Eloisa James' Special Treat!

by Anna Sugden

Can there be a better way to kick off the holiday season in the Lair than to welcome back one of our favourite guests - Eloisa James?

Join us as we celebrate the launch of Eloisa's latest book in the Duchesses series "When the Duke Returns", find out how to make your holiday special with treats just for yourself ... and be part of the chance to win one of Eloisa's 5 (yes, 5!) prizes.

So without further ado, I'll hand you over to Eloisa.

Thank you, Anna. I'm delighted to return to the Bandita's Lair.

Decembers tend to pass in a whirl of wrapping paper and exhaustion—a month spent creating beautiful memories for other people, most of whom are under the age of consent and are perfectly happy chewing on squeaky toys.

My point is that we often forget something: ourselves. What would make you really happy? As a woman?

My answer is to feel loved. And my prescription is love yourself this holiday. When your children look back over their memories, they'll see it in a whirl of joy, presents, and love. But you're the key to that. The only way you can be the calm center at the heart of their joy is if you yourself are joyful. And the only way you can be joyful is if you are happy with yourself.

Recipe for Self Love

Lingerie. Buy something and wear it under your sweatshirt. The crucial point: you're not doing this for your partner, but for yourself.

Toes. A winter pedicure is delicious, partly because it's a secret known only to you (and perhaps the man you deem lucky enough to kiss your coral pink toes).

Time. That's the main gift you have to give yourself: time. Put on some music, get into the bathtub, and read. I even have suggested reading material: my latest, When the Duke Returns. My duke, Simeon, returns to England after years exploring the wilderness to meet the wife he married by proxy: Isidore. But he takes one look at her and offers an annulment: she’s too beautiful, too sexy, and too angry for him. Typically for a man, he’s underestimating Isidore (not to mention the power of lingerie—see above)!

It’s my hope that in reading how Simeon and Isidore fall in love, even in the midst of terrible problems with water closets (toilets), siblings, a rather horrific mother-in-law and a house renovation, will help you survive your December.

What’s your favorite survival recipe? What do you do to survive in the midst of chaos (and let’s not even talk about Black Friday shopping)?

Don't forget that 5 lucky commenters will win prizes today - Eloisa is giving away two copies of 'Desperate Duchesses', two copies of 'An Affair Before Christmas' and one copy of 'Duchess by Night'. Source URL: http://violeta-diario.blogspot.com/2008/11/
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The Book or the Film?

by Anna Sugden

There has been a lot of controversy lately with the new Bond film 'Quantum of Solace' (where do they get these titles?!). For those of you unaware of the issues troubling Bond fans, it's all to do with the last two (Daniel Craig) movies.

You see, they go back to the beginning and tell the story of how Bond developed into the character we know today. The purists believe that this is the only way to see Bond and that this is as close to the James Bond of the Ian Fleming books as we've seen, since George Lazenby. Film fans, meanwhile, are horrified that some of the classic Bond-isms eg 'Martini, shaken not stirred' and Q, are missing from these films. It doesn't matter (much *g*) who plays Bond, but the Bond-isms have to be there.

All of which got me thinking about the problems with turning books into films.

Think of the controversy about the Harry Potter films. Though it's obvious to anyone with an ounce of common sense that turning an 800-plus page tome into a two hour film is just the teensiest bit tricky, die-hard fans get quite upset that chunks of the story have had to be left out. They don't see why it's a problem to capture all the depth of characterisation and complexity of plot, without seeing that the end result would be a major bum-numbing epic!

They had the same problem with Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code'.

Similarly, the recent version of 'Pride and Prejudice' (once you've got over the horror of anyone other than Colin Firth playing Mr Darcy!) raised hackles by straying from the well-known and much-loved story.

That's not to say that any of these films is bad - they're just not 'as good' as the book. Personally, I think they're very entertaining and enjoy them for what they are ... but that's just me (except for 'Pride and Prejudice' - which I didn't like!)

You only need to speak with authors like Lisa Gardner about the adapatations of their books to know how they feel about what was done with their beloved stories.

On the other side of the coin, are the movies that are better (in the viewer's mind) than the book. The one that stands out most for me, is 'Practical Magic' (starring Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman and the drool-worthy Goran Visnij and Aidan Quinn). While Alice Hoffman's book is very good, the film has much more charm.

And then, there are the multitude of TV adaptations (Thank you, BBC) and movies that are really good translations of the printed word to the screen. The Colin Firth version of 'Pride and Prejudice', 'A Town Like Alice' (the Bryan Brown TV series) and Inspector Morse are just a few examples.

I've seen a number of debates about potential movies made from popular series. Who would play Eve Dallas and Roarke (pause to drool) if they made the JD Robb '... In Death' series into movies? What about Ranger, Joe Morelli and Stephanie Plum from Janet Evanovich's series? It's a brave director and producer who take on such feats - because you know you going to irritate a bunch of people no matter what you do!

I know that the fabulous Robert Crais has sworn not to allow his books to be made into movies or TV series, because he wants the reader to have their own interpretation of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike - not one fashioned by Hollywood.

So, what do you think? Do you like books being converted to films? Which do you think have been done well and which badly? Have you read a book which inspired a film and been disappointed? Does it matter if book and film don't match exactly? Are there books you would love to see turned into movies? We all dream of our books being optioned, but how would you feel if the only recognisable element was the title?!

And who would play the yummy scrummy Roarke? Or Ranger?Source URL: http://violeta-diario.blogspot.com/2008/11/
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Seduced by the dark side

by Suzanne Welsh

For the past year I've had a cell phone. Yes, me, the lone hold out in my town where people upgrade electronic devices like changing shoes, broke down and bought my first cell phone. To give you a little past history of why this was so monumental, let me take you back to an age when cell phones were nothing more than a glint in Ray Bradbury's eyes as he wrote his first Star Trek screenplay.

As a young teen I loved talking on the phone. It was the social network of our time. The phone hung on the wall in the kitchen, but the cord was long enough to stretch to the stairs leading down to our basement. (In Ohio we all had basements.) So after dinner, washing the dishes and doing my homework I could spend half an hour perched on the top step talking to my friends--usually my best friend Marion or my equally good friend Terry. We'd talk about school, boys, friends, boys, clothes, boys, music....and yeah...boys



That stayed the norm until I went away to nursing school. Then I'd talk to boys, friends and my family on the pay phone at the end of the dorm hall, a fact that probably saved my nursing school career, since it limited the time I could spend distracted from studying, (minus the TV time, the chatting in other people's dorm rooms time, oh yeah and the vodka on the weekend time.)




By the time I started my family portable phones were the new rage. But I stood by my old favorite, the wall mounted phone. Didn't have to worry about charging it between uses. Always knew where it was...mounted on the wall. And any child wanting to talk on the phone had to do it within hearing range of the mama. :)



But then we moved to Texas about the same time cell phones invaded every home. It was amazing to look around when stopped at red lights to see every driver in front, behind and around me talking on a cell phone. One day I was at the groceries, enjoying the quiet as I thumped the cantelopes, only to have my peace distrubed by a lady yelling at her child over the cell phone. Please, I'd come shopping to get away from my family. Why would I want them to be able to find me via a portable phone?

After that a few things happened to change my mind.



1) I became a romance writer. I made friends and started traveling more for my new career. I needed to stay in touch with my family, and having a cell phone meant no long distance bills to my husband, no matter where I'd roamed.



2) My daughter became pregnant. Now it was very important for me to be reached any hour of the day or night.



3) It was time to come out of the dark ages. People were actually texting and on the internet from their phones. Sigh. The old wall mounted phone could never do that!


So now I find myself charging my phone when I'm at home. My kids ONLY call my cell, unless I don't answer that. At work, I put it on vibrate and carry it in my pocket...but only IF I'm expecting one of them to call. Despite my seduction to the dark side of modern communication, I refuse to talk on the phone in a patient's room!

So dear friends, how about you? Have you ever held out against something, only to slowly be seduced to it's good points?Source URL: http://violeta-diario.blogspot.com/2008/11/
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Cast of Twilight Movie in December's In Style

Today, the much anticipated Twilight movie premiered here in the Philippines. I can't wait to watch the movie this coming weekend and so I ended up surfing the world wide web for some Twilight goodies.

Thanks to Instyle magazine for featuring the most talked-about cast of Twilight movie in their December issue which are probably out in the newsstands today.

Here's some of the photos taken during their photo shoot and an excerpt of their interviews.







Robert Pattinson
"I don’t want to look trendy, so I try to find clothes where somebody wouldn’t be able to say, 'Oh, you’re a cool guy,’" says Pattinson. The actor also admits, "I do like the 'expensive but disheveled' thing if I am going out."

Kristen Stewart
"I love women’s clothes fashioned after men’s clothes," said Stewart of her Helmut Lang tuxedo jacket and Zac Posen shirt. "You definitely feel more feminine because you look better in the clothes than the guys do!"

Rachelle Lefevre
"I feel like there is something about having wild hair that makes people assume that I might be fierce and cool," says Lefevre of her mane. "So I can just let that do all the work and be my regular intimidated self!"

Nikki Reed
"They put me in 12-inch stilettos [in the movie] because I am supposed to be taller than my sister... It was the running joke that we might not be able to shoot because I might not be able to walk. I was like, 'Can you just have us sitting and put me on a pillow?'"

Kellan Lutz
"I love wearing old-fashioned stuff, like top hats and bow ties and striped suits."

Source
Source URL: http://violeta-diario.blogspot.com/2008/11/
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Lions--Archetypes for Romantic Heroes?

By KJ Howe

Magnetic eyes, a powerful roar, and the ability to leave females weak in the knees...lions have a lot in common with romantic heroes. I became fascinated with lions during my recent trips to Kenya and South Africa. Our guide spent hours scouring the grasslands searching for evidence that the lions had been nearby. And we found two males resting after gorging on a wildebeest. It wasn’t until later that I discovered these similarities between male lions and heroes:


Both skyrocket women’s heart rates to well over 200—in this case, the lion wins hands down. I was twenty feet away from them in an open truck and I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest!

Both have mesmerizing eyes that you can get lost in. Those golden eyes remind me of Spanish conquistadors.

Both have great manes...I mean, isn’t hair one of the things that drive women wild?

Both have healthy sex drives when they are interested in reproduction—lions may copulate between twenty and forty times a day during a mating bout.

Both have powerful legs, a strong jaw, and a short attention span. Trust me, you never want to see them yawn!

Both have a healthy dose of testosterone when it comes to protecting their territory/women.

Both have healthy appetites and they generally like to prowl at night.

Both romantic heroes and lions don’t mind letting women do the heavy lifting when it comes to meal preparation. After all, lionesses do the majority of the hunting for their pride and lions just enjoy the results.

Both have bodies that won’t stop. Large male lions can weigh over 550lbs and none of their bulk is fat.

Both are vulnerable species...lions have had an irreversible population decline of 30-50% over the past two decades. How can we stop romantic heroes from becoming extinct???

The bottom line is romantic heroes and lions share many traits. Picture yourself as a heroine in a romantic novel. What are some of the animalistic qualities men possess that would appeal to you?
Source URL: http://violeta-diario.blogspot.com/2008/11/
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Bandita Booty Galore!

by Anna Sugden

Just been to the supermarket and picked up my Cadbury's prizes - the lady on the till probably thought I had a serious chocolate problem!

I have two lots of prizes to give out.

First, for outstanding creativity in Collective Nouns. It was a very tough decision! So many great ideas. Thank you all for playing. But, I had to pick some prize winners so, *drum roll* the Cadbury's goes to:

Pat Cochran

Cas 2 AJS

Ms Hellion

And a special bonus to Keira's daughter, if she emails me her Barbie and bunny collective nouns.

Second, a winner from my Oreo blog. My tuxedo cat, Jersey Girl, put her paw into the pot and pulled out ...

Danie88.

Congratulations to all the winners!! Please email your snail mail addys to me at Anna at Annasugden dot com, and I'll get the chocolate treats in the post to you.Source URL: http://violeta-diario.blogspot.com/2008/11/
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Bandit Booty

Thanks to everyone who posted on my Birthday Blog. The winner of a copy of Not Without Her Family and a choice of one of Tawny's books is...



Gannon!!


Congratulations, Gannon! Please send me your information at beth@bethandrews.net (let me know which of Tawny's books you want - Double Dare, Does She Dare or Risque Business) and I'll get your books out to you asap!


Thanks again to everyone for stopping by :-)
Source URL: http://violeta-diario.blogspot.com/2008/11/
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How do you eat your Oreo?

by Anna Sugden

Picture the scene ... a lovely sunny day in the centre of Cambridge ... a quaint tea shop set on a cobbled street, in the shadow of the majestic architecture of King's College. A traditional English tea is served - fruit scones, jam and clotted cream. [clotted cream, by the way, isn't something you put in your tea - it's a spread, made from cream, for your scone].

Then, the debate starts: which comes first? Cream before jam or jam before cream? [The correct answer is cream first *g*].

In true English style, there then has to be a debate about how you pour tea - milk first or tea first? [I don't mind which, as long as there is milk - none of this lemon or honey business!].

All of which got me thinking.

There are debates about several foods and how you eat them.

Boiled eggs, for example. Do you smash or slice?
Spaghetti/pasta - do you twirl or chop?
Bars of chocolate - one segment at a time, bite away or all at once?
Apples - do you peel and section or bite?
Pringles - one at a time or by the stack?
Ice lollies - do you lick or bite?
Boiled sweets/mints - do you suck or bite?

And, of course, the ever-popular ... how do you eat your Oreo? (or for those of us who live in countries without Oreos, Bourbons, Custard Creams or other 'cream sandwich' type cookies).

Do you split the cookie in half and lick out the cream? Do you eat one cookie bit first, then the cream, then the rest? Do you dunk and bite or shove it all in?

Come on, you can tell us. And to tempt you into sharing your habits, I'll even sweeten the pot with a prize of some Cadbury's chocolate ... the real stuff ... from England ... to eat any way you please [I haven't forgotten last month's prize winner for the best collective nouns - I'll announce the prizes together!]Source URL: http://violeta-diario.blogspot.com/2008/11/
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Brittany "McKey" Sullivan: America's Next Top Model Cycle 11 Winner

On the final episode of CW's America's Next Top Model Cycle 11, Brittany "McKey" Sullivan was hailed as the winner of the show. McKey wins a contract with Elite model management, a spread and cover for Seventeen magazine, and a $100,000 contract with Covergirl. Checkout some of her memorable poses during the show.

McKey shines in the Amsterdam open-sea photo shoot. Her pose is unique and really accentuates her mile-long legs.


McKey poses in the "Good Times & Windmills" avant garde challenge.


McKey poses for a photo shoot with Tyra behind the camera.


McKey shows off her "I thought I was going to win, but didn't" pose in "The Fiercee Awards" challenge.


McKey poses as a heat wave in the Los Angeles natural disasters challenge.


McKey poses with her eyes in the "Fierce Eyes" challenge on Cycle 11.



McKey climbs the ladder of model success.


McKey represents the environment in the "Voting is Sexy" challenge.


SourceSource URL: http://violeta-diario.blogspot.com/2008/11/
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The Bandits Welcome Kathleen Long!

by Tawny Weber and Beth Andrews

Beth: Tawny and I are thrilled to welcome awesome Harlequin Intrigue author and dear friend Kathleen Long to the Bandits' lair! Welcome, Kath!

Tawny: Yay! Kath's in the Lair. that means it's wild party times. Kath, I'm so excited you're hanging out with us today. So... tell us everything. And I mean EVERYTHING. All the cool deets on you, your life, your naughty confessions. Oh wait, I mean, tell us about your story, Christmas Confessions.

Kathleen: Hey there! I'm thrilled to be here and so glad you invited me over to the Lair. The Lair. Doesn't that sound wonderfully mysterious? I love it! As for me, there are absolutely no naughty confessions. You must have me confused with someone else. LOL Good suggestion on starting with Christmas Confessions, let's do that and get it out of the way. Christmas Confessions is my newest Harlequin Intrigue, a stand-alone thriller. The premise hit me one day while reading a story about PostSecret, an online site that draws countless handmade postcards each year. Each postcard features a confession of some sort—made anonymously. I was amazed by the outpouring of emotion and heartache displayed on the cards shown at the site, and I immediately thought what if someone used a similar site to confess a murder? Christmas Confessions and the fictional Don’t Say a Word website were born.


Tawny: Wow, Kath that gave me chills. You come up with such... well, twisted ideas. I mean, you look so sweet!! How do you do it?

Kathleen: Well, I do think twisted is the word for it. One of my favorite ways to kill time--no pun intended--is to take the latest headline and see what sort of murder mystery I can tease from it :-) I have one sister-in-law who routinely asks my DH if he sleeps with one eye open. He does admit to having a few moments of doubt the day he came home and found my favorite books--Scene of the Crime, 1001 Tips for Writing the Perfect Murder, Coroner's Report and Missing Persons--scattered across the kitchen table. What is it they say about it being the quiet ones you have to worry about?

Beth: Thank goodness we know he doesn't have to worry - much ;-) I love how you use real events or news stories as inspiration. Do you ever use any of your real life events in your stories? And I have to ask...do you have any Christmas Confessions of your own to share? *g*

Kathleen: I don't think I've used any of my real life events in my suspense. I've used plenty in my comedy, but you'll never get that out of me. I'd rather preserve the illusion of the polished person you all think I am. ;o) And, real life Christmas Confessions?? You mean like searching for the engagement ring until I found it and then having to act surprised, all the while kicking myself for reenacting the days of unwrapping the ends of each present before Christmas morning? Oh wait, that would be two confessions. Both of them hypothetical, of course.

So how about you two? Any Christmas Confessions?

Tawny: Ooooh, I love confessions. Lets see... there was the time that I snuck down to the tree one night and opened all my gifts using a teensy little pocket knife, then taped them closed again once I knew was I was getting. Then there was the one when I ran out of presents to unwrap, so I started on my little brothers. He still hasn't forgiven me for that one LOL.So wrong...and yet, so easy for me to imagine. ;o)

Kathleen: Beth, how about you? Any Christmas Confessions?? She's going to try to say she doesn't have anything to confess. Watch and see...

Beth: Now you two know I would never do anything naughty - especially around Christmas time! What's that? You're not buying it? *sigh* Guess you both know me too well :-) Hmm...well there was the one year my older sister and I unwrapped our presents and found the brand new Nintendo we'd been wanting. But we weren't satisfied with just finding the game...oh, no...we took it out of the box, hooked it up and played it! Then of course, we reboxed it, rewrapped it and left it in the hiding place in the attic. *g*

Tawny: Wow, Beth. You were so NAUGHTY! Did Santa leave you coal after that???

Beth: I'll never tell ;-)

Kathleen: I'd bet he did leave her coal...unless of course, she really was the good girl she claims to have been and she made up her confession. Matter of fact, I wonder if all three of us made up our confessions? Wouldn't that be a cool way to give away a copy of Christmas Confessions?I say we ask today's visitors to tell us what they think. Who's telling the truth...and who's fibbing?

One lucky commenter will walk away with a new book for their TBR pile. And while you're here today, why don't you share your favorite Christmas Confession? We'd love to hear your stories!


Here's the blurb for Christmas Confessions: Jack Grant just couldn't leave a case cold. Luckily a hot tip led the investigator to Abby Conroy. Her Web site--Don't Say a Word--broadcast a stalker confessing his many sins, and every crime was committed to get Abby's attention. Establishing contact with Abby brought Jack closer to a killer who had haunted him since the death of his sister. It had left him frozen, yet focused beyond belief--the perfect condition to keep Abby safe. But if protecting her thawed the pain that had chilled his heart, would he still have a chance to bring her home this holiday?


Sounds great, doesn't it? And make sure you check out Kath's website where you can find out more about her wonderful books! http://www.kathleenlong.com/
Source URL: http://violeta-diario.blogspot.com/2008/11/
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Life's Been Good To Me So Far

by Beth

Anyone else have Joe Walsh's song stuck in their head or is it just me? *g*

Happy Birthday to Me! Yep, today's my 38th birthday and, in case you can't tell, I love my special day *g* I've been so blessed in so many wonderful ways - my family, my terrific friends (the bandits and bandit buddies top that list!) my writing career, good health...what's not to celebrate?


When I was little, my birthday meant having my family around me after dinner for cake and ice cream. My mom would make Butterfudge Mallow Cake - a dense chocolate cake with butterscotch filling and marshmallow frosting - and put those little sugar flowers and decorations all over the cake. I'd open a few gifts and blow out the candles and then dive in (as you can tell by my pictures, I loved cake *g*)

Some of my favorite gifts include the Cookie Monster slippers shown in my sixth birthday picture (except every time I wore them our poodle would go nuts, chase me around the house and attack Cookie's head) a Big Wheel (anyone remember those? so much fun!) and the brown leather jacket I got when I was 16. Of course, that was 1986 so the jacket had HUGE shoulder pads and patches of suede. No fringe though :-)

Nowadays my favorite birthday presents are the handmade cards my husband and kids make - my daughters are great artists and my son makes cards using old pictures that always make me laugh *g* I spend my birthday writing but I refuse to cook so dinner is whatever I'm in the mood for - usually Chinese take-out *g* Today might be pizza though as I'm craving a big slice of cheese and mushroom pizza from the local pizzeria. No cake though unless one of my daughters decide to do some baking (yes, my son can bake but he has basketball tryouts and won't be home *g*)

This Saturday my mom's cooking me dinner (my pick *g*) and will bake my choice of cake. My sister, her kids and husband will be there and my sister will give me the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives cookbook she bought me when we went shopping Saturday :-) I hope she wraps it!

Now all I have to do is decide what I want my mom to make for dinner and what kind of cake I'm craving ;-)


What about you? What are your favorite birthday memories? Favorite gifts? How do you celebrate your special day? And the most important question of all: What's your favorite birthday cake?

And since it's my birthday there should be presents, right? So I'm giving away a copy of Not Without Her Family and a copy of one of Tawny's books (winner's choice of Double Dare, Does She Dare? or Risque Business) to one commenter!
Source URL: http://violeta-diario.blogspot.com/2008/11/
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