CHARMED LIFE by Teresa Medeiros

TERESA TWEETS HER FAVORITE RWA SURVIVAL TIPS

2009-07-12T06:33:00.000-07:00

1) Avoid authors who are screaming, "LOOK AT ME!" and find someone interesting in the corner to talk to. (I discovered Shane Abe this way.)

2) If author seems unfriendly, give her benefit of doubt. She may be a) shy b) tired c) distracted d) deprived of warm/fuzzy gene at birth or e) utterly devoid of social skills.

3) Bars are a great place to meet authors and editors. Order yourself a club soda and lime and go cruising!

4) Don't drink too much at RWA. Some authors are scary sober. Drunk they can be truly terrifying.

5) Editors are people too and some of them are shyer than you are. If you're pitching a project, just relax and act natural.

6) You'll know you've finally made it when editors start following YOU into the bathroom.

7) Practice your editor/agent pitch as if you were pitching to Simon Cowell.

8) Pantyhose are OUT. But if you have a complexion like Gollum (or me), pack them anyway.

9) Yes, you ARE back in high school for 4 days. But now you have the confidence and social skills to thrive!

10) When in a crowd of milling writers, it's easy to hide exactly who pushed who down the escalator.

11) Allow time for at least 1 crying jag in hotel room. (Even more important for male attendees.)

12) Leave hubby and kiddies at home. Slow motion pillow fights with roommates much more fun that way.

13) Leave hotel every chance you get. Enjoy sunshine, fresh air, and people who don't care if they ever get published

14) Always put on lipstick before you leave hotel room. Even if it's a fire drill. Even if it's a fire.

15) If you want everyone to think you're an editor or agent, wear a lot of black but no name tag.

16) Never talk about author/editor/publisher in bathroom. Odds of them being in next stall: 100%.

17) Don't worry if U come out of bathroom with skirt tucked in panties. There are 2000 women 2 help. Or take pic.

18) If U don't recognize somebody U should, tell them U left glasses in your room. Even if U don't wear glasses.

19) Beg, borrow or steal an invitation to the Harlequin party and be prepared to boogie the night away.

20) If an editor asks you to step outside for a smoke, go with her. It's never too late to start smoking!

21) Always pack speech & make-up in carry-on bag. You can do w/o clothes if you have to.

22) Nobody is really looking at YOUR 1) clothes 2) hair 3) fake nails because they're 2 busy looking at their own.

23) An enormous chocolate sundae goes a long way toward softening grief of not winning RITA or Golden Heart.

24) If your luncheon tablemate has this look in her eye...change tables.

AAARGH MATEY! TIPS FOR REMOVING PIRATED BOOKS FROM WEBSITES

2009-07-08T04:41:00.001-07:00

First of all, I'd like to thank my wonderful readers, who are the first line of defense in preventing book piracy on the high seas of cyberspace.

Unless you're Jean Valjean in LES MISERABLES and need a loaf of bread to feed your family, there's never any excuse or justification for stealing. And that's what downloading pirated copies of books is...stealing. It's no different from someone coming to your office or workplace and saying, "Hey, how would you like to work for free from now on?" It takes bread out of the mouths of the author's children (or in my case, kibble from their cats) and also jeopardizes the author's chances of getting future contracts from the publisher because of shrinking profit margins. The inevitable end result will be more unemployed authors, hungrier children and cats, and fewer books for us all to enjoy.

It's easy to say, "Oh, Author X who makes a gazillion dollars a year will never miss my 72 cents in royalties" but the truth is that a huge percentage of published authors don't even make a living wage and many have day jobs to juggle along with their writing careers. (I should know. I did it for 9 years .)

Publishers and their legal departments are on the front lines of battling book piracy but often authors can get the URL's taken down with a few clicks when it may take them weeks. Some of the download statistics on these sites are staggering--hundreds of thousands of copies of brand new releases are being downloaded within a few weeks.

Here are a few tips I've gleaned about removing pirated books from major sites, including SAMPLE e-mails and forms. All of these sites are 100% cooperative once you make them aware there's a problem. After you've done it once, simply save a copy in your e-mail files and you can easily cut and paste to use the form again, removing your books with a few clicks.

MEDIA FIRE
CONTACT INFO: abuse@mediafire.com
SAMPLE E-MAIL:

Dear MediaFire,
The files listed below are currently posted on your site in direction violation of copyright law. I am the author of these novels and the owner of the copyright. Could you please remove them immediately?

[Include URL's of Pirated Files]

Thank you,
[Your Name and Website]

ESNIPS

(The only tricky thing about ESNIPS is that they want you to attach a copy of your actual legal signature, which may mean scanning one in and saving it as a .jpg to attach to your e-mail. Once you've done it, hang on to it for future use.)

CONTACT INFO: Yaron Alkolombre, yaron@esnips.com

SAMPLE FORM:

Dear E-Snips,
Please remove all of my books from your site immediately. Entire manusripts are posted, clearly in violation of copyright laws. Below you'll find the URL's to each site. The links are illegally downloaded. My legal signature is attached and the legal departments at my publisher have both been notified of this infringement.

[YOUR NAME], Copyright holder
Electronic Notice of Claimed Infringement
Date:
I, the undersigned, state UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY that
I am, the owner, or an agent authorized to act on behalf of the owner, of certain intellectual property rights ("IP Owner");
* I have a good faith belief that the listings identified below
[SEE BELOW] offer items or contain materials that are not
authorized by the IP Owner, its agent, or the law, and therefore infringe the IP Owner's rights; and
* The information in this notice is accurate. Please act expeditiously to remove the listings identified in the attached.

I May Be Contacted At [YOUR E-MAIL ADDY]
Name of IP Owner:* [YOUR NAME]
Name and Title:* [YOUR NAME, Author]
Company:
Address:* [YOUR SNAIL MAIL ADDY]
Email address (for correspondence with esnips):
[YOUR E-MAIL ADDY]
Telephone:* [YOUR PHONE #]
Fax:
The titles I own the copyrights to are:

[LIST YOUR BIBLIOGRAPHY HERE]

THE OFFENDING FILES FOUND ON YOUR WEBSITE ARE:

[DO A GENERAL SEARCH AND LIST ALL PIRATED FILES HERE]

4shared
Go to link of pirated file
Click on REPORT ABUSE at top of page and fill out form in box. Make sure you check REPORT COPYRIGHTED MATERIALS on the form and check appropriate box.

Scribd.com

Scribd.com is doing their best to remove pirated files because they're striving to become a totally legit digital option for publishers and authors. I trust them enough to have posted my own e-book THE BEST OF SQUAWK RADIO on their site at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/15932347/THE-BEST-OF-SQUAWK-RADIO . I did this after they instituted their own policing program. If you contact them at copyright@scribd.com and tell them you want to sign up for their copyright protection program, they'll send you instructions on how to sign up. Once your name and works are entered into their system, THEY will strive to make sure that your books are no longer illegally uploaded to their site without you having to police them. Until then, use the form below to get your material removed.

CONTACT INFO: copyright@scribd.com
SUBJECT LINE OF E-MAIL: DCMA Takedown Notice
Pursuant to 17 USC 512(c)(3)(A), this communication serves as a statement that:(1). I am [the exclusive rights holder the duly authorized representative of the exclusive rights holder] for:

[INSERT COMPLETE BIBLIOGRAPHY WITH ISBN NUMBERS HERE]

(2). These exclusive rights are being violated by material available upon your site at the following URL(s):

[LIST OFFENDING URL'S HERE]

(3) I have a good faith belief that the use of this material in such a fashion is not authorized by the copyright holder, the copyright holder's agent, or the law;(4) Under penalty of perjury in a United States court of law, I state that the information contained in this notification is accurate, and that I am authorized to act on the behalf of the exclusive rights holder for the material in question;(5) I may be contacted by the following methods (include all):

[NAME
MAILING ADDY
PHONE NUMBER
E-MAIL ADDY]

I hereby request that you remove or disable access to this material as it appears on your service in as expedient a fashion as possible. Thank you for your kind cooperation.Regards,
[YOUR NAME]

WATTPAD (Another site striving to stop piracy by instituting their own program for authors)

AUTHORS IN CHARGE program

Go here to sign up http://www.wattpad.com/faqb, then e-mail them per their instructions

Once you've joined, they will try to police your copyrighted material but if they miss one, you can IMMEDIATELY shut down a link if it appears simply by clicking a button

To find a more comprehensive list of potential piracy sites, members can visit the Romance Writers of America page here: http://www.rwanational.org/cs/file_sharing_sites

As I said before, I never would have known about most of these sites were it not for vigilant readers. Thank you SO much and please continue to educate fellow readers and authors on this important issue!

TERESA BRINGS YOU A YUMMY NO FAT SUMMER TREAT

2009-06-04T04:48:00.000-07:00

You can't beat delicious, no-fat AND simple to fix. This cake brings it all!

ANGEL LUSH CAKE

INGREDIENTS

1 can (20 oz.) Dole Crushed Pineapple, undrained

1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) Vanilla Flavored Instant Pudding

1 cup thawed Cool Whip Free Whipped Topping

1 Angel Food Cake (can use store bought or make your own)

Fresh Strawberries and Blueberries

INSTRUCTIONS

1) To make filling, mix pineapple and dry pudding mix in medium bowl. Stir in whipped topping.

2) Cut Angel Food Cake horizontally into 3 layers. Fill layers with filling. Top with fresh sliced strawberries and blueberries. (You can add berries to individual slices if you don't want to put them on cake for storage.)

3) Chill 1 hour and store in refrigerator.

(And yes, I said it was simple to fix but my husband tried the first time and he'd never used Angel Food cake so he was trying to use the cake exactly as it came out of the pan--upside down--and couldn't figure out why it kept falling over :)).

Teresa Medeiros's Favorite Guy Candy

2009-05-27T12:44:00.001-07:00

Looking for a few good men? Or a few bad boys? Then enjoy this special gift to all of my readers!

Medeiros and Enoch on Star Trek vs Star Wars

2009-05-18T08:16:00.001-07:00

Last year at RWA, Avon gave Suzanne Enoch and I the chance to embrace our inner geeks and fan the flames of our rivalry over Star Trek vs. Star Wars. This was the result.

Teresa Brings You A Sinfully Good Recipe

2009-05-17T04:20:00.001-07:00

Perfect for taking to that next church potluck or cookout! And it really is sinfully delicious although I tend to think anything this yummy must be a gift from God ;)

SINFUL CHOCOLATE CHESS PIE

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs

5 ounces of evaporated milk

4 TBS butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 TBS baking cocoa (I used Hershey's)

1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell (Deep Dish works fine but cover the edges of your crust with aluminum foil so it won't scorch)

Whipped Cream or Cool Whip Free

Chocolate Shavings (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk eggs, milk, butter and vanilla in a bowl until well blended.

Mix sugar and cocoa together and add to egg mixture, mixing well.

Pour into pie shell.

Bake 30-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean (Mine cooked closer to 45 minutes in a deep dish pie shell with good results but check it sooner.)

Top each serving with a dollop of whipped cream. (If desired, add chocolate shavings for presentation.)

Serves 8.

Teresa Brings You RICH CHOCO CHIP TOFFEE BARS

2009-05-13T05:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I wish I could REALLY bring them to your door warm from the oven but you'll have to settle for the recipe:

INGREDIENTS
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter or margarine
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 cups (12-oz package) Hershey's Semi-Sweet Choco Chips (divided)
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts
1 can (14 ounces) Eagle Brand milk (can use no-fat version if desired)
1 ¾ cups (10 oz package) English toffee bits (divided)

1. Heat oven to 350. Grease 13 X 9 baking pan
2. Stir together flour and brown sugar in large bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg; mix well. Stir in 1 ½ cups choco chips and all nuts. Reserve 1 ½ cups mixture. Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom of prepared pan.
3. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and pour Eagle Brand milk evenly over hot crust. Top with 1 ½ cups toffee bits. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture and remaining ½ cup chips over top.
4. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup toffee bits. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut in bars.

Very rich and very good!!!

WOLVERINE EYE CANDY BROUGHT TO YOU BY TERESA

2009-05-05T05:15:00.000-07:00

No one has done more to bring back that "wife beater/tank-top-your-grandfather-used-to-wear" look than Hugh Jackman as WOLVERINE.

And if you've seen BLADE: TRINITY, you already know that Ryan Reynolds is no slouch in the beefcake department either.

With that scrumptious voice and dangerous edge, Liev Schreiber is the thinking woman's hero.

And you know I love me some fine hobbits. Whether stealing our hearts as the loyal and mischievous Merry in LORD OF THE RINGS or breaking them as tortured rocker Charlie Pace on LOST, Dominic Monaghan's baby blues are irresistible.

Teresa Marches Through Atlanta

2008-10-10T13:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Here are some of my pics from my recent keynote gig at the Georgia Romance Writers Moonlight & Magnolias conference. A wonderful time was had by all, as you can see by the pics! (Many of them taken by the lovely and talented PJ Ausdenmore, who is almost as good a photographer as she is a candy-maker.)

With fellow authors Jenna Petersen (Jess Michaels) and Tanya Michna (aka Tanya Michaels). Hey, how come I only get one name?!

Sharing breakfast with former Squawk Radio regulars PJ, Gannon, Buffie and Andrea (Tricia must be behind the camera on this one.)

With wonderful Avon editor Tessa Woodward and dear friend Jean Willett

Hanging with Tricia, Cynthia, J Perry Stone, PJ, Gannon and Buffie.

With Andrea and her adorable sister Tricia

J Perry Stone brought me a very special surprise! We get the funniest looks from...everyone we meet! :)

No wonder I'm smiling...PJ brought me an incredible selection of her homemade chocolates!

Jean and I celebrate on Maggie Award Night

Showing off my covers for SOME LIKE IT WICKED and my upcoming April release SOME LIKE IT WILD

Sharing my wit and wisdom (quit snickering, J Perry Stone!)

Oh look...another photo op!

With reader Missy Wickersham, the inspiration for "Miss Samantha Wickersham" in YOURS UNTIL DAWN

Voguing it up on the dance floor. I couldn't go to bed until they'd played "my" song...BABY GOT BACK!

With the ever gorgeous Jacquie D'Alessandro and her equally gorgeous husband

HOOT, MON! (TERESA DOES SCOTLAND).

2007-10-02T08:33:00.000-07:00

Hoot, mon! I just returned from a research and pleasure trip to the bonny land of Scotland. It was my very first trip to the country I’d lovingly written about so many times in books like HEATHER AND VELVET, A WHISPER OF ROSES, TOUCH OF ENCHANTMENT and in my upcoming Summer 2008 release and its sequel (which I'm about to begin even as we chat). With its brutal, stunning beauty and its mercurial weather, it's not a country for the faint-hearted and I now have a much deeper appreciation for the hardy nature of the native Scot. There's a reason they wear fabulous sweaters and drink gallons of hot tea and whisky.

Although we nearly froze to death at times, the natural beauty of the landscape was fully equal to the splendid visions of my imagination. I knew it was going to be a great trip when we turned out of the airport to see a young man who looked just like a male model hitchhiking. Alas, he wasn't wearing a kilt and we couldn't coax our husbands into stopping and picking him up. (But my husband did buy a gorgeous kilt of his own while we were there!)

On one glorious day at Dunnottar Castle in Stonehaven, it was freezing, incredibly windy, sunny, and raining—all at the same time. And everywhere we looked on the horizon, we found a rainbow. We had our share of misadventures—exploding Diet Cokes in the back seat and me returning our rental car to the Hertz counter by handing the attendant our rearview mirror—but the only true horror we suffered was me blowing up my hair straightener on our first day there and being forced to walk around looking like a demented Shirley Temple for the rest of the week.

Here are our traveling companions and dear friends Teresa and Freddy in front of Inveresk House in Musselburgh, the B&B where we spent 5 days.

Standing in front of the breathtaking vista at the top of Edinburgh Castle

Here I am in Edinburgh with the famous statue of "Greyfrairs Bobby", the loyal pup who kept vigil at his master's grave for 14 years after his death.

The Elephant House in Edinbrugh--the famous pub where J.K. Rowling first started working on HARRY POTTER
The beautiful edifice of Stirling Castle

View from the top of Stirling Castle
Typical view of Old Edinburgh street
Our lodgings in Aberdeen--the Ferryhill House Hotel

The spectacular ruin of St. Andrew's Cathedral
In one of the courtyards of St. Andrew's College where Prince William attended
My favorite site--the glorious Dunnottar Castle on the coast at Stonehaven

One of the beautiful coves at Dunnottar
There were rainbows everywhere!

A little slice of heaven...
Even the potties were pretty!
And speaking of...here's our favorite street in St. Andrews.
The enchanting Logan Cottage where we spent the night in Inverness
Castle Urquhart on Loch Ness
Me at Castle Urquhart bundled up like the Abominable Snowman. I didn't really wear the same clothes all week but I did wear the same sweatshirt and scarf. (Did I mention that it was REALLY cold?) The famous Rosslyn Chapel--the 15th Century chapel featured in Dan Brown's THE DAVINCI CODE

2007-07-25T15:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
I wanted to let you know that I probably won't be actively blogging for a while. I was so fired up after finishing my new historical that it made me want to devote all of my creative energy to starting the next book. I'm going to be spending less time on the internet and more time nurturing that fire by reading wonderful books, watching romantic movies, going for long walks, etc.

I'm going to leave this site up so all of my non-fiction offerings will still be available plus I'll probably be using it to post pics, etc., in the future and as a place we can hang out when the new book is released. (I'll announce the pub date in my newsletter as soon as the publisher lets me know when it's going to be.)

If you haven't done so already, you can sign up for my bi-monthly newsletter at www.teresamedeiros.com (Just hit the JOIN NOW button in the right hand corner of the page). I'll let you know in the newsletter whenever I post new pics, etc., over here at CHARMED LIFE.

I love you all and don't forget that you can always reach me through my website!

Hugs,
Teresa

Teresa Does Dallas!

2007-07-16T07:03:00.001-07:00

Good morning, dear friends! I just got back from the annual RWA conference in Dallas yesterday and have tons of pics to post. One of the best parts of the conference was getting to spend time with YOU guys, including Santa and J Perry Stone (pictured at left), Sara Lindsay, Keira, Kim C, Desiree B., and a host of charming others who made my conference a true delight. The signing in Plano on Thursday night was a great success and several of you hopped a bus or a car and came out to cheer us on.

Of course Xtina Dodd will tell you that HER favorite part of the conference was when we had a fire alarm go off in the hotel (accompanied by the actual smell of burning electrical wires) and I stopped to put on lipstick before running out of the room. Hey, if I'm going to die, I want to look good while I'm doing it!

Here I am with Authors at Sea cruise mate Barbara Vey, who is now doing the blog BEYOND THE BOOK for PUBLISHERS WEEKLY. We had a fun interview in my suite and could have spent all day talking about books. For more fun conference reports, check out her blog HERE

Me and fabulous Pocket author Karen Hawkins hang out at the ROMANCE NOVEL TV suite. They did several fabulous interviews which you should be able to find on their site in the coming weeks and months. We even filmed a "Squawker Reunion" breakfast. Move over THE VIEW!

The amazing Michelle Buonfiglio from ROMANCE BY THE BLOG was also there doing video interviews for her new LIFETIME affiliated site and got to enjoy our little Squawker reunion. Their make-up artist made me look ever-so-glamorous! (Although I was a little worried when she started talking about Mimi from the Drew Carey show.)

Here I am with the always adorable (and talented!) Sara Lindsay, who traveled all the way to Plano, Texas from Dallas to support us while we spoke and signed.

Here I am cuddling with Barbara Freethy and Candice Hern, two of my favorite pals to breakfast with.

Xtina, Lynn Kerstan, Jayne Krentz and me at a gorgeous librarian hosted tea at the elegant Adolphus hotel. (And no, I was NOT stuffing truffles in my purse. Don't listen to Xtina!)

I've known dear friends Jill Marie Landis and Kristin Hannah since I was twelve. Okay, so it only feels like it. Jill shared my very first conference dinner table in 1989, along with LaVyrle Spencer and Kristin is my rock whenever I need a cooler head to prevail.

Here's Barbara Freethy, Victoria Alexander and Xtina chowing down at breakfast.

Here are the Squawkers reunited for a pic! Silly Connie decided she'd rather go fishing in Alaska than hang out with us in Dallas but she was thoughtful enough to overnight a giant pic of her head so we could take it to interviews with us. On the first day the hotel LOST Connie's head so I was running around everywhere looking for it.

In typical Squawker fashion, when Connie told us she was sending her head, I suggested that it "might be difficult to find a box that big" and Xtina replied with, "She's sending her head, not her thigh." That's right--just when you think you've gone as low as you can go, another Squawker limbos right under you!

Here I am with the amazingly efficient Kim C., who made our lives so much easier by administering some of our Squawk contests for us.

Three of my funnest (is that a word?) fellow Avon Authors--Sophia Nash, Jacquie D'Alessandro and Kathryn Caskie. Don't they remind you a little of CHARLIE'S ANGELS? (And if you see the elegantly refined Sophia anywhere, make sure and get her to tell you her mechanical bull story!)

Me and Eloisa at the Avon Dinner hanging with the brilliant (and gorgeous) Avon editorial staff. My editor Carrie Feron is glowing in the pinkish dress.

Nobody loves a hot purse more than Xtina!

Here I am with pal Julia Quinn. She looks happy here but she looked even happier the next night when ON THE WAY TO THE WEDDING won the RITA for BEST LONG HISTORICAL :)

Here I am with Toni Blake at the Avon Family Dinner. Blondes really do have more fun!

Here I am enjoying breakfast with pals Suzanne Enoch, Stephanie Laurens and Christie Ridgeway

Here's Heather MacAllister, Xtina, me and Eloisa voguing in our room before the RITA awards.

Here I am with fellow Avon Author and Donny Osmond enthusiast Jacquie D'Alessandro (note her stylish alligator purse).

Me, Lisa and Xtina after the RITA ceremony. Lisa was our RWA keynote speaker this year. She made us laugh, she made us cry, and she made us appreciate all over again how blessed we are to be able to write books we love so much.

With Harlequin author Heather MacAllister, who just happened to be one of my roomies this year. Heather is the go-to girl for jewelry and shoe advice and I'm...well...not. I'm sure she got really tired of me asking, "Does this go with that?"

Stay tuned! I'll be posting some more pics later in the week as they start to trickle in!

Saying Goodbye to a Romance Icon

2007-07-08T18:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
Like many of you, I was heartbroken to learn of the death of Kathleen E. Woodiwiss this week. She died after a valiant battle with cancer, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy to the romance genre and all of her adoring readers.

In her honor and memory, I'm reprinting the blog I wrote on THE FLAME AND THE FLOWER in December of 2006.

In 1972, Kathleen E. Woodiwiss did what every writer dreams of doing—she wrote a classic novel with her very first book. The Flame and the Flower had it all—passion, conflict, adventure, drama, a setting that sweeps us from Georgian England to a plantation in the Carolinas, and unforgettable characters. She broke all the conventional rules of historical fiction by making the sexual relationship between her hero and heroine a vital component of their emotional relationship and in doing so, gave birth to the modern genre of the historical romance.

I was ten years old when The Flame and the Flower was first published, fifteen the first time I read it. Although I read it numerous times after that, I hadn't picked it up in years. So when I started re-reading the book a few months ago, I told myself I'd treat it like an assignment and just read for an hour at a time. The prose was denser and much more detailed than what we've become accustomed to, but after only a few pages, I found myself thoroughly captivated. Before I knew it, three hours had passed and I still couldn't bear to put the book down. Thirty years after it's publication, The Flame and the Flower is still a deliciously readable novel, a quality it shares with another timeless classic, Gone with the Wind.

I was also struck all over again by what a fine writer Kathleen E. Woodiwiss is. To enter her world is to enter a time machine that transports you back to 1799, where Heather Simmons, our Georgian Cinderella, is being held captive by her aunt's cruelty until sea captain Brandon Birmingham comes storming into her life to sweep her away. Although Woodiwiss's descriptions are lush and detailed, her prose is never purple. By setting her own standards so high, Woodiwiss challenged every romance writer who came after her to strive for excellence in their craft.

One of the criteria of an enduring classic is that it should be the first to do something, and in The Flame and the Flower, Woodiwiss succeeds on every count. So many of her innovations would go on to become the bedrock conventions upon which the historical romance genre would be grounded. Although her settings and secondary characters are vividly drawn, the relationship between Heather and Brandon always remains at the core of the plot. Many scenes that might seem clichéd now were sparkling and new thirty years ago: the heroine assisting the hero with his bath; the hero walking in on the heroine as she bathes; the hero nursing the heroine through a near fatal illness caused by his own insensitivity. Woodiwiss gives the hero a loveable wise-quipping brother, a loyal manservant, and a witchy ex-fiancée. Every man who meets Heather falls a little bit in love with her and in an eerily prescient twist, there's even a suspense sub-plot involving a brutal killer that drives the book to a heart-jolting climax.

Although less politically correct then some would prefer, the book is probably more historically accurate than many of the romances written today where all the young misses are feisty and all the gents are enlightened as to the rights of women. Yes, seventeen-year-old Heather is essentially a passive victim in the beginning and thirty-five-year-old Brandon is perfectly capable of being an arrogant jerk, but they both fulfill that essential criteria of good fiction—they experience personal growth and transformation during the course of the story. Heather finds her spirit while Brandon loses his heart.

You can't discuss this book or Heather and Brandon's first sexual encounter without waging the same debate that's been raging ever since Rhett carried a resisting Scarlet up those long, winding stairs in Gone with the Wind. The controversy arises when, during their first meeting, a drunken Brandon mistakes Heather for a wharf prostitute. Both her explanations and her struggles are so weak and ineffectual that one can almost forgive him the mistake. He's quite remorseful when he realizes he's deflowered an innocent, but that doesn't stop him from taking her once more before she makes her escape. Is this shocking and wicked? Oh yes! But still stirring in this era where our deepest and most primal sexual fantasies have been sanitized and the definition of "feminism" seems to be have been extended to the area of censoring other women's fantasies. When Brandon tells Heather, "I've found with you, sweet, that when I want you badly enough I can overlook being a gentleman," my heart beats a little faster as I imagine him with the devilish glint of a marauding Errol Flynn or Clark Gable in his eye.

This is no forced seduction where Heather is made to experience pleasure against her will. Woodiwiss never once glamorizes rape. Heather despises it the two times Brandon has his way with her when she is resistive. It's not until he learns to show her tenderness and consideration after a lo-o-o-o-ong period of enforced abstinence that she comes to enjoy their lovemaking.

The scene that fueled my own adolescent fantasies is the one where Brandon first learns that Heather is carrying his child. After her vicious aunt slaps her and rips her ragged dress from her body, revealing her pregnant nakedness to everyone in the room, Brandon comes storming out of the shadows and sweeps his cloak around her. In that one thrilling and protective gesture, we see a shadow of the hero he will become.

Although Brandon can be a bit of a bully when crossed, from the very beginning of the novel he demonstrates a capacity for humor and irresistible kindness. He resents being forced into marriage, yet he buys Heather beautiful clothes, covers her when she is cold, has a tub brought on board his ship because he knows she cherishes her baths, and orders a special pair of long johns made to help her endure the bitter winter weather at sea. He also fulfills another crucial female fantasy that would go on to become a staple of our genre—once he lays eyes on Heather, he never wants or touches another woman.

Since The Flame and the Flower gave women their first chance to read about sex outside of the context of male pornography, I was amazed to realize how few sex scenes there actually are in the book. After Heather and Brandon's initial encounter, they don't make love again until near the very end of the novel. During the long sea voyage, we watch them slowly becoming husband and wife—denying each other sexual comforts, yet strengthening their emotional bond. We enjoy the vicarious thrill of watching them fall in love, not just in lust. By the end of the book, you actually believe that these two could build a happy life together—built not only on physical attraction, but on mutual respect and love.

While Brandon is becoming a hero worth having, Heather completes her own satisfying personal journey. Her fiery confrontations with her husband don't defeat her, but strengthen her. No longer a passive victim, late in the book she even vanquishes a lecherous villain. A fuming Brandon arrives, but Heather no longer needs him to rescue her. She has completed her journey from girl to woman and is now fully his equal and his match.

Both the power and pleasure of The Flame and the Flower are rooted in its retelling of the primal myths that reside in our collective unconsciousness. In the snippet of poetry that prefaces the book, it is not the flame that consumes the flower, but the flower that triumphs by re-emerging after being scorched by the flame. Kathleen E. Woodiwiss didn't just understand the "Beauty and the Beast" mythology on an intellectual level. She internalized it to such a degree that it infuses every word of both this story and her follow-up classic, The Wolf and the Dove.

And in Brandon Birmingham, Woodiwiss delivers a beast worthy of the taming. In recent years there has been a tendency for romance writers to "defang" their beasts much too early in our stories. We're so determined to make our protagonists "heroic" from the very first page (possibly to stave off criticism of the ultra-Alpha male?) that there's very little room left for the personal growth that makes this book so satisfying and enduring.

And it is enduring. 144 reader reviews on Amazon.com prove that. As I scrolled through them, I was amazed by how many of them were written by girls who were around the same age I was when I first discovered the book. It seemed these young women could relate to both Heather's age and her coming-of-age journey during the story. Perhaps the best way to win a romance reader's heart for life is to win it while it's still young and tender.

Whether you love The Flame and the Flower or hate it, we're still talking about it thirty years later. How many other romances will be able to make that claim? As I turned the last page of the book with a wistful sigh, I was humbled all over again by what a tremendous debt of gratitude we all owe Kathleen E. Woodiwiss. Brandon Birmingham and Heather Simmons are truly the grandparents of all the historical heroes and heroines who came after them. At the end of the book, Kathleen E. Woodiwiss shouldn't have written The End, but The Beginning.

GUESS WHAT...

2007-07-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

...Teresa did Monday night around 10 PM??? :)

Part II of SHAMELESS GUY CANDY!

2007-06-21T03:54:00.001-07:00

Ya gotta love a guy who can pull off tight jeans...um...I mean pulling them off as in wearing them with flair and panache. Here we have Gerard Butler. Whether melting our hearts in DEAR FRANKIE, leading his troops to glory as the king of Sparta in "300" or making us ask, "Raoul Who?" in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, Gerard is definitely swoon-worthy material. And did I mention the best news of all? He's Scottish!

And one never tires of the ubiquitous gray t-shirt, does one? Especially when stretched over Hugh Jackman's impressive pecs and arms. What can I say? Hugh sings. He dances. And he growls beautifully as Wolverine in the X-MEN movies. And he's Australian!

Daniel Craig reinvigorated the James Bond franchise in CASINO ROYALE by reminding us that Bond was once mad, bad, and dangerous to know. Watching him lose his heart was a joy and I can promise you that if I'd have written the script, there would have been many delicious confrontations and an entirely different outcome following his discovery of her betrayal.

When twolilhahas requested a picture of Markus Schenkenberg, my first thought was, "Who?" But a quick Google search told me she had exquisite taste in male models. There were plenty of shirtless pics but I rather liked this one.

There's no question that Jude Law is a VERY pretty man but I sort of liked him "roughed up" as Inman in COLD MOUNTAIN. (Another movie I'd have written a different ending for.)

I first fell in love with Josh Lucas in SWEET HOME ALABAMA. He has that affable boy-next-door Southern charm coupled with that dangerous glitter in his steely blue eyes. He reminded me of the boy you'd fall for in high school--you know--the one who actually knew what to do with a carburetor and who actually looked sexy with grease under his fingernails?

And my other favorite Southern Josh is Josh Holloway who plays the incomparable Sawyer from LOST. He may be a bad boy but he's a real fine man!

Well, that's it for today, ladies! I'm signing off to go work hard on my book. You may not hear much from me in the next week or so but at least I've left you something pretty to enjoy ;)

Teresa Brings You Some Guy Candy to Brighten Your Day

2007-06-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't already guessed, I'm writing the first love scene of my new book. And what could be more inspiring when writing a love scene than pictures like these! I've gathered several of your requests and will be bringing them to you for the next two days so tune in tomorrow for Part II of my shameless exploitation of these gorgeous men.

I first fell for Christian Bale when he was the little boy in EMPIRE OF THE SUN. Whether he's playing a young BATMAN in BATMAN BEGINS or Laurie Lawrence in LITTLE WOMEN, I've always found his unique voice to be irresistible. (Of course the face ain't bad either!)

And who can resist the ultimate Mr. Darcy (or Mark Darcy in BRIDGET JONES' DIARY)? Colin Firth makes me yearn for a man who knows how to tie his cravat.

Whether in his KING ARTHUR armor or out of it, Clive Owen is one of those rugged, testosterone-fueled beauties who's just a little rough around the edges. That voice! Those eyes! Those beard-stubbled cheeks! And if you've seen SIN CITY, you know he even looks gorgeous in black and white.

I believe it was J Perry who requested a "less dressed" Russell. I'm always happy to oblige! (The muscles are awesome but I think he accessorizes well with the chains too, don't you?)

Tune in Tomorrow for Part II of SHAMELESS GUY CANDY!

And for all of you dog lovers out there...

2007-06-17T12:06:00.000-07:00

Mwahahahahaha!!! It just occurred to me that Connie Brockway wasn't around to razz me about posting pics from my extensive Russell Crowe collection.

(Okay, actually she probably would pop by just to razz me but she's away at the lake this weekend :))

So while we're on the topic! ;)

And this one is for mshellion! ;)
Now I'm REALLY on a roll!

Sara says it takes a real man to pose with a cat and I just HAPPENED to have this pic of Russell and his puddytat in my collection. (Okay, so I also have a pic of him holding a baby and a small calf if anyone needs one.)

Teresa Welcomes a New Fur-Baby into Her Home and Heart

2007-06-11T09:18:00.001-07:00

She's he-e-e-e-e-ere! That's right. Little Samantha came home yesterday and has survived her first night in her new home (or at least in our downstairs bathroom). This was her first night ever away from her brothers and sisters but she's adjusting well. For such a little kitty, she has a really big mouth.

We had to treat her for fleas and ear mites but we've promised her a lifetime of pampering and adoration to compensate her for her suffering.

Alas, Buffy the Mouse Slayer isn't quite as enamored of her new sibling as we are! She's hissed at her once and spent most of the day lurking outside of the bathroom looking horrified. But we have high hopes for a harmonious future! :)

Good night, sweet princess...

2007-06-01T05:01:00.000-07:00

She came into our lives on a whim. We had only had indoor cats in the past but we lived deep in the woods and mice were building nests in the motor of my husband's truck. So we went to the local shelter and picked out two beautiful sister cats to bring home. We were young and silly so we opened up the pet carrier on the back deck. One of the cats (later christened "The Nemesis") took off like a shot, never to be seen again.

Queenie also took off and she sat at the top of the hill meowing plaintively all afternoon while we tried to coax her into returning to her new home. The sun was almost setting when she finally came trundling down that hill and into our arms.

In a shocking development, we learned that Queenie was already pregnant when we brought her home. She gave birth to her kittens in our Doberman's dog house (he was a very longsuffering dog) and we found homes for all of them before getting her spayed. Although we had planned for her to be an outdoor cat, on the very first cold day of that year, she came and stood patiently at the door. I opened it and let her in. She wouldn't leave us again for eighteen years.

I always said she was the perfect cat because she literally had no faults. She was so polite that if she had to throw up, she would run to the litter box and do it there. She was the only cat we ever had who actually earned her keep--proudly bringing mice and moles to the back door just as we were sitting down to supper. I once saw her eat an entire snake.

When I look through our photo albums, Queenie is like the Forrest Gump of cats. We have pictures of her with almost every friend and every pet we ever had. Being the perfect cat, Queenie did us the wonderful courtesy of living longer than any of our other pets.

In the past two years of her life, she became even more attached to me. I couldn't sit down on the couch for five minutes without her crawling into my lap and purring up a storm. She followed me everywhere and would even sit on the side of the bathtub when I bathed. One day I opened the shower door and almost hit her in the head because she was patiently waiting for me to emerge.

She started declining last Thanksgiving. I remember lying on the couch with her purring on my chest and tears rolling down my cheeks asking God if he could please just let her last through the holidays because I wasn't ready to say goodbye yet. Since God is incredibly kind and I didn't specify which holiday, she almost made it to Memorial Day.

At eighteen years old, she was over 80 years old in people years. I knew she was failing but she still seemed to find such great pleasure in her daily life that I couldn't make that final decision. I prayed for God to let us know when it was time. He gave us our answer one Sunday afternoon when we returned from a church retreat.

I had been lying in the sunroom reading for only a few minutes when she laid down on my chest and started purring like she always does. But just a few minutes later, she started acting very strangely--lifting up one paw and acting like she couldn't put it down, then doing the same thing with the other. Then when she tried to get up, she fell. It was almost like she was having a stroke. I started bawling and asking, "Queenie, what's wrong? What's wrong, baby?" But I knew I had the answer I had been asking God to give me. I had been praying that He would let us know for sure that it was time to let go, that He would give us a sign that would remove all doubt.

We phoned her vet and even though he wasn't on call, he rushed to the clinic to minister to her. She died with me and my husband gently stroking her fur and telling her what a good cat she was.

For eighteen years she was my furry little touchstone. I wrote 17 books during that time. We moved to the city. Other pets came and went and we learned that friends sometimes come and go too. We lost grandparents. My mom went into the nursing home. Our nephew died. But our Queenie-cat was always there, good for a cuddle and a purr whenever we desperately needed one.

I miss you, sweetheart. You left a big hole in our home and in our hearts. But we were so incredibly blessed to have you for so long. May flights of angels sing you to your rest.

Teresa Invites You to Tour Her Office

2007-04-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

I promise if you’ll come back next month, I’ll have gleaming hardwood floors to show off in my office! When we found this house, I was deliberately looking for a newer house that was laid out like an older one so I could commandeer the formal living room AND dining room to be the Teresa Medeiros Complex.

I was shooting for French provincial here with my white, slightly distressed, hand painted furniture, but with all of my BEWITCHED and FAIRY TALE BARBIES, it ended up looking more like the bedroom of a demented 16-year-old with a Barbie (and Russell Crowe) fetish.

And where else would I keep my extra Teresa Medeiros books and foreign editions besides my very own Russell Crowe/MASTER AND COMMANDER bookshelf? My devoted husband snagged this from Wal-Mart right before they were going to put it in the box crusher. Now that’s a real-life hero!

What romance writer’s office would be complete without its very own knight in shining armor? (Or tin.)

This is an example of one of the gorgeous Jamie Murray BEAUTY AND THE BEAST prints I have scattered throughout the office.

And here I am with my very favorite desk toy, a talking replica of Captain Jack Sparrow who mumbles sweet nothings in my ear while I’m working! ("Wot’s that yer saying? Ye want me to do wot?!!!")

Ya’ll come back now, ya here!

Teresa Invites Any Number of Men to Whisper Sweet Nothings in Her Ear

2007-04-06T17:37:00.000-07:00

When they were discussing Simon Cowell on another blog earlier in the week, it occurred to me that we probably wouldn't be debating his charms at all if he talked like Andrew Dice Clay or Joe Pesci. It's that fabulous British accent that gives him his sardonic flare and elevates both his level of attractiveness and our blood pressures. Like most women, I'm very sensitive to the unique accents and pitches of men's voices and like most writers I'm always searching for the right adjectives to describe that husky masculine purr that makes my heroine's knees go weak. Out of all the qualities that make a man attractive, his voice would have to be at the top of my list. I've even caught myself looking twice at a William Hurt or a John Malkovich simply because their voices are so unique. (And don't even get me started on Alan Rickman!)

This was brought home to me again recently when I caught British actor Paul Blackthorne in two very different roles. In the Sci Fi network's magical new series THE DRESDEN FILES, Blackthorne plays a slightly bumbling wizard detective with an American accent. And in Season 3 of "24", he played an evil British terrorist out to unleash a deadly plague on American soil. Now any way you go, Mr. Blackthorne is very easy on the eyes--think young Sean Connery with a twist of Warren Beatty. But I found him to be vastly more attractive with the British accent. (Even as an evil terrorist out to destroy America!) Of course, just like British actor Hugh Laurie, we have to give him props for being able to "do an American accent" because after all, we Americans don't HAVE accents, right?

Speaking of "24", there's a running joke that Kiefer Sutherland's "Jack Bauer" has only two extremes of speaking--yelling or whispering. I recently discovered over at http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/ that Jack's husky whisper is known to his devoted fans as "The Velvet". Apparently both terrorists and women are completely defenseless against "The Velvet" and if Jack uses it on you, you have no choice but to spill all of your government secrets to him. (Of course if you don't, he'll probably just cut off one of your fingers or shoot you in the head.)

And what about Hugh Grant? Sure he's got an abundance of self-effacing humor and boyish charm, but would you have ever forgiven him for that whole Divine Brown incident if his upscale Brit accent didn't make him sound as if he's always on the verge of offering us tea and crumpets? I mean, the man was dumb enough to cheat on Elizabeth Hurley and we still ended up patting him on the head and cooing, "Aw, isn't he just adorable?"

And let's not forget those Southern boys. Would Don Johnson as Sonny Crockett on MIAMI VICE have been nearly as compelling without that beguiling hint of gravel in his voice? And what about Josh Holloway, my beloved "Sawyer" on LOST? Every time he looks at Kate and drawls "Freckles", I forget all about muscular and noble Dr. Jack.

Any time I do think about calling Dr. Love, I think about ER's gorgeous Goran Visnjic. With his soulful dark eyes and soaring cheekbones, he's a beautiful man by anyone's standards. But that Croatian accent of his gives him an exotic charm that makes me think about snowy nights wrapped in bear pelts in front of a crackling fire.

A Hero by Any Other Name...

2007-03-20T10:44:00.000-07:00

First of all, let me begin by saying that I have read some absolutely wonderful romance novels with heroes named Harry (Connie Brockway's AS YOU DESIRE anyone?), Bill (Charlaine Harris's "Sookie Stackhouse" series), and Jack (Lisa Kleypas's hero of SUDDENLY YOU certainly gives me a craving for fresh rasberries! ;)) But I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for those nobleman blessed with such swoonworthy monikers as Gabriel, Sebastian and Tristan (with an occasional Damien thrown in for devilish effect).

Character names have always been very important to me because I usually come up with my hero and heroine's names before I know anything else about their stories. I was fascinated to learn after the fact that the name "Gareth" (SHADOWS AND LACE) and the name "Gerard" (THIEF OF HEARTS) both mean "staff". Hmmm...wonder if there was something Freudian going on in my subconscious?

I also have a fondness for outlaws so it's my personal opinion that all western heroes should be named "Billy" or "Jesse". When I wrote Billy Darling in NOBODY'S DARLING, his name told me everything I needed to know about his character. And lest someone should suggest that my names aren't realistic enough, I'll have you know that right after I finished my most recent novels AFTER MIDNIGHT and THE VAMPIRE WHO LOVED ME featuring brothers Adrian and Julian Kane, I received a note from my German translator telling me that her sons were named Adrian and Julian! She wanted me to give her third son his "own book" but alas, his name is "Fabian." A gorgeous name but a shade too close to "Fabio" for my comfort.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to "Simon." He's a very naughty hero and he needs my guidance ;)

Teresa's Book Reviews: Bitter with Baggage Seeks Same

2007-03-17T17:43:00.000-07:00

I first fell in love with Sloane Tanen’s work when I read the caption above a photo with a little chicken sitting on a swing set and peering around the playground: “Samantha looked around the playground in amazement. Her mother had been right. She really WAS the smartest and the prettiest.” Now I ask you--has there ever been a more apt mascot for me and some of my equally ambitious writer friends?

If you thought you had to give up picture books when you graduated from second grade, have I got a treat for you! Writer Sloane Tanen and photographer Stefan Hagen take those tiny little stuffed yellow chicks you can find at Easter and put them in wickedly funny scenarios in gorgeously detailed dioramas. The first book in the series BITTER WITH BAGGAGE SEEKS SAME: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SOME CHICKENS beautifully captures two qualities--they’re both bitter and sunny-natured. And who can't relate to adorable little spoiled tyrant Coco who is rarely seen without her tiara and dreams “that one day she would grow up to be a benevolent queen...or a supermodel.”

The second book in the series--GOING FOR THE BRONZE: STILL BITTER, MORE BAGGAGE is equally hilarious. One of my favorite pages shows two chickens peering over the side of the Titanic while a chicken floats beneath them and one of them comments, “I don’t know, the last thing he said was something about being king of the world and then I may have accidentally pushed him.” No one is safe from the satire including Charles and Camilla, American Idol, and Hooters. And the photographs are so detailed that you can spend hours just noticing things in the background.

I should warn you that, due to a wee bit of naughty language, these picture books are for adults only, but Sloane Tanen has also written a children’s book called COCO ALL YEAR ROUND. If you want your child to develop a deliciously dark and dysfunctional sense of humor right along with you, you can read them rhymes featuring the adorable Coco like “I walk down the street with my whole Girl Scout troop. It would have been fun had I not slipped in poop.” (I’ll spare you a description of the illustration on this one.)

Teresa Goes Hollywood

2007-03-04T17:48:00.000-08:00

I found this pic of me and my daddy this week, proving I've always had Hollywood star quality :)

Teresa Discovers the Secrets to Happiness

2007-02-26T17:51:00.000-08:00

So you’ve always wanted it all, eh? Fame, fortune, a night in Johnny Depp’s arms… But for most of us, true bliss may be only a hot Krispy Kreme away.

Which is why I’ve decided that you can find the most surefire path to joy simply by lowering your expectations of life. (Or as the apostle Paul said--"I have learned to be content in all things.")

So I decided to set some new parameters for pursuing happiness with these nine simple guidelines:

1) I never want a strange man to walk out of my kitchen with a camera crew and say, “Hi! I’m Chris Hansen from NBC DATELINE’s “TO CATCH A PREDATOR!”

2) I never want Simon Cowell to make me cry in public

3) I never want to shave my head, nor do I want to be photographed while climbing out of a sports car without any underwear on

4) I never want to eat at that Taco Bell in New York City--you know, the one with rats bigger than house cats scampering playfully around the floor with their gorditas

5) I never want to eat any bugs on SURVIVOR or FEAR FACTOR

6) I never want to have an illness so mysterious that only HOUSE can diagnose me

7) I never want someone to lure me onto JERRY SPRINGER by pretending I’m getting a makeover

8) I never want to jog...unless I’m being chased by a bear

9) I never want to eat another rice cake (unless the only alternative is a bug)