dates that includes the Pittsburgh one his parents attended while he bopped around in his mother's uterus. A fine first concert, I say.

Bruce and I have had a long run together, longer than my husband and I. Way longer than the guy I was dating who gave me my first Springsteen album (Darkness on the Edge of Town in 1978.) Longer than the guy who went with me to my first Bruce concert (Thanksgiving weekend, Pittsburgh, 1980, with seventh-row tickets my sister, Claire, scored from a scalper as an early Christmas gift for me.) Bruce and I both fell in love with our spouses in the 80s (Bruce with two; me, just the one). We did our child rearing during the same decades and have kids around the same ages. I feel like his music has been not just the soundtrack of my life, but the soundtrack of life, period.

Anyhow, I watched two TV shows in the last month or so that really got me thinking (always a dangerous thing.) First up was the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Anniversary Concert. Bruce is doing a duet on "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" with Bono, who is introducing the song with an usually high level of seriousness even for him. (My friend, Wileen, who introduced me to the rest of the Springsteen catalog in the summer of 1980 reminds me that Dave Marsh said that U2 will never be true rockers since they lack a sense of humor about themselves.) In any case, a quietly grinning Springsteen, feeling the impatience of the crowd during this ponderous intro, gives Bono a shoulder thump to end it, saying, "Let's have some fun with that."

Perfect Bruce moment. He's always been able to cut to the chase and have a good time while he was doing it.

Which leads me to the Kennedy Center Honors Concert honoring Bruce that I watched a few weeks after that. It consisted of a bunch of performers (Sting, Melissa Etheridge) belting out Springsteen classics while Bruce and Patti watched from the balcony. I felt uncomfortable, Bruce looked uncomfortable, and I couldn't figure out why. Then it struck me. Bruce hasn't reached the point where it's better to hear others sing his songs, or, really, even good. He's still such a vital, contributing performer that it was painful to watch these pale imitations sing his stuff. And I could tell by the amount of fidgeting he was doing that all Bruce wanted to do was leap from the balcony a la John Wilkes Booth, grab a guitar and really rock the crowd out. Nope, that was a honor bestowed about twenty years too soon.

Compare and contrast, however, Mick Jagger, who was doing the old rooster thing with Fergie during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert on "Gimme Shelter." Call me ageist, but I do not want to see a 66-year-old guy bumping and grinding. You cannot base your whole public persona on being a walking hard-on and expect it to play when you're old enough to be shopping hip replacement surgeons. I had to turn my head. There's a guy who's definitely ready for the Kennedy Center Honors. Props to Jagger for a fantastic catalog that changed rock music forever, but please, please restrict all future live performances to a medium more suited to you--radio.

Please also compare and contrast Roger Daltry and Pete Townsend during the SuperBowl Half-time Show, who looked, in the immortal words of Jim Cready "as if their children didn't know they were out," (a comment he voiced about Vice Admiral Stockdale during the 1992 VP debate, but it definitely applies here.)

Well that's my riff on Bruce. It has effectively kept me from thinking about that manuscript peeking out from under the ottoman for the last hour and so has served its purpose well.

Let me leave you with one of the most romantic songs ever written. It's about what love feels like after twenty years, and it's how I feel about my Valentine. I hope you feel the same way about yours. These really are our Kingdom of Days. Let's have some fun with that.

Gwyn
www.cready.com
b

What Dress? What Footwear?

2010-02-06T19:09:00.002-05:00

This is it, your chance and mine to give Pocket Books some input on what we want on my next cover. Now I know you think of Flirting with Forever as my next cover, but the publishing worlds works a much longer time ahead. Flirting with Forever, my third book, is being printed this month for its launch on March 30. The manuscript for book #4, which has a release date later this fall, is in the hands of APM (the all-powerful Megan). Soon I will be getting her editorial letter and will plunge back into a book I haven't seen (or really thought about) since the end of October to make her changes. [This is worth a post in itself since it involves me spending a large amount of time knitting my brows and saying things like, "I named my heroine what?" and "I had them go where?"]

Concurrently with the re-write, however, APM is making magic happen with book #4 on the publisher's side of things. Most important, she commissions a cover, and I'm lucky enough to have the same folks who worked on Flirting with Forever , illustrator Gene Mollica and dress designers Shirley and Victor Forster, working on it.

In order to commission a cover, APM and the art designer at Pocket Books provide Gene, Shirley and Victor a short summary of the book and some thoughts on what they're looking for in general. Since APM and S&S want to duplicate the look of Flirting with Forever(a woman in a dress and a funky pair of footwear) on the cover of book #4, APM has asked me for my thoughts. Readers, you know my thoughts are your thoughts. What kind of dress should the model on the cover of book #4 wear? What color should it be? What sort of footwear?

I'll pick a winner at random from everyone who posts on this topic to win an autographed copy of Flirting with Forever, whose name I'll post here. You'll have to email me your mailing address after that.

2010-01-17T15:50:00.005-05:00

Birthdays. You just can't avoid 'em. Today's mine. Not that I want to avoid my birthday. I've never been one of those people who tries to pretend birthdays don't happen. Part of the reason why I embrace them is because--I know this is going to be a surprise to my friends and family--I love being celebrated. But part of reason is because I do it to honor my friend, Karen Flo, who passed away a few years ago after a long battle with breast cancer. When she was fighting the good fight, I called her once on her birthday and make some sort of joke about getting older. She said, "I never mind birthdays, Gwyn. It means I'm still here."

So no coyness. No overly-precious avoidance. It's my birthday, I'm 48, and I'm damned glad to be here. Really.

In fact, today marks the one year anniversary of perhaps the best year in my life (It's hard to pick, though. I've had more than my fair share of great ones.) Of course, any year that begins with quitting a shitty job is bound to be good, and mine was. For the first time in my life, I unyolked myself from the corporate world. Scary? Yes. Unnerving? You bet. But the time had come to really be a writer.

I'm a risk-avoider, so in many ways this year was such a satisfying and much-needed lesson for me. My romance-writing career had finally taken off after ten years of trying to get published, an effort that had filled my weekends and late nights for as long as I could remember. I remember my sister-in-law, who knows me too well, saying, "What if your books get so popular, you'll have to quit your job?" I laughed. Nothing on earth would get me to quit my job. Like Charleton Heston, I knew they'd have to pry that employee badge out of my cold, dead hands. "No," I said. "Not possible." She said, "What if you don't have a choice?"

And, as if Life knew when I needed an object lesson, 2008 was the year I debuted as a novelist and the year my company announced they were moving my division from Pittsburgh to New Jersey. Talk about highs and lows. And while I'm quite fond of New Jersey, being the Springsteen fan I am, there was no way I was going to uproot my daughter and husband, who are quite dug in here.

So after twenty-two years at my company, I exited stage left with an extraordinarily lucrative separation package and a healthcare plan for life. On top of that, my college-age son got a great job offer on my last day of work, so he was going to be far less of a financial worry for my husband and I. All signs one could make the leap to full-time writing, right? Not for Gwyn Cready. I ignored Life's elegantly laid-out invitation and leaped into another job right away. This did not please Life, who felt like she'd arranged things to make what I should do as easy as possible. So she decided she'd make her intentions clear. The new job I'd accepted was dreadful (though a number of my colleagues were quite nice.) In three months, I was so unhappy, I had no other choice but to make the jump.

Why did I hesitate? Chalk it up to an abnormal need for security.

But it didn't take long to discover that not working was exactly the sort of work I was made for!

I spent more time and better time with my family. I saw my daughter off to school every day and was there when she got home. Once the weather was warmer, I sat at a table on my front porch, writing: the outline for book #4, a short story for an anthology, the revisions to book #3, the manuscript for book #4, and the beginning of book #5. Along the way, I picked up a number of consulting gigs, which pleased the marketing part of brain and gave me an opportunity to work with some of the smartest and nicest people I know. I relaxed and let go of my need to control my destiny (or at least so tightly control my destiny.) I let go, yet I was amazed at how many good things came my way. And when the call came that I'd been nominated for a RITA and that the ceremony was going to be on the birthday of my sister Claire, whose death twelve years ago was what made me want to become a writer, I knew that I didn't have to worry anymore, that I was being watched over.

Forty-seven was a great year. Here's to whatever forty-eight will bring. I'm ready.

Gwyn

Birthdays

2009-12-16T15:15:00.006-05:00

Today is my mom's birthday. If she hadn't died when she was forty-three, she'd be eighty. Except for living through abuse, I'd have to guess that losing a mother is the most powerfully transformative experience a child can have. I was eleven, and the day she died was the end of my childhood as I knew it. I had already been born old. My father used to say I was the only five year old he knew with gray hair. Perhaps life knew what it had in store for me. Life might have, but I sure didn't.

My mom contracted leukemia. It was 1973. If doctors were doing bone marrow transplants, they weren't doing them in Pittsburgh or at least not for her. My mother, who had had to abandon her dreams of going to college when World War II ended and the soldiers streamed back home and into the universities, had returned to the work force only a few years earlier. The month she was diagnosed she won the award for best-selling agent in her real estate office. My parents, who had divorced when I was nine, chose not to tell me about her prognosis, which was that she might live a year. I can't judge their decision--times were different then--but I know I would tell my children in the same situation for so many reasons, but at the very least to ensure they would avoid that feeling that the world's dropped out from under your feet when your mother's best friend flings open your mother's bedroom door and calls to your father, who's putting away groceries downstairs, "Jim! Hurry! It's Carol."

That night, my dad, who had moved to his bachelor pad less than two years earlier, moved back into our house. I remember sitting with him on the couch at the end of that never-ending day, watching Johnny Carson in the dark, him sipping an Iron City, me wondering how life could have changed so quickly and how else it might change without warning. Never again would I take good things for granted. Never again would I trust good things to last.

I'd like to think I've gotten better over the years. It's helped that my kids are nearly grown, freeing my psychic energy from the fear of leaving them young and motherless and allowing it to focus on bounty not loss.

Speaking of bounty, here's a list of the things my mother, Carol Scott Cready, loved. The joy she felt about this stuff still reverberates in my life today, and for that I am very grateful:

1) Reading -- Me too! She read Dorothy Sayers, Josephine Tey and John Le Carre, all of whom I've read and loved as well.
2) Bridge -- Not me, and I've tried. I definitely failed her here.
3) Rod McKuen -- In her honor, I got tickets to see his 70th birthday concert at Carnegie Hall in 2003. Met him afterward, too. I'd like to think my mom would have approved. I'd also like to think she was watching.
4) Oscar the Grouch -- Best damned character on Sesame Street, even if my daughter, who carries my mother's name, refers to him as "that garbage monster."
5) Her job -- You said it, sister. Life's too short to do anything you don't love.
6) Billie Jean King trouncing Bobby Riggs -- Their infamous match was six weeks before my mom died. We watched it together and cheered ourselves hoarse.
7) The Forsyth Saga on PBS -- She loved the 1967 version. I loved the 2002 version.
8) Mark Spitz -- Okay, different wave lengths here, but I get the idea.
9) Tom Jones -- Two words: Colin Firth.
10) Me -- And what more does one need to know, really?

Happy birthday, Mom.

G

P.S. As I wrote this crying, my daughter threw her arms around me and gave me a long hug. That's what I call bounty.

I'm Back

2009-11-18T12:00:00.005-05:00

My goodness! Let me blow the dust off my blog and get to work here. Yes, yes, I know it's been ages since I posted. But, trust me, it's been ages since I went shopping, read a book, went out to dinner or did anything that didn't involve writing, editing or reviewing manuscript changes.

All that for you, my dear readers. Flirting with Forever is looking great and ready to knock your socks off in bookstores on March 30. The cover is totally gorgeous, and I'll be posting it here in a few weeks. In addition, the first draft of Mapping the Past (working title) my October, 2010 release is in to the all-powerful Megan, and I think you'll like that one, too. Both are über-romantic with sexy, strong heroes and sassy heroines.

Flirting with Forever is the story of Peter Lely, a long-dead painter who returns to Earth to settle the hash of Campbell Scott, the author of The Girl with a Coral Earring, whose series of sexy, tell-all biographies is driving the dead art world nuts. Totally fun. If you read The Girl with a Pearl Earring and said to yourself, "Jeez, I wonder what Vermeer would have thought if he'd read this?" you'll find out in Flirting with Forever. It's a sexy romp through Pittsburgh, London and the court of Charles II, but it's also the most romantic story I've ever written.

Mapping the Past (working title) is about the secrets maps hold and what happens people step off the paths they think they're supposed to be following in life. This one's another really romantic one, and I'm happy to tell fans of Drum from Tumbling Through Time that the hero is another sexy sea captain. There's just something about those uniforms, isn't there?

Keeping me company while I wrote this summer and fall has been new addition to our home, India the kitten. That's her at the top there, in a picture my son took. She's about as friendly a cat as I've ever had and spent most of the summer asleep on my chest, spread across my arms or (if I happened to turn my head or leave the table) perched on my nice, warm keyboard, where she twice managed to select all the text in my manuscript and delete it (thank God for Ctrl+Z).

India has a mighty engine in her, and we spent many hours a day typing away on the front porch, greeting the mail delivery lady and the UPS driver, shouting at people who drive the wrong way down our one-street and generally enjoying the sunshine and good weather. Trusty dog, Socks, was at my feet, and the other cats, inured to the pleasures of team writing, hunted vagrant chipmunks and slept in the shade of the garden.

One of the things that kept me extra busy this summer was writing a short story for an anthology that's coming out December 8 called The Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance. Here's the cover. Nice, eh?

I was thrilled to be asked to contribute, and in fact Trisha Telep of the famed Murder One Bookstore in London, who edited the anthology, tells me my submission, "The Key to Happiness" is the lead-off story in the collection. "The Key to Happiness" is very sweet and very romantic. It's about a man who has loved a woman from afar all his life and is invited to her wedding and brings along an unexpected guest--well, sort of. It was great working with Trisha and I heartily recommend you pick up the book. It would make a great holiday gift, especially for yourself : ) Click here to order.

That's it for now. Check back soon. I'll be doing a special sneak preview of Flirting with Forever.

Best,

G

www.cready.com

RITA on mantle

2009-07-19T16:18:00.000-04:00

RITA in the morning

2009-07-19T07:50:00.001-04:00

Drunk ride to Chevy Chase in cab after long night celebrating in Omni Shoreham Hotel with my wonderful friends.

2009-07-19T01:14:00.000-04:00

My RITA!

2009-07-18T22:23:00.000-04:00

The Rita audience

2009-07-18T20:10:00.001-04:00

Pretty townhomes around the Woodley neighborhood.

2009-07-18T11:46:00.001-04:00

You can see all my very entertaining RWA conference tweets @GwynCready
on Twitter.com.

Walking Woody

2009-07-18T11:15:00.001-04:00

God's wrath seems to have lifted. The humidity has lifted. It's a
gorgeous day in DC.

Duckty and Whale

2009-07-17T18:10:00.001-04:00

An Eric Carle lithograph from an exhibit across the street from the
hotel. I love this.

Awaiting lunch at the Omni Shoreham...

2009-07-17T12:19:00.000-04:00

...with my editor, Megan. Caught a catnap, too.

Site of Pocket Book Author Dinner

2009-07-17T08:46:00.000-04:00

Twenty-five authors, four editors, one publisher and a never-ending
supply of wine.

You Never Know with Women

2009-07-16T18:30:00.000-04:00

The bag all conference attendees received, celebrating Harlequin's
60th anniversary. Totally cool.

Woody

2009-07-16T16:37:00.001-04:00

Dog at the house in which I'm staying.

Nora Roberts

2009-07-16T15:18:00.000-04:00

Nora Roberts has an amazingly deep voice--very Lauren Bacall.

Eloisa James preparing to speak

2009-07-16T13:51:00.000-04:00