Love is in the air!



…by Senior Editor Victoria Curran

What a great month to be in the business of romance publishing! I feel as if romance writers are the experts in Valentine’s Day, so thank you to authors Roz Denny Fox, Eleanor Jones, Loree Lough and the writing duo of Mae Nunn and Gwen Ford Faulkenberry for contributing books to Heartwarming just in time for this romantic event.

Roz’s book, An Unlikely Rancher, is a poignant story about a military widow who buys a ranch—an ostrich ranch—and becomes entangled with the wounded former military pilot-with-dog she’s unwittingly inherited as a renter. In typical Roz form, this story is deeply emotional and (spoiler alert!) the redemptive ending is so cathartic! A must read.

Eleanor’s book, A Place Called Home, is another in her miniseries Creatures Great and Small, returning to England’s Lake District, which the author conveys so beautifully. This is a second chance at love story, where the setting is almost another character in the book, frankly, along with the animals that always play a key role (hence the name of the flash!). WARNING: make sure you’ve set up tea, scones, jam and Devonshire clotted cream before you start this book.

Loree’s got an unfair advantage with her book: who can resist the title, Once a Marine? My worst-kept secret: I love a good military hero. Ex-military hero. Wounded military hero. Military hero wanna-be. Any and all of the above. There’s just something innately noble and heroic about that guy. Authors: you can wound your heroes as much as you want to when they’ve got a military connection…you can even make them as horrible as you want to. I know they’ll rise above the biggest disadvantages to redemption in the end. (Might be why I love the TV show NCIS so much.) In this particular Those Marshall Boys story, Zach Marshall is now teaching self-defense, but he and one of his pupils have a whole lot of baggage they’ve got to work past to find love…

We’ve got a couple of writing partnerships at Heartwarming, which is fun, and Lone Star Refuge is the final book in Mae & Gwen’s Deep in the Heart miniseries. Still set in Texas (where else!), Stella’s the stickler for rules and Joiner Temple’s the thrill-seeking cowboy she’s saddled with. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, yay.

*For those of you who love the Heartwarming covers (and so many of us do) some of the authors have entered the Houston Bay Area RWA’s Judge a Book by Its Cover contest and you have until Monday (Feb. 9) to vote, so get on it! (Who did our own Kate James have to bribe to get top billing in the contemporary lineup, I wonder… Share your secrets, Kate!) https://jabbic.hbarwa.com/rc

I also want to remind readers that the Heartwarming authors’ Huge Valentine’s Day Giveaway ends in seven days, so sign up and join the countdown to V Day and get a chance to win some pretty amazing prizes. http://heartwarmingauthors.blogspot.ca/2015/01/its-huge-heartwarming-valentines-day.html

My most heartwarming Valentine moment to contribute to the authors’ contest is in fact more than a moment, as I invited a potential cat adopter into my house…and into my washroom…where she sat on my toilet for two hours with little foster Kaya on her lap, while I sat cross-legged on the floor against the bathtub. (I couldn’t figure any other way to prevent the cat from hiding under a bed.) Kaya had her at meow, but it was poignant to see the love pouring out of this woman, who will be giving my baby the first real home she’s had since she was dumped pregnant in the woods eight years ago. And Kaya is going to get to live in a century home with a wraparound porch and a gentle, older dog and a horse. Sadly, this wonderful adoptive mom wouldn’t take me and the other four cats, but I’m still working on her. After all, it’s February: hope and love are in the air!


Victoria Curran




Comments

  1. So many great things are happening at Heartwarming (and to kitties in need of a home) thanks to Victoria and her staff. So proud to be part of this group.

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    1. Thanks, Melinda! That in itself is another heartwarming moment for me. Will make sure to share it with the rest of the group. Embracing the good vibe.

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  2. We couldn’t get enough of Mae and Gwen’s Temple brothers, so there’s actually one more Deep in the Heart book to come!

    Love the pic, Victoria! So cute!

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    1. Oops! Not trying to cut out any of the Temple brother, by any means. Thanks for keeping me honest, Adrienne!

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  3. All the books sounds great, and all the covers pull you toward them. Kudos to our February authors. And to you, Victoria, our one-woman animal shelter! Doesn't the situation with the wrap-around porch, the dog, the horse, also require a grandmother?

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    1. I'm trying, Muriel, I'm trying! A grandmother, a grandfather, a sister, four more cats...heck...maybe even a new love interest. Let's see where we're at after she comes for Kaya!

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  4. I love our line! And I love being able to say that..."our line". The future's only going to get brighter for all of us. :) and yay for Kaya!

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    1. Ah, I'm feeling the "love" coming from you, Anna! So glad you're with Heartwarming. Can't wait for your first standalone book to roll off the presses.

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  5. Victoria, I love your heartwarming Valentine moment. That sweet cat finally finding a permanent home melts my heart. And your photo is adorable! Did you show Kaya's new mom that pic? Because it might get you in...

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    1. Thanks, Carol. Sadly, the whole reason I have to give up Kaya is because she doesn't get along with my pack 'o' cats. And with me, this woman gets the pack. Heartwrenching, right??? I want the wraparound porch!

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  6. I'm dying to read the February line-up! Talk about irresistible story lines. They all sound incredible.

    And I'm so happy Kaya has found a forever home, thanks to you. From your description, I'd want to go with her too! So bittersweet, but for the best. You know, word about your good heart is going to spread in the cat world and they're going to start showing up at your doorstep ;). Just sayin' lol.

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    1. They've already started showing up at my doorstep--that's how I got to cat 4 and 5! (I wonder who planted the catnip under my front blue spruce...)

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  7. Victoria, I'm so glad you found your shy kitty a good home.

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  8. The books all sound wonderful, and I'm having serious coveting issues over Eleanor's cover (country girl here). I love Kaya's story!

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  9. Thanks for sharing your heartwarming moment! Glad that kitty found a forever home :) The Heartwarming covers make me smile every month, too. Good luck to all the HW authors in the running!

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  10. LOL, you had me at meow. Can I use that as a title for a later book? I'm so looking forward to reading more Heartwarmings :)

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  11. Victoria, I am so happy for Kaya. Kaya finding her forever home is truly a heartwarming moment!

    As for the cover contest, other than doggie treats for our pups, I don't offer bribes. I have you and Paula to thank for top billing, since the listing is alphabetical by title! Can anyone think of a Heartwarming title that starts with Aardvark? Rula, jump in here. I bet you can!

    On a more serious note, there is no question in my (somewhat biased) mind that the Heartwarming covers are the best.

    Much thanks to you, Victoria, and Harlequin's amazing art department team for all the terrific covers!

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  12. I think Heartwarming has the best covers! And this month's books look awesome. So glad Kaya has a permanent home...and I don't blame you, I'd be trying to bribe her too.

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  13. Ok. I'm with Kaya---going to that fairy tale house sounds like a dream come true. I'm so happy for you she has a home. BUT! What about your sleepless nights worrying about her? I've had cats nearly all my life and my son has two at the moment, I swear, I worry about my pets---even the birds and squirrels outside in the winter than I do my neighbors. I just found out that we have a family of little bunnies living under our storage shed in the back. I just bought another bag of carrots for my husband to take out to them. Wild animals or domesticated, our lives are so enriched by their presence. WHICH is another reason I can't wait to read Roz's new book. I, too, love, love stories about military heroes as evidenced by my February blog last Tuesday. I just finished up all my January reads, and except for the two dozen research books I should be reading, my nightsstand stack is dwindling!!! Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!!!

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  14. Victoria - love your heartwarming Valentine moment.

    I hope Kaya immediately settles down in her new home. And I hope you're close enough to visit. It will give you chances to sit on the porch!

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