Bookbug's Author of the Month: Geralyn Dawson

_{_{GERALYN DAWSON}}

Upcoming Releases

THE WEDDING RANSOM — Pocket — February 1998
THE BAD LUCK WEDDING CAKE — Pocket — November 1998
THE KISSING STARS — Pocket — April 1999

Note from the Author
Dear Readers:
Although I'm Bookbug's January Author of the Month, it's the Holiday season as I sit down to write this note, so I hope you'll forgive my end-of-one-year, beginning-of-another tone. I have Jimmy Buffett's Christmas CD playing from my computer, my children are laughing with their father over a silly joke he just told, and as soon as I finish this, I'm looking forward to finishing a particularly good book in the comfort of a nice, warm bubble bath.
Life simply doesn't get any better than this.
The past year was a fairy-dust year for me. Although I didn't have a new book out, a number of exciting things happened for me professionally. THE WEDDING RAFFLE won the National Readers' Choice Award for Best Short Historical Romance of 1996, an award I found particularly gratifying because the entries were judged by readers across the country. In addition, both THE WEDDING RAFFLE and THE BAD LUCK WEDDING DRESS were finalists for the Romance Writers of America RITA Award. Having my work recognized by my peers was rewarding, and having both my 1996 titles named RITA finalists was simply a thrill. Then, to top off all that good news, Pocket Books decided to promote me out of midlist and publish my February 1998 book, THE WEDDING RANSOM, as a number one lead title release. Professionally, 1997 has certainly been a "dream come true" year for me.
From a personal standpoint, 1997 was a fine year, too. My father celebrated his eightieth birthday in January by buying a fire-engine red sports car, and he and my mother spent the first half of the year on a "road trip." Do I have great role models or what? My husband Steve flew out to the Romance Writers of America conference in Orlando to attend the RITA awards ceremony with me, and he decided that romance writer conventions are great fun...and he wants to go again. I have yet to decide whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. *grin* My kids are growing up happy and healthy and way too fast. My oldest, Steven, is a high school junior, and I'm already getting teary-eyed at the thought of sending him off to college. John is in eighth grade and has discovered girls. I've discovered the cost of buying basketball shoes for a kid who seems to be growing an inch every day. Caitlin just turned ten and can't understand why her daddy won't buy her a horse because our backyard is big enough, and we are Texans after all—and how can you be a real Texan and not own a horse, for goodness sake?!
Looking toward 1998, I'm hoping the great-year trend will continue. THE WEDDING RANSOM, a spin-off of THE WEDDING RAFFLE, hits the bookstores early this month. "Ransom" is my adventure book, and I think I found the perfect story for Rafe Malone from "Raffle." He was such a wonderful, sexy rogue, and pairing him with an unconventional heroine (who had a quartet of elderly, retired pirates as her adoptive grandfathers) made for a rollicking bit of fun. Though set primarily in Texas, THE WEDDING RANSOM takes a brief trip to the Caribbean where Rafe and Maggie enjoy an adventure taken from my own personal experience. When you read the underground river scene, know that I lived that one. Well, except for the uh...romantic interlude. Steve was playing golf while I was on that particular excursion. But I did get some wonderful, fictional inspiration from my guide, a Swiss cave diver named Bruno. *grin*
Then in October (unless Pocket changes its scheduled release date again) the McBride Menaces from THE BAD LUCK WEDDING DRESS return to cause havoc for their beloved Uncle Tye in THE BAD LUCK WEDDING CAKE. But rather than being proponents of a match like they were for their Papa and Miss Fortune, this time they do everything they can think of to come between their uncle and Claire Donovan, Fort Worth's talented baker. My reader mail asking for this one was overwhelming, and I found that writing two books in between "Dress" and "Cake" made it extra fun for me to go back and revisit the world of the McBride Menaces.
The book I'm working on now is THE KISSING STARS and it is unrelated to any of my previous books. I'm enjoying writing something entirely new, and I think readers are really going to like this one when it is published in 1999.
That's probably more about Geralyn Dawson than you ever wanted to know when you started reading this letter, but then, my manuscripts always run long, too.

Best wishes,
Geralyn Dawson
January 1998

E-mail: geralynd@altinet.net
Web Site: http://www.geralyndawson.com

Backlist

THE WEDDING RAFFLE — Pocket Books, 11/96
Winner of the National Readers' Choice Award; RITA Finalist
THE BAD LUCK WEDDING DRESS — Bantam Books, 4/96
RITA Finalist; Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award Nominee
TEMPTING MORALITY — Bantam Books, 6/95
Currently out-of-print
CAPTURE THE NIGHT — Bantam Books, 12/93
Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award Nominee; Currently out-of-print
THE TEXAN'S BRIDE — Bantam Books, 5/93
Currently out-of-print