Amy Andrews' first...light-bulb moment romance.

Please welcome the fantabulous Amy Andrews to the "You Always Remember Your First" party.  Amy's books and mine have often come out togehter in Australia, and we've written a super sexy duet for Harlequin Kiss due out next July/August!  As an extra double whammy, today's Amy's birthday!!!   Happy Birthday Amy!!!

The first romance I read that made a true, light-bulb moment impression on me was Getting Rid of Bradley by Jennifer Crusie.

It was one of her Harlequins and I remember after I’d devoured it and smiled like a loon a lot and actually laughed out loud in places and sighed a happy sign at the end, I knew this was the kind of book I wanted to write.

Prior to GROB I’d read mostly from the Harlequin Presents/Sexy range – Carole Mortimer, Charlotte Lamb, Ann Mather, Penny Jordan - these were my staples. And I still adore the brooding Presents heroes and all that screaming sexual tension and THE wonderful sexy times. But here was a book that was sexy in an entirely different way. It was light and funny, it was a little irreverent.  But still oh so sexy.  It was a freaking revelation!

Ever read a book that’s just taken all your expectations and assumptions and turned them upside down?  Tell me all about it at Ally's Facebook page for the chance to win an ebook of 'Tis the Season To Be Kissed!

Amy
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Fiona Lowe's first...romance read!

Next to the party is Fiona Lowe - long time writing friend, conference roomie, and winner of just about every romance award under the sun for her fabulous Boomerang Bride.

The first time I read a romance novel I was 14 and my mother handed me Pride and Prejudice. I started reading and at page 100 said, “this is SO boring.”  She said, keep reading.

Midway through the book I said, “Oh, that horrible Mr. Darcy!” and she said, “keep reading.”

I did and when I put the book down with a sigh of, “Mr. Darcy!” My love of romance fiction was born.

Fiona
Website  |  Facebook 

Charlotte Phillips'...favourite Christmas first!

We're getting closer to Christmas - yippee! -  and the delightful Charlotte Phillips is here telling us all about her favourite Christmas first! 

My favourite Christmas ‘first’?

This would have to be my five year old daughter’s first Christmas. Not just because of all the magic associated with that but also because my now husband asked me to marry him. I woke up on Christmas morning with a sparkly engagement ring, spent the whole day celebrating with family and had the best time ever!  (AB: Oh how gorgeous!)

  

Charlotte

Website


Charlotte has two gorgeous holiday tales out!  Including her first book Secrets of the Rich and Famous.

Fiona Harper's first...crush!

Wonderful writer, Fiona Harper is next up, here to tell us all about her first crush.  Everybody say awwww...  Or should that be phwoooar... :)

I’m going to admit to my first celebrity crush! It was the lovely Pierce Brosnan, but I’m showing my age if I tell you it was way before he was asked to play Bond, when he’d become a bit more rough and rugged-looking. No, I fell for Pierce as mysterious detective Remington Steele. This was a great TV series from the early 80s.

The basic premise was that Laura Holt, ace detective, was having trouble attracting clients for her newly-formed business because she was a woman, so she invented a fictional boss – and one day a handsome stranger with a shady past steps into the role. In the vein of shows like Moonlighting and Castle, it paired a straight-laced detective heroine with a loose-cannon male sidekick and I loved it. There’s something about a charmer that I just can’t resist. (I also have a crush on Nathan Fillion as Castle, but that one developed much later in life!)  (AB:  Yes, yes, and yes!)

Pierce was great in it: witty, infuriating, a little bit dangerous… The only downside was the hair. Which, let’s face it was a bit on the bouffant side. We’ll forgive him, though. It was the 80s, after all!
 
Fiona
Website  |  Facebook 


A copy of Fiona's delightful Christmas story MAKE MY WISH COME TRUE  is up for grabs over at my Facebook page!  Just let us know your first celeb crush o be in the draw.

Lucy King's first...book that will never see the light of day!

Next up in my "You never forget your first..." party, is the fabulous Lucy King, writer of gorgeously sexy books I adore.  

Congratulations, Ally, on ten years of awesome books (amazing achievement!) and thank you so much for having me here to join in your fabulous celebrations.  (AB: Pleasure!)

Ten years ago I’d just finished the first book I ever wrote. I’d had some time off work and thought hey, I used to devour these books, I’ve always wanted to write one and really, how hard can it be?

Yes. Well. Exactly. Pretty hard as it turns out. Not that I thought so at the time. I thought A Conflict of Interest was totally brilliant. Of course, it wasn’t, and it should never have seen the light of day, let alone been submitted to the M&B slush pile.  (AB: Soooo with you there.  My first was entitled 'The Muted Heat' - a god awful Seinfeld reference of a title which was probably the best thing about it!)

Set in the world of high-finance, zipping between London and Barcelona and bizarrely involving an illegitimate evil sister and a kidnapping, the plot was, as the rejection letter I eventually received pointed out, ‘rather far-fetched’. The heroine was spoilt, whiny and generally pretty unappealing. The hero was domineering, boorish and equally unappealing. In short, it was the complete opposite of Ally’s books, whose characters are people you could imagine being friends with, whose plots are gems and whose dialogue makes me wonder why I bother. Like this:

She stopped her fussing and said, ‘One little hint? Next time you’re looking to land yourself a girl, don’t bother with the chair. Props are for amateurs.’

That was from the wonderful The Magnate’s IndecentProposal. See what I mean? Fabulous. Maybe my favourite Ally Blake line ever.  (AB:  Argh!  You've made me blush!)

Lucy

Website  |  Facebook 


Lucy is giving away a copy of her latest Harlequin Kiss THE REUNION lie over on my Facebook page!  So head on over and say hi!