All These Things That I Love - Romance-Adventure Movies - August 2018

A monthly roundup of things that give me life...

I'm not sure if I have explained - or could explain - the way that television and film influence my books. Sometimes it's the staccato dialogue from an episode of The West Wing or  Gilmore Girls that inspires me. Sometimes it's the tongue in cheek humor of Rogelio de la Vega on Jane the Virgin that gives me the urge to let my crazy humor fly. And sometimes it's Jamie Fraser from Outlander.

(Okay. A lot of times it's Jamie Fraser.)

I realized recently that The Royal Runaway, my book about the adventures of a princess and a spy had a lot in common with my favorite type of movie.

Romantic-Adventure movies! You didn't know that this was a specific sub-genre of movie, did you? Maybe it's not, but I realized that so many of the movies that I have watched over and over again have certain things in common. 

1. Romance/ Sexual tension
2. A quick pace
3. Banter
4. A plot that involves an adventure, mystery or quest. 

Sound good? Check out my all time favorites...

Some Like it Hot
Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe star in this Hollywood classic. Even though the movie was made in 1959, the jokes still crackle, the performances shine and it's still FUN. 

Charade, starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. You haven't seen it 1000 times? COME ON PEOPLE. 

I'll say it again: AUDREY HEPBURN. CARY GRANT. PARIS. COSTUMES. SHOWER SCENE. BAD GUYS. MISTAKEN IDENTITIES. CARY F'IN GRANT. 

Don't talk to me again until you've seen it. 

Romancing the Stone starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. This film is a classic romantic adventure, with 80's sexiness (there's a lot of saxophones. That was code in the 80's for sexiness.) Kathleen Turner plays Joan Wilder, who is a romance novelist and her scenes with her editor, played by Holland Taylor are pretty much all I would need in a movie but then you add a treasure map, and Danny deVito as a comedic bad guy, and a heroic smuggler (think Han Solo but Michael Douglas) named JACK T. COLTON and it's just all the magic. 

The Mummy. The 1999 version please, with Brendan Fraser as the action-y guy and Rachel Weisz as the intrepid scholarly archaeological heroine. Some might call this horror or an action flick, but to me it's all foreplay while trying to avoid death by cursed Egyptian artifact.  

Thomas Crown Affair

Speaking of foreplay....Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo. Just look at them. They're so flipping gorgeous in this movie about a smart, sexy person in the prime of their life and another smart, sexy person in the prime of their life trying to out-think each other. There's some caper-y art theft in between the battle of the sexiness. I'm sorry, I have to stop there. It appears I can't find another word for SEXY. 

Tangled. Maybe it's not quite as sexy as some of these others, but I'll confess that I get a crush on Flynn Rider every time I watch this movie. Honestly, he's a lot like my hero in THE ROYAL RUNAWAY.  He's battle scarred and weary but when he crosses paths with a gutsy princess he can't help but fall for her.  

No celebrity endorsement implied. Just inspired to play around with a movie poster of my own.

I'd love to hear what romantic-adventure movies you love and what I need to add to my rainy day movie queues!

Reserve your copy of THE ROYAL RUNAWAY at:
Amazon || BN.Com || Simon & Schuster ||  Apple Books  ||Amazon UK || Kobo

Best Books to Read Now: Princesses, Queens, & Royal Romance!

As you may have heard by now, my next book features a Royal princess, a sexy spy and kissing.  And you might also know that when I started to write it, I didn't originally set out to write a so-called "royal" book (See: How I got the Idea.)

Click to get your own copy of The Royal Runaway!

But thanks to #Royalwedding fever, and royal fans around the world, I have been joyfully swept up in all things royal romance related. 

So I thought I'd bring you a list of books to read if you're prince or princess obsessed. 

Non fiction / Historical Princesses & Queens

Marie Antoinette : Marie Antoinette by Antonia Fraser
Queen Elizabeth I: The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir

Queen Victoria: Victoria by Daisy Goodwin
Princess Diana: Diana Her True Story in her Own Words by Andrew Morton

For Kids and the Young at Heart

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

The Time-Traveling Fashionista at the Palace of Marie-Antoinette by Bianca Turetsky

Modern Contemporary Royal Stories

Royally Wed by Teri Wilson

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
 

A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole

Command Me, Book 1 of the Royals Saga by Geneva Lee

For more discussion about the above books, check out the podcast episodes I did with all the authors at Womenwithbooks.com.

And for more royal romance reading discussion, check out Royally Broke's Royally Good Reads Book Club on Facebook, mentioned here. 

Got more recommendations? Princesses and queens you love to read about? Share them below! 

It's Time for RWA Nationals!

Oh boy. This will be my FIFTH RWA National Conference. I can't believe it. And this year I'll be flying to....

DENVER, COLORADO!

I haven't been to Denver in so long. Fun fact: It's where my husband proposed to me. So going to a ROMANCE conference there is very much on point for me.  And oh, I'm so excited for (hopefully) some cooler temperatures but also to be surrounded by my people. My tribe. My besties.  
 

Not my suitcase... YET. But isn't it #goals?

I'm Sort Of Obsessed With Packing

That's.... normal, right? If you already follow me, you know that I'm a capital-P Planner so it totally makes sense that I make lists of what I want to take on trips. But one of my favorite packing hacks/ tools is sadly, lost forever. See, I used to be a regular user of the site Polyvore and yes, I would plan out any vacation outfits and accessories there but the site shut down this year. Now I'm trying out a combination of Pinterest board + Trello board to see if that is sufficient for my shoe-assessment needs.  You see, I like to pack light - but fabulous. So. It takes both some flair and organization. 

If you're attending RWA,  whether a repeat attendee or for the first time, you can take a peek at my past post on WHAT TO PACK.   I still stand by these tips and tricks  but this year it will be a little different because I'm headed to Denver for a few days before the conference starts for a writing retreat. So smart of me to schedule this!  With the writing retreat, I'll have to throw in a few more casual tees and shorts, a caftan, my hot pink Birkenstocks and my Very Smart Lady Glasses.  I'm going for a Writing Retreat Chic look.  

Not sure what this has to do with anything except I love this gif and how much fun Wills and Kate are having here. Also a great example that you should always be prepared for all sorts of events on vacation. ;-)

If you follow me on social media next week, you can judge for yourself whether I've reached that particular fashion goal. 
 

My Schedule

I will be signing books at the Gallery/ Pocket Books signing  at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 19. Bring your coffee and come get a copy of The Royal Runaway signed!

I will also be presenting a 20/20 session on Friday about content marketing and I'll have special swag reserved for librarians, bloggers and readers!

Alas, these events are only for conference registrants, but stay in the know about my upcoming future appearances by signing up for The Inner Circle - my exclusive newsletter. 

And hit me up if you similarly enjoy the vacation packing experience and have a packing trick or tip! I'd love to hear them!

All These Things That I Love - Drinks Edition - July 2018

A monthly roundup of things that give me life...

This summer, I've decided to focus on one of the most popular parts of this blog series... THE DRINKS. 

I do some version of this cocktail every summer by the pool. It's light, it's refreshing, it's pink.

Out by the husband's barbeque smoker...

It's my version of a paloma. There are many interpretations of this grapefruit-based cocktail from the super fancy to the easy. 

(Spoiler alert: I like easy.)

I'm also trying to cut carbs so I'm going to give you my preferred recipe and the lighter, sugar free options.

But you do you. Mix it up. Go all out on MORE SUGAR. Or not. 

My current recipe is: 
1 shot of a good vodka (also recommended, Deep Eddy Grapefruit Vodka for ultra grapefruit flavor)
1 shot of unsweetened grapefruit juice (if you're doing juice)
half a cup of ice
Fill to top w/ diet grapefruit soda. (I've been using these ICE drinks, but Fresca is also delicous)

This is a very refreshing drink, perfect for waiting by the pool for the brisket to finish. (HINT HINT Mr. EMORY. WHERE IS MY BRISKET!?)

What kind of cocktails are you enjoying this summer? And what do you think, should I rename this cocktail recipe... the Princess Theodora? They look good together, don't they?

Reserve your copy of THE ROYAL RUNAWAY at:
Amazon || BN.Com || Simon & Schuster ||  Apple Books  ||Amazon UK || Kobo

Best Books to Read Now: How to FIND GOOD BOOKS (on sale!)

Where do readers find books?

If you like to read, there’s a good chance that you’ve looked around and asked yourself, “where do other readers find good books?”  Or more importantly, “where do other readers find good books on sale?”

With the hibernation of the American brick and mortar bookstore, it can be hard to discover new authors and their new releases. I mean, you can’t just wander into Waldenbooks or Borders (or in some cases a convenient Barnes and Noble) anymore. And the selections at Target and Wal-Mart are great but they don’t usually cover all genres. You’d be hard pressed to find the latest science fiction series at Target, for example. And if you wanted the first 6 books in a series? Yeah, no. 

So you turn to the internet booksellers. And while Amazon might have every book ever written, that’s a little…. Overwhelming. And it may not solve your original problem. 

So how do I find the perfect book to read? 

1. Follow me! On both this blog and my podcast, WOMEN WITH BOOKS, I’m always giving recommendations and if I see those books on sale, I try to post them on my facebook page. 

2. Goodreads - Probably the largest social media/ website that’s centered around books, it can still be tough to find exactly the book you want to read. There are lists, there are contests, there are groups and you can browse all of them. Anyone can post ‘the top 200 books about cats in Quebec” and that’s awesome to have that space but it can be hard for a reader who’s specifically looking for something. 

My best advice? Follow the authors you already love. Start friending them  and others who like the same books you do. You’ll see what other people are reading and loving. For instance, if you friend me on Goodreads, you’ll be able to easily see what I’ve read for my GR reading challenge this year. 

Then sign up for the Goodreads newsletters for your preferred genre. They can still be incomplete, but you will start to see what’s coming out and what looks good and what’s on sale. 

Also -Amazon now owns Goodreads. So you never know what cool functionality (or sales updates) you’ll see between the two sites in the future. 

3. Bookbub - this is primarily still an e-mail newsletter that will notify you of sales on books in the genres that you select. But in the past year or so, Bookbub has added several new features that I really enjoy. You can follow your favorite authors and when they have a new release, Bookbub will e-mail you. Also, Bookbub will notify you if your favorite authors recommend books, and what they are. Interested? Sign up and try following me to see what happens to your TBR pile. 

4. Amazon - the behemoth of online booksellers also offers some of the same features as Bookbub. For instance, you can follow authors (my profile here) and Amazon says you’ll get a notification of their new book releases. When THE ROYAL RUNAWAY  went up on pre-order, a reader let me know that she learned about it from an Amazon e-mail - which is AWESOME. But I’ve heard other authors say that they’re not sure their readers are notified regularly. So if there’s an author that you absolutely can’t miss, best practice is probably to follow them at Goodreads, Bookbub and Amazon - a belt and suspenders approach, if you will. 

The other recommendation I have at Amazon would be to sign up for their Kindle Daily Deals e-mail. These sales can often be exclusive to Amazon, which means that Bookbub might not feature them. You have to act fast though - when Amazon puts books on sale, it might be a quick flash and then the deal is gone. 

So those are my best recommendations for finding awesome new books (on sale!) to read. I know it might sound like you have to sign up for everything, but I promise you, authors and booksellers are so excited to put the perfect book into a reader’s hands. I know nothing makes me happier. 

Reserve your copy of THE ROYAL RUNAWAY at:
Amazon || BN.Com || Simon & Schuster ||  Apple Books  ||Amazon UK || Kobo

You know what else makes me happy? When readers like you pre-order my latest book! Or add it to their Goodreads shelf! Or put it on their Amazon wishlist! All of these things help signal to my publisher and retailers that this is a book that people will love. 

And it is. Don’t you trust my judgment yet?