Okay, now look at this guy.  He's a biker, big, burly, no doubt strong, with multiple tattoos.  He looks like a real bad-ass.  Most women would be afraid of him, even though they might find him attractive in a "forbidden fruit" kind of way.  The cover says he's a gypsy.  Should a man be jealous of this huge, hairy biker dude? 
   I can only answer for myself...I'm not privy to the thoughts of ALL women...just my own.  I would say, there's nothing to be worried about. And not just because J.T. exists only in my mind, and between the pages of my book. 
In my experience, women read romance novels to experience a different kind of romance.  This does NOT mean they are not happy with what they have.  I've been happily-married for 25 years, together with my man for 28.  We have raised 4 kids to young adulthood.  We schedule weekends away as often as we can afford to, in order to spend time just being with each other.  He's very romantic, and still to me, the sexiest man I ever met.
But not only do I READ romance novels, I WRITE them!
Why?  Because even though I would never cheat on my husband, whom I adore, I still have fantasies in my head.  I still imagine what it would be like to be with other men...I see someone walk by, I see a face/body on TV, or more commonly for me, I wake up with a whole storyline in mind, that involves me being some other woman, and meeting some other man, who turns out to be the one I've been looking for.
Why do men look at pictures of naked or scantily-clad women?  Same reason.  And just as looking at sexy women might "put them in the mood", so too do women "get in the mood" reading stories about another woman's love story.  Don't worry about HOW your woman got in the mood, guys.  Just enjoy the fact that she is, and that she's turning to YOU to scratch her itch!  Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

Look closely at the picture of the man here.  What do you know about him?  He looks tanned, fit, and handsome.  He's blind...that much you learn from the blurb on the cover.  What's he like in bed?  Is he a wild man, or does he let the woman take the lead, so he knows how to please her by doing things her way?  The cover is what many women use to choose which books they want to read.  But why do women read romance novels?  What do they get from them?  And should men feel threatened that their wives/girlfriends voraciously devour stories about other men?  Should they be jealous?

So I got a comment to a blog posting below asking me how long it takes me to write a book...that depends on the story arc that is in my head, and how much time I can devote per day to writing.  Those of you who know me, know that I have 4 young adult children, and a widowed mother who has Alzheimers.  I work part-time, and attempt to try out at least a couple of new recipes each week, either for a dinner or a bread/dessert.  And I do like to spend some time with my husband...and my other friends.  So I can't really say how long...but usually once I get a book started, I spend all waking moments thinking about it, and often I dream of scenes and the way they are going to play-out.
As for who proofreads, that would be moi.  I am an English teacher, and it was drilled into me early on that revising is your friend.  I tell students that no piece of writing is ever DONE...it can always be improved upon.  So I read and reread my stuff, making small changes as I do so, trying to be sure it is perfect before I send it in.  Then I run off a copy on paper, and invariably I will find a few typos/grammatical errors that for some strange reason, I didn't see on my laptop screen.  Once I think the book is as close to perfect as I can manage, I send it to my publisher.  Once it gets accepted, (and I do a little happy dance each time I get a contract, believe me!), then the editor sends me her suggestions for changes and corrections.  Once that is sent back, I get the galleys, which is the on-line printed book, complete with covers and inside info sheets, as it will appear when it is published.  This is my last time to make any corrections.  Once my book is published, I will buy copies of it for myself,to resell to people I know who don't have access to a computer...and one of my kids will read my book and casually mention the typo or error they found on page X...ARGH! 

I hope this excited feeling never goes away!  Each time I see my words in print, and know that others can read what I wrote, I'm thrilled...it's like I am inviting you into my head, so you can hear what I do.  Welcome!
And for those of you who would like to win a free copy of my latest installment of the Reyes Family Romances, head on over to Goodreads.com and search for my name.  You should be able to find a contest that offers 2 copies of this book...deadline to enter is March 15...6 weeks after the book premiered.  Or if you can't wait that long, downloads and paperbacks are available, as always, from my friends at Wingsepress.com.

I'm so exited and grateful!  My second novel, Recipe For Love, was #11 after the final results were posted!  I made the top 20!  Woot woot!  And the first book, Never Too Old For The Game Of Love, was # 23, while the third book, Love By Design was #26!  Not bad for my first year of being published!  I'm eagerly looking forward to Feb. 1, when the fourth book in the series, Analysis of Love, will be available.  And for those who are wondering, the fifth book has already been contracted, and I've finished writing the sixth one, and am now editing it for submission to my publisher.  I'm not sure if any more of the Reyes family members have stories to tell...there have been "whispers" coming from a couple of them, but no clear story line yet.  
Meanwhile, I'm doing some work on some of my other books, stand-alone ones with new sets of characters.  And some of you have asked me to expand my free short story, to make Unnatural Man into a novel.  I'll sleep on that...no really, I often wake up with plots that my mind developed while I was asleep, and it was active.  
Until next posting, happy reading.  Hey, it's almost the end of January, and the daylight hours are getting longer every day.  Nothing we can do will bring spring here any quicker...but if you lose yourself in a good book, you are living "another life", if just for a short time.  And you are "hearing" what goes on in the author's head, as if you lived in there too.  
Welcome to my thoughts...enjoy!

I'm so excited about the next book in my series being published!  I just finished going over the "galleys", and sending them back to the publisher.  Now it's only a matter of time before I can hold that book in my hand also! 
I hope you are enjoying the series enough to want to read the next book!

Thanks to everyone who voted for my books in the recent contest that I entered.  I'm not sure what the next step is, but we'll see. 

Hey everyone, if you have read any of my books and liked them, please go to this site before January 14:    www.critters.org/predpoll
This is a site that is running a readers' poll for their favorite books of the year.  All three of my books are nominated in the Romance category, so please vote for the one that you liked the best.
        Also the cover for Recipe For Love is listed under Cover Art.
The winners of the contest that CoffeeTime Romance ran for me during the month of December are as follows:
Never Too Old For The Game Of Love: Donna Pindel of Winfield, IL.
Recipe For Love: Renee Benzing of McKees Rocks, PA.
Love By Design: Anne Muller of Glenview, IL.
Congratulations to all three of you!  A signed paperback is on its way to you already.  I hope you enjoy reading my stories as much as I enjoy writing them!

With the holiday season drawing to a close, once again I say, "How did that all go so quickly?  All of that baking/shopping/wrapping/planning, and it's over already?  Sheesh!  Then we'll take down all of the lights and the decorations, pack them back into the crawl space, and before you know it, it will be time to take it all out again!  When you were a kid, didn't it take FOREVER for a year to pass?  Think about it, if you were 10, then a year was a whole tenth of your life!  What fraction is it of your life now?  And it gets tinier every year. 
Bowing to the tradition of making resolutions, I want to make a few to my readers.  I am thrilled to have had 3 books published this year, and inordinately grateful to my friends at Wings e-press.  I resolve to finish at least a couple more books in theReyes Family Romances series, then get back to work on some of my other stories.  I also resolve to stay up late at least a couple of nights a week, even if I'm working the next day...because late at night is the only quiet time I have, to "listen" to my muse!   And I further resolve to continue to try new ways to connect with readers, since marketing my books is proving to be the most difficult part of the job for me as an author. 
Okay, so 3 is about all of the resolutions I can commit to, and still be able to keep my sanity.  I've already bought the exploding poppers (my husband and kids love to shoot them all over the house!), I've got sparkling wines chilling in the fridge, I've got strawberries and the chocolate I will melt to dip them in...and I've got the butter to make the traditional shortbread, to celebrate the Scottish festival of Hogmanay, on New Year's day.  It's only a short slide over the next few days, then we'll be rushing into 2010.  Best of health to you all, and hope we all find moments of happiness throughout the year, to remind us of the joy that is possible, and to ameliorate the darkness of uncertainty.  Let's hold hands and face the future together with a smile.  Happy New Year!

So, how do cookies and writing get connected?  Easy!  While I am making cookies, the characters in my head just naturally start to "talk" to me, and scenes get worked out.  I "see" how events unfold, I "hear" entire conversations...so while I'm baking my Christmas cookies, I'm working on my books.  Win-win for everyone! 

So if you have been wondering about my books and want a chance to get a copy for free, go to CoffeeTime Romance and check out the contest.
http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/ContestPage.html
My contest is the 8th one down on the page.  I've always liked the number 8, since turn it on its side, and it's the symbol for infinity...
You will have to answer 3 questions for a chance to win one of my three books.  If you win and want an e-book, I will send it to you.  If you win and want a paperback, I will autograph it for you.
What are you waiting for?  Go, and good luck!