Allyson: I wish I had Ricardo massaging my neck - mostly what I have is a cat kneading my bare legs with her claws (ouch!).

I write full time, and it's the best job I've ever had. A few years ago, I bravely quit my day job. It was very, very hard, but I knew that if I put myself in the position that I HAD to write to make a living, I'd do it. And I did. Now I write full time in my tank top and shorts and love my new work clothes. I don't have kids yet, but do have the cat, who loves to put her claws in my leg while I'm writing (guess what she's doing right now). I also have the sexiest husband in the world, who is loving, supporting, and my biggest fan. (He reads all my books, and likes the erotica best of all. :})

Blair: I have a husband who also acts as a very cute pool boy and gives terrific neck massages. ;-) I live in a house with two dogs that graciously allow us to live there and pay the mortgage. We’re ever so grateful to them. No secret writing rituals that I know of. I’m always looking for one. It’d be so cool to have a secret writing ritual, like a secret handshake.

Ellen: I’m a stay-at-home mom, I’ve been married for fourteen years to a great guy, and I have four kids ranging from ten years to nine months. We have a mini lop rabbit named Bunnicula and a guinea pig named Chester. My biggest hobby is reading, but I like to listen to music, too. I also sing in my church choir (I’m a more or less on-key alto). With four kids underfoot (although the oldest three are in school now, thank goodness), I can’t afford to have any secret rituals for writing - I’m lucky to get any writing done at all! I now have a laptop, and it wanders around the house with me so I can write as needed. (I do have to be careful to keep it away from the baby, lest he offer me “help” - he desperately wants to push all those buttons!) The pool boy named Ricardo sounds great, though ... I think I’ll ask DH for one of those for Christmas. *g*

Patrice: When I'm not writing, well ... I'm thinking about writing. LOL! It's true. I don't think an author ever really stops "thinking" when she's not writing. It's kind of the nature of the beast in the sense that most authors I know are very observant people. So we're constantly observing everyone and everything around us because inspiration strikes at the strangest times.

I'm a wife and a mother (to both the human and animal variety *g*). I used to hold a dreary day job but now I feel very fortunate to be able to write four days a week. As far as rituals I follow ... hmmm, the only one I do is I leave my house to get heavy duty writing done. I'll go to a coffee shop or the library. Somewhere away from e-mail and the Internet.

Ann: If you were faced with a ReBeL who has never read your books, how would you describe your favorite hero - or one of your favorites if you can't decide on a single one - from one of your books, including your current WIP? What's he like before his first cup of coffee (or beverage of choice) in the morning? What's his favorite type of clothing or outfit to see his heroine wear? What qualities does he find sexy and irresistible in a woman? What would be most likely to draw his attention about a woman if he were sitting in a deli or diner and saw her walk in the door? Would he surf the TV channels during a commercial break, get up and make himself a snack, or take that 60 seconds to show/tell his heroine what he wants to do with her later ... *g*

Allyson: Oh, that's easy. Rio, the sexy sidekick in my first Ellora's Cave book (TALES OF THE SHAREEM: REES). Everyone loves Rio! He's a level-three Shareem (the equivalent of a male Dom), wears black leather, has a bad attitude and a snarky sense of humor, and adores women. He'll do anything, any time, any where. He wakes up gorgeous, of course. Can't really talk or be coherent without his first cup of java, but he could certainly stay in bed and pleasure the heroine for hours before bothering with the coffee.

His favorite type of clothing or outfit to see his heroine wear is a skin-tight, short leather dress and a collar. Or nothing. He likes women who are real, not put on. He likes their own inherent sexiness, even if they're unaware or unsure they're sexy (and he'll teach them that they are). He would be most likely to notice the way she carries herself, the way she smiles to herself like she's enjoying life, the way her eyes widen when she sees the gorgeous hunk of Rio in the corner.

Rio wouldn't pay attention to the TV at all. How could he, when she is in the room? He'll watch TV when he has nothing else to do and she's not around. Rio has a far better imagination than anything he'll see on TV. In fact, he threw away the remote control, and any snack will involve licking it off his lady. Rio's a babe. TALES OF THE SHAREEM: RIO should be out soon. It's been accepted by my editor at Ellora's Cave and they're working on it. :)

Blair: Adrian, the vampire hero of SURRENDER THE NIGHT, would get up during a commercial break during Dracula 2000 (after shaking his head at the movie and those boring vampire stereotypes) and have a quickie with Lily, the heroine. He’s very fast and very good. He’d also make himself a small snack ... of her. Her blood energizes him, especially during sex. When he first wakes up at night, he is a bit grumpy before his first cup of blood. Adrian is extremely Alpha and domineering, but not your typical vampire. He dislikes sleeping in coffins and thinks wearing black is boring. He’s extremely possessive of Lily and wants only her.

Ellen: Let’s see. My favorite hero is still probably James from NEVER LOVE A STRANGER. He’s not human (I can’t tell you exactly what he is, because that’s a spoiler *eg*), but he’s very sexy. He hates coffee (but he loves chocolate), and he loves his heroine (Annie) no matter what she wears. He loves Annie because she treated him as a person when the people of his own society (two hundred years into the future) treated him as a slave. So what he finds most irresistible about a woman is the willingness to treat him like a person. He’s very interested in TV commercials because he’s still trying to learn about current society, but he wouldn’t be averse to turning off the TV and spending a little time with his heroine, either.

Patrice: My favorite hero is alpha through and through. He's the kind of man his friends can depend on, and he'll fight tooth and nail for the woman in his life ... he'll even fight his own attraction to her at first, but in the end he realizes it's a losing battle. He falls for her. Hard. And heaven help any man who tries to come between the hero and his woman. My favorite hero is a strong man who might have issues to deal with in his life, but he finds his way through them. The only weakness you'll ever see in him is with his close friends, his family and the heroine - they are his weak spots for sure!

As for naming my favorite hero, aw man, do I have to name just one? LOL! Okay, if I had to name just one hero that was my favorite, it would have to be Duncan Mordoor from my vampire book A TASTE FOR CONTROL. He's so multi-layered. He's dangerous, alpha, sexy, controlled, dedicated and multi-talented. As far as his favorite kind of clothes to see the heroine in ... he'd prefer to see her tangled up in his sheets. *g* The kind of qualities Duncan would find irresistible in a woman are the very qualities that would drive him nuts when he first meets her - her confidence and sass. But deep down what he loves the most about a woman is her capacity for compassion. A woman he can't easily "read" would capture Duncan's attention and draw him in. Instead of TV, Duncan's more of a music kind of guy, and boy, does he know how to involve his woman in his music! Well, maybe it's best if I give you a closer glimpse into Duncan Mordoor ...

I'm not a man who shows my emotions. My life is all about control. I'm a hybrid vampire ... a man who doesn't fit within either race, a loner who doesn't want to get involved. But ever since you came into my life, I can't seem to stay out of yours.

And now, I don't want to. There's something about you ... something I can't put my finger on. It goes beyond an attraction. It's deeper, a stronger connection than I've ever felt with another. Yet, I've never met a more tightly controlled person than you.

You make me want to break down your defenses one by one, to unravel the layers of sheer willpower and mystery that surround your mind ... even if I have to seduce you to reach my goal.

In the end, you will invite me in. I'll make sure you can't resist knowing what it's like to have me touching every part of you, right down to your innermost thoughts.

Ann: What made you decide to start writing romantica or e-books in general? What drew you to choose your publisher/publishers?

Allyson: I've always wanted to write hot stories. When I first started trying to get published (around 1999), I wrote roasting hot books - then contest judges told me to tone them down!! I'm sorry I listened to them, because not long after that, roasting hot romance became very popular.

I was already print published before I wrote romantic erotica. I started noticing that the writers at Ellora's Cave seemed to be having so much fun. I wanted to have fun, too! I wasn't sure I could write quite as explicitly as EC wanted, but I thought nothing ventured, nothing gained. I wrote TALES OF THE SHAREEM: REES based on a man-as-pleasure-slave idea I'd had for a while. Not only did Ellora's Cave buy and publish the book, but writing it allowed me to stretch as a writer.

I kind of wrote in a cramped box before, then suddenly the blinders were off, and my inhibitions went away. Writing erotica helped me with all aspects of my writing, making me more creative and fearless. As a result, my print books, in my opinion, have become much better.

Blair: I fell into writing romantica by accident. I had written a book, CINDERELLA’S REBELLION, that was far different and more erotic from anything I had ever written previously. It featured the magical kingdom of IsBn, where Derek, the genie king, ruled over all fiction. He seeks to bring the rebellious Cinderella back to her story after she escapes. I submitted it to the Futuristic, Fantasy and Paranormal chapter’s contest in the erotica category. It won second place and the judging editor at Ellora’s Cave requested to see it. She bought it.

Ellen: My spiciest book so far is NEVER LOVE A STRANGER, which is almost, but not quite, erotic romance. I wrote it that way because it felt right for the characters, but also because I observed hotter romances were selling better for my publisher. So far STRANGER has been my best-selling book for NCP. It’s available in trade paperback now, too.

I have written for New Concepts Publishing since 2003, and I’ve written nine romances for them (the tenth, CHRISTMAS CAROL, will be released very soon). What drew me to them first was the fabulous covers (you can check out my site to see mine!). I still love them because they let me write whatever genre I want - plus now they’ve expanded into paperback, and you can find my print books in Waldenbooks and Borders nationwide. Very cool. Starting in 2006, I’m also writing for Samhain Publishing, a new e-pub that has already lined up some fabulous authors. My paranormal romance (a shape-shifter romance with the working title of KINDRED) will be released by them sometime in 2006. No release date yet, but keep an eye on my site for details.

Patrice: I didn't decide to write romantica. I just happen to like reading sexier novels, so when I started writing my own ... well, that's how I naturally wrote my books. :o) As for how I chose my publisher, MaryJanice Davidson told me about Ellora's Cave.

Ann: Can you tell us what you like about writing romantica?

Allyson: I love erotic romance because it isn't simply romance with more sex, or more explicit sex. You can be very, very erotic without the couple having sex at all. Erotic romance has a lot to do with titillation, with the unexpected and the daring. Writers can create very erotic scenes having their characters simply talking - fully clothed and sitting in a public place. I really like the challenge of coming up with creative ways for my stories to be sexy, without the characters simply falling down and having tab A, slot B sex.

Also, in erotic romance, the romance is very important. If you have eroticism and highly explicit sex without the connection between the h/h, and without the reader connecting with the h/h, it doesn't work. I love the way sex cranks up the romantic tension between h/h - people behave very differently toward each other once they've had sex.

On the other hand, it's hard to write erotic scenes! It's much easier to do plot. If you have seven sex scenes in a story, you have to work hard to make them different, to make it plausible that the sex is there, to make it interesting and not simply the same scene but in seven different rooms. It's challenging, but I think worth the trouble to write.

Blair: I like the creative freedom it gives me to explore my characters’ sexuality while cementing their romantic relationship. Ironically, love scenes are hard for me to write! I always want to invoke emotion, not just write sex, so I put lots of thought into my love scenes. I dislike writing just about body parts. It reads like bicycle assembly instructions, you know? "Insert part A into part B while turning part C. Make sure all parts receive a proper lube job prior to assembly." LOL!

Patrice: I love being able to write a longer love scene or several sexual tension scenes and know that I won't be asked to cut them. In my stories they are such a part of the characterization that, if I were asked to cut one, I'd lose out on some of my character development.

Ann: Does the creative process of building the background world your characters inhabit vary depending on what you are writing? What do you prefer as a reader - a more or less detailed world outside of the immediate character interaction?

Allyson: Definitely the background building varies with story. Writing a contemporary story, readers are familiar with day-to-day technology; you don't have to explain cars and cell phones. Even in historicals, people are somewhat familiar with carriages and horses and butlers. Writing sci-fi, on the other hand, you are creating a brand new world with a specific environment and a specific culture that doesn't really exist, and so you are forced to spend more time explaining it.

The challenge is to let the reader see the world without boring them with details or getting in the way of the story. If a certain aspect of my world is important (for example, the deadly sandstorms and genetic manipulation in Tales of the Shareem), I spend more time on it, but let the reader imagine something like "hover trains" on their own.

As a reader, I want to see the new world clearly, but I'd rather discover it through the characters and story rather than through pages of description or explanation. Especially in romantic erotica, you need to get right into the characters and let the details take care of themselves.

Blair: Building the world depends upon the story. In CINDERELLA’S REBELLION, the world building was a bit more complex as I had to create the book kingdom of IsBn, the realm Derek ruled. In SURRENDER THE NIGHT, since it was set in England, I had less latitude, though I had a great time inventing the bar where the vampires like to hang out and "drink." As a reader, I like a healthy balance of a detailed world and character interaction. One of my favorite paranormal reads, RAYVN’S FLIGHT by Patti O’Shea, did this quite well.

Ellen: I write lots of different sub-genres, so the world building varies a great deal. I started off writing colonial Virginia historicals, which required a great deal of research. I then moved to contemporaries, which I found relatively easy. I tend to write contemporaries about ordinary people in ordinary settings, with the background of small towns or suburbs in Virginia. Mostly all from my head, and not really hard to keep straight.

Harder, but not as difficult as the historicals, are my "otherworldly" romances. NEVER LOVE A STRANGER was a futuristic/time travel. It was really, really, really hard to write, because not only did I have to do a ton of research, I had to create a very unusual future society. UNICORN QUEST (co-written with Angelica Hart) was a fantasy romance, and it required a lot of world-building. Fortunately Angelica and I had a similar vision, and this story came together very easily.

Now I’m working on KINDRED, my first shape-shifter romance, and I have to invent a whole social structure for this world. "Otherworldly" stories need a lot of details if they’re going to come across as realistic to the reader, but you have to convey the world-building to the reader in a subtle way - without "information dumps," i.e. long, unbroken paragraphs of narrative detailing the world’s customs. Endless paragraphs of information can get really booooorrrring.

Patrice: If it's a paranormal story, by the nature of the fact it's paranormal, there will be more world building in my stories. As a reader, I prefer a less complicated world outside the characters, but not necessarily less detailed. I need enough details to see how "this" world differs from my "everyday" world, but if there are a whole other language and lots of made up names that I'll have to use a glossary for ... then yep, you've lost me. :o)

Ann: There are a lot of e-books that are written as paranormals. Can you offer a theory or guess as to why that seems to be? We see less and less historicals as a rule with e-books.

Allyson: A huge number of e-books are erotic, and I think paranormal lends itself well to eroticism. First, to read erotic stories you do have to suspend a lot of disbelief. (Would a woman really have sex with four guys at once? Is that physically possible, without her ending up in the hospital?) Erotica is fantasy, and paranormal is fantasy. Maybe you wouldn't really let a stranger take you home and tie you to a bed and spank you, but a vampire or a shape-shifter with a psychic bond to you would persuade you to let him - and it would turn out to be okay. Obviously, this is not real life! But it's sure fun to read about.

In the Tales of the Shareem series, the Shareem (sexy sex slaves) are genetically programmed to release pheromones to excite a woman and calm her down at the same time. Some of the Shareem are empathic and some psychically inclined, and they can induce a woman to give in to her darkest desires (which they then, of course, fulfill!).

Also, paranormal can relieve the author of having to deal with some serious issues, like sexually transmitted diseases. STDs are still a huge threat, but most readers of erotic romance want to escape from grim reality. I write in a far-future world where STDs have been eradicated due to genetic engineering. My sex slave men can service as many women as they please, and neither they nor the woman need to worry about it. That's something you can't have in real life!

Blair: Market trends right now overall favor paranormals. The market, both in traditional print publishing and e-books, is hot for paranormals.

Ellen: Easy answer - paranormals sell. When e-book publishers started up, they tried all sorts of different genres. What sells best for them tends to be what isn’t readily available in New York. This means paranormal, futuristic, and erotic romance, all of which were relatively uncommon from major publishers till recently. Similarly, the historicals that sell best for e-pubs tend to be ones that are a little different from New York historicals - either set in an unusual time and place, or highly erotic. But based on my sales, as well as what I’ve observed about the e-publishing industry over the past few years, I think e-book readers love paranormal and futuristic romances the best.

Patrice: The fact is paranormals are the hotter sellers. I've written both contemporaries and paranormals for EC and my paranormals always sell better. I think it's a combination of several factors. For the longest time paranormals weren't being produced in a large variety by the NY publishers. So small press publishers kind of found a niche to fill. Also, people who are computer savvy or more techie are more often drawn to the fantasy, futuristic, paranormal storylines.

Ann: When you write, do you follow an outline, or do your characters try to take over? If you get a character that is out of control, what do you do with him or her?

Allyson: I usually start with a good idea of the major plot points (e.g., Rio finds a princess, saves her from assassins, then helps her get off the planet). Then I make notes to myself about what scenes I want as I move through the story. I rarely outline a story all the way through beforehand - most scenes and details come to me as I write.

My characters take over all the time, and I let them! If I try to rein in a character to follow my ideas, the story stinks. Once I let the characters go, life is good and they tell the story for me. I can't think of the deep, dark, fun, and exotic things I write until I'm inside the story and watching the characters.

I'm amazed what occurs to me in the frenzy of writing - things I would never have thought of sitting rationally at my desk writing an outline. Rio for instance, has a voice of his own, a character of his own, and he does things his own way. I am nothing like him, and I don't know anyone like him, and I don't know where he came from. He's his own person, and I sit back and let him do what he wants.

Blair: Usually I sketch a rough outline when I start a story so I have a basic roadmap of where it is going. But I don’t like sticking to that outline religiously, because it impedes my creative freedom. Sometimes the characters do take over. I let them. If a character suddenly acts up, I let him or her run with it to see where it goes. It can be a very good thing.

Ellen: I don’t usually produce an outline. I’m an "intuitive" writer, meaning I usually sit down with a single idea and start typing to see where the idea takes me. Sometimes I do have a fairly extensive outline in my head (I have a very good idea where I’m going with KINDRED, even though I’m only about halfway through), and sometimes I have absolutely no clue what’s going to happen next. This means that often I have to do a substantial amount of rewriting to make the plot hang together. I’ve never had a character get totally out of control (for example, I’ve never had the villain turn into the hero), but sometimes characters become more important than I originally expected. That’s okay ... I love it when my characters assert themselves!

Patrice: I write during the day and at night ... depending on my schedule of book edits versus working on a first draft of a new story. I used to be a complete pantser [seat of her pants] writer, but as I've developed more complicated worlds and deeper characterization, I've had to come up with a kind of outline if nothing else to make sure I keep track of my word count and how many more pages the "rest of the story" will take to complete the story. Usually, if characters try to take over, I have to rein them in and tell them to be patient and not try to take over the story. That usually only works when I tell them they'll get their own story. LOL!

Ann: What, in general, is the editing process of an e-book? Several readers have commented that the quality of e-books is very hit and miss from e-publisher to e-publisher. Is it all self-editing or does the e-book publisher edit the books? We realize a lot of it will depend on the various e-publishers - and maybe the answer is that simple. What steps do you go through as you write and contract a book to edit it and get it successfully to Release Day?

Allyson: I am fortunate to be published by Ellora's Cave, who really takes time with quality. I think that's one of the secrets of their success. However, I do a lot of self-editing - I try to submit something as clean as possible. I polish and clean my books three to five times after I've gotten the story where I want it. My editor at Ellora's Cave then reads the book, makes suggestions for clarification if something is confusing, and finds any punctuation/grammar mistakes I might have missed.

My editor sends her edits back to me. I make the suggested changes (or argue about them :}), then send everything back to her. She goes over my changes, makes any more catches/suggestions, and I look over it one more time and approve it. Then, finally, it goes to another editor who goes over it again to make sure my editor and I really did find all the punctuation errors.

I was pleasantly surprised, and very pleased, at how clean my books at Ellora's Cave have turned out. Both the print and the e-books look very good.

Blair: I’ve found the editing process from Ellora’s Cave to be very thorough. My editor is very good. Usually my books go through about two stages of small revisions/edits before publication.

Ellen: In my experience, it depends. I’ve had books that my editor scarcely touched, and one that my editor made me rip apart and heavily rewrite. I happen to turn out a very clean manuscript, so my manuscripts don’t need a lot of copyedits. I am also compulsive about self-editing, because I’m never sure how much my books are going to be edited. Here’s how it usually works for me: I write several chapters and send them to my editor. If my editor likes it, she sends me a contract. I then finish the book, reread it, and revise heavily. I then have my beloved DH, who functions as my critique partner, read the book and tell me what’s wrong with it (and there’s always plenty still wrong with it!). DH reads it at least twice, I edit it again according to his comments and my own thoughts, and finally send the manuscript in. If my editor sends back edits, I get them done promptly. In e-publishing, you tend not to get edits till very close to your release date, so you can’t dawdle. I’ve sent back edits and had my book released only a day or two later!

Patrice: With my publisher, I work on a novel and then have my critique partners read over it. Once I incorporate their suggestions/changes, I read over the book once more and then send it off to my editor. My editor and I usually go through two edit passes on the novel before the book is then edited by the final line editor. I make the FLE's last few changes and then the book is finalized and prepped so the e-books in the different formats can be created. Then when the book is ready to go to print, I get to review it once more for changes before the book is sent to the printers.

Ann: Usually, with a print only book, the author comes up with a proposal and then the print publishers tell them either yea or nay. What is the process like as an e-book publisher? Do you write what you want and then try to sell it? Or does the publisher let you know what they are looking for and you write accordingly?

Allyson: I can only speak with experience at Ellora's Cave. For my Tales of the Shareem series, I came up with the idea, and wrote the entire book exactly as I wanted it before submitting it. Luckily, my editor liked it and has purchased two more Shareem tales (which I also wrote before submitting).

However, EC does from time to time come up with a series idea and invites proposals from their current authors. I have submitted a couple of proposals for a some upcoming series, and happily, they bought both my ideas. (I'll post all that info on my Web site when I can.)

Blair: With e-books, I write the entire book and submit it to my editor. I have more freedom writing e-books and write whatever my wicked and weird imagination conjures, from sexy vampires to rebellious fairy tale characters.

Ellen: It depends on the publisher. Both New Concepts Publishing and Samhain have contracted me based on partials, which I really love, because I work faster when I’m under contract. I’m a basically lazy person, so if I don’t have a deadline, I’ll never finish the book. Usually I come up with the idea on my own, write a few chapters, and then send it to my editor. The only exception is if the publisher is looking for contributions to something special. For example, in 2004 NCP did a series of Valentine’s Day novellas, all based on fairy tales. I liked the idea and contributed a contemporary romance called THE NERD PRINCE.

Patrice: It's going to vary by publisher AND by editor within that publishing house. Some editors want a detailed synopsis and the beginning of the book. Others just want a blurb as to what the story is going to be about. I've only written a proposal (three chapters and a synopsis) once, and that was the first book I sold to my publisher. For all the other books I've written, I just wrote the story and then contracted it with EC. Sometimes our publisher will do "themed" stories and will ask if anyone wants to write them. For those, yes, the publisher picks the best stories out of the ones submitted.

Ann: What are the copyright laws for e-books? If I have more than one computer (and I do), can I put a copy of the same e-book on each computer? Can I back up a third copy of that same book on a disk? Is there a UBS equivalent for e-books? If I enjoyed a book, but it's not a "keeper" for me, can I re-sell it like we often do with print books?

Raelene Gorlinsky (Managing Editor, Ellora's Cave Publishing Inc.): An e-book purchaser may make one copy as backup. They cannot have a copy "live" on more than one computer. E-books may not be resold - not under any circumstances. There is no way to police or stop people from passing an e-book on to a friend, but it is illegal to make a copy to do so. They must give/send their copy to the friend, and then delete their own copy, including the backup.

It is illegal to print and distribute printed versions of digital books, whether free or selling. A purchaser certainly may print it out to read themselves, but may not give that printed version to anyone.

It is also illegal to make a translated version and distribute it (even if free) without official publisher approval.

Ann: We at RBL are constantly asking other ReBeLs who they like to read, and since all of you post at RBL, I have to ask - who do you like to read for pleasure?

Allyson: Oh, so many things! I read widely across all genres. I love fantasy/sci-fi (Terry Pratchett, Lois McMaster Bujold), mysteries (Elizabeth Peters, Alexander McCall Smith), romance (so many! Karen Marie Moning, Emma Holly, Christina Dodd, Sandra Hill and gobs more!)

Blair: I read anyone and everyone. My reading tastes vary from historical to paranormal to contemporary to non-fiction. Some authors I enjoy reading are fellow RBL authors - Pamela Clare, Mary Stella and Patti O’Shea among them. I’m eagerly anticipating new fellow Ellora’s Cave author Virginia Reede’s debut, WITCH'S KNIGHT, a paranormal. I also like authors Denise Agnew, Alice Gaines, Catherine Anderson, Anne Robins, Christine Feehan, Linda Howard - the list is endless. I also enjoy finding sweeter type of romances with little sex in them. One of my favorites is Marilyn Pappano’s SEASON OF MIRACLES. Great Christmas book. Right now I’m reading Isabel Allende’s DAUGHTER OF FORTUNE.

Ellen: I read romances by the ton - about 140 last year, I think. Some of my favorites include the brilliantly talented Pamela Clare, whom you may have heard of (*g*), MaryJanice Davidson, Angela Knight, Rachel Gibson, Charlene Teglia, Erin McCarthy and Jennifer Crusie.

Patrice: Johanna Lindsey, Virgina Henley, Lori Foster, Judith McNaught, Kim Harrison, MaryJanice Davidson and Lisa Marie Rice to name a few.