RIP Little Chick

For the last few years we've had resident doves in our back garden, and this year a pair built their nest right outside our back door on top of the light. Not really a great place because there's not much room but it was nice and secluded from the weather. We were very excited when she laid two eggs and we've been watching them over the last couple of weeks.

Yesterday afternoon, the doves were nowhere in sight and when we went outside to investigate we found half an egg shell on the ground. And then, some distance from the broken egg shell, we found a tiny chick.


Sooo sad. It was still soft. The other egg has been abandoned and we can't work out what happened. This afternoon the doves are back, but they're not going anywhere near their nest.

We buried the chick in a matchbox next to the grape vine.

Clive Owen, Gerard Butler and Maximus

I love this photo with the golf club and ball!!! Big thank you to Cathryn Brunet for taking it for me!!

If you fancy a giggle, hop on over to Seductive Musings where there is a fun post about a UK outfit called Butlers in the Buff, and yes it's exactly as it sounds :-) There is a very nice bottom on display as well.

The Romance Reviews have an exclusive excerpt posted from Forbidden - and they're also holding a fabbo contest with heaps of books to be won. All you need to do is become a follower of their blog!

And for another chance to win a copy of Forbidden, today I'm over at Tawny Weber answering her Quick Six! And *drum roll* can you believe I managed to bring both Clive Owen and Gerard Butler into the conversation?!?

Smexiness!

Today I'm over at Smexy Books chatting about my heroine's magical abilities and my deliciously evil villain, Aeron. There is also a copy of Forbidden up for grabs!

The lovely Mandi has also reviewed Forbidden, and I love the quote she picked out!!!

More Juicy Goodness!

Just want to give a quick shout out to two good friends who have new releases this week!

Shelley Munro has a historical romance from Carina Press, The Spurned Viscountess - here's the blurb and gorgeous cover:

She must marry him.

Cursed with the sight and rumors of witchcraft, Rosalind’s only chance at an ordinary life is marriage to Lucien, Viscount Hastings. She doesn’t expect love, only security and children of her own. Determined to go through with the wedding, she allows nothing she encounters at the gloomy Castle St. Clare to dissuade her.

He wants nothing to do with her.

Recently returned from the Continent, Lucien has no time for the English mouse his family has arranged for him to marry, not when he’s plotting to avenge the murder of his beloved Francesca. He has no intention of bedding Rosalind, not even to sire an heir.

Dark secrets will bind them.

Though spurned by her bridegroom, Rosalind turns to him for protection when she is plagued by a series of mysterious accidents and haunted by terrifying visions. Forced to keep Rosalind close, and tempted into passionate kisses, Lucien soon finds himself in grave danger of falling in love with his own wife…

And Helen Hardt has a contemporary erotic romance out from Ellora's Cave today - I love Helen's titles, they're so clever!!

Huge success has so far eluded musician Jane Rock. Coming from a modest background, she’s had to work hard for everything she has. When a music agent attends one of her rock band’s performances at a local club, she thinks her big break has finally come, until an inebriated—though handsome and muscular—patron spoils her show.

Classical pianist Chandler Hamilton has had most of his success handed to him due to his family name. He has his reasons for detesting rock music, but he finds himself drawn to beautiful and talented Jane. Although the two sizzle between the sheets, outside the bedroom they bicker endlessly and envy what they perceive as the other’s good fortune. When Jane needs a favor, Chandler resists. Can love blossom amid clashing notes and tempos?

Unusual Historicals

I'm deep in the editing cave at the moment, not only on copy edits for Captive, but also revisions on my next book for my awesome agent. I foresee a lot of late nights in my immediate future!!

Today, however, I'm continuing my blog tour over at Unusual Historicals with the lovely Carrie Lofty where I'm chatting a little about the historical background of the world of Forbidden. If you have time I'd love you to stop by and say hi! And there's a copy of Forbidden up for grabs too - winner announced at the end of the week!

Why Write Ancient Historicals?

Today I'm having some fun over at my lovely friend Eleni's Taverna, where I'm chatting about how the idea of Forbidden came to me and why I chose to write in an ancient setting. We'd love to see you over there plus there's a copy of Forbidden up for grabs!

Returning to Reality...

I actually did some writing today!! And realised it's been over a month since I finished my last book - since this time last month I was in Sydney already (it doesn't seem possible conference was that long ago!) Anyway, I knew it was time to tackle my revisions on Captive as I was starting to get twitchy. It felt good to be back in writing mode and I fell in love with my hero all over again. There's only four and a half months until it hits the shelves!!!

Speaking of Captive, here's the wonderfully dark and atmospheric cover. It really captures the tone of the book. And if you'd like to see some more fabulous work by the awesome artist, Tony Mauro, here is his website!

Forbidden - It's Really Out There!!!

Forbidden has been sighted in Borders! OMG and look at who's rubbing shoulders with my Maximus and Carys!!! Huge thanks to my lovely agent sister, Jenny Brown, who took this picture! Jenny's debut from Avon, Lord Lightning, is the first in a new series of Regency historical romances with an astrological theme and is out later this month. Can't wait to read it!




And look! My other lovely agent sister, Laurie London, whose debut from Harlequin, Bonded by Blood, will be out in February 2011, took a pic of Forbidden on her nook!

If you see Forbidden in your local bookstore, please let me know!!!

Finding That Elusive Thing Called Voice

I'm over at Magical Musings today, talking about that elusive thing called Voice that agents and editors search for in their slush piles. I'd love to see you over there, as I share how long it took me to find my voice - despite the fact I was convinced I'd discovered it ten years ago. Um, no! And ~ there's a copy of Forbidden for one lucky commenter!

Unforgettable!

What a wonderful week this has been!! Thank you to everyone who's helped make this party so fabulous. Thank you to all my lovely guests, and all my fantastic visitors, you've made this week unforgettable!

But!! The goodness isn't over yet!!

We still have the three winners of day six coming up later today, and then there will be the draw for the fab-four book bundle! So exciting!!

In my excitement yesterday, I put the wrong link up for Romance Bandits *smacks head* The sidebar linked OK but the one in my post went off for a little wander. There's still time to hop over and say hi!!

I'm also over chatting with the lovely Rita at Not Another Romance Blog, where I'm happy to answer questions on my Roman/Druid world. And hot warriors. I'm always happy to discuss hot warriors *heh heh* There is a copy of Forbidden up for grabs at both blogs!

I'm also thrilled with two more reviews that came through over the last couple of days.

Has at The Book Pushers gave Forbidden a wonderful B Review, and here is a snippet:

"The sexy elements of the book did not overpower the plot or the characterisation, but added to their love story. The real heart of the book is the emotional elements between them, and I really liked how that was played out throughout the book. Although the well written love scenes added a sensual layer of heat and passion, and *fans self*, I will never think of Roman Baths the same way again." The rest of this review can be found here

And Becky Pena at Fresh Fiction:

"FORBIDDEN is full of erotic goodness and endless action. Carys and her lover are not helpless beings but both use faith to succeed. A good chunk of this novel is about a woman's inner struggle between what she believes and what she desires, and her unwavering faith in a goddess who may have abandoned her. You will love this novel and agree when I say... I can't wait for the next installment in the Forbidden series." The rest of the review can be found here.

5 Star Review for Forbidden!

Just popping in to share a wonderful review I've received from Bookaholics Romance Book Club! The reviewer, Steph, awarded Forbidden 5 Stars, and here is a snippet of her review:

"This book was gritty and primal. I felt I was in the Romans times and I loved it! Maximus is pure, raw male and too sexy for words. I could understand by Carys was enthralled with him and wanted him despite him being her enemy. I am also a sucker for star crossed lovers and a really evil villain. It made this book very thrilling as I hoped Maximus and Carys would be able to evade Aeron’s nefarious plans and end up happily together."

This made me very happy!!!! If you'd like to read the full review, it's here.

Later today I'll be drawing a winner for the Spreading the Party Love contest, and have the winners for day five.

In the meantime, don't forget there's still lots of time to leave a comment on Emily, Shelley and Lila's posts!!

Day Five ~ Kandy Shepherd

I can't believe it's day five already! And a very Happy Father's Day to all the dads!

My first guest today is Berkley Sensation author Kandy Shepherd, who writes fabulous fun, feel-good romances. Kandy won the Favourite Contemporary Romance 2009 Award for LOVE IS A FOUR LEGGED WORD from the ARRA (Australian Romance Readers Association) and was also one of the Conference co-ordinators this year for the incredible Sydney conference. Congratulations on your elegant award, and thank you, Kandy!!

Hi Christina, thank you for inviting me onto your blog. Having read the sample chapter of FORBIDDEN on your website and read the glowing 4 star review in Romantic Times I cannot wait to read it! Good luck with the launch!

Here is my blog about the “forbidden love” between two of the characters in one of my books…

Forbidden love

He comes from the wrong side of the tracks, and has tragedy and loss in his background. He lives by his wits. Of mixed blood, he is more ugly than handsome but the mix gives him a potent charm that lets him manipulate people into giving him what he wants. He’s a player, a ladies man, taking what he wants and moving on. That all comes to a screeching halt when he sees her. She is all he wants—but she is forbidden to him. Her family will not let him anywhere near her.

She is aristocratic, elegant, her petite frame, glossy black hair and aquiline profile giving her stand-out looks. Her parents guard her closely; years of good breeding make her a valuable asset. Her future is carefully planned. She is to be matched with her social equal—there is no room in her life for our disreputable hero. But when she sees him, she is smitten. She will defy her family to meet with him.

When an unplanned pregnancy and an unexpected inheritance are thrown into the plot, Brutus and Coco find themselves relying on humans to thwart a dastardly plot to murder Brutus with an overdose of dog-toxic chocolate. Will they—and their puppies—find their happy-ever-after?

Brutus, a Heinz 57 varieties mutt, and his forbidden love Coco, a purebred miniature poodle, are the canine stars of the secondary love story in my debut novel from Berkley Sensation, LOVE IS A FOUR-LEGGED WORD. Poor Brutus even has Coco’s owner turn the hose on him to keep him away from her pedigree princess, Coco! But the human heroine of the book, Maddy Cartwright, and hero Tom O’Brien join forces to keep the doggy lovers together. Brutus and Coco also “guest star” in my new release, HOME IS WHERE THE BARK IS.

Christina, if any of your readers would like to read about Brutus and Coco (and the human characters, too, of course!), I’d be delighted to give away a signed copy of LOVE IS A FOUR-LEGGED WORD.

Thank you Kandy! Brutus and Coco are so adorable and I'm looking forward to seeing them again when I read HOME IS WHERE THE BARK IS! So, to be in with a chance of winning Kandy's book, what's your fave book or movie that features animals?

Day Two ~ Michelle Styles

My final guest for day two is Mills and Boon Historical author, Michelle Styles We first met up on eHarlequin about seven or so years ago, both of us targeting the Romance line. Funny how things turn out!!! I was thrilled when Michelle sold her Roman story to M&B and trail-blazed an ancient historical trend for the line!

Here is Michelle's fascinating glimpse into Roman society...


I’m delighted to be here helping to celebrate Christina’s launch of Forbidden. I had the great pleasure of meeting Christina back 2004 when she and I both attended the RNA conference in Leicester. And I’m really looking forward to reading Forbidden as I have a great fondness for the era.


Christina asked the contributors to her blog write about something Forbidden in their books, and I think it is a great topic for writing about Roman society in general. Roman society was riddled with rules and what could happen or could not happen, despite televisions shows to the contrary! Because of its militaristic nature, Rome was a place where form was everything. The law and its interpretations were important.


It was why at the end of the Republic, there was a huge clash between the traditionalists like Cato and the new young guns like Julius Caesar who wanted to flaunt their wealth (and sexuality). Later when Augustus takes over as Emperor, he tries to re-establish the old values. One of the laws he implemented was that men had to either be married or betrothed. This had the untended consequence of men betrothing themselves to infants so that they could remain single. This led to another law forbidding betrothals until the woman was twelve. If you look at the graves of Roman women, you see that many died when they were about 17 or 18 and giving birth to their first child. This normally happened about a year after the women started to have sex or about a year after marriage.



So what did I write about that was forbidden? Or rather how did it complicate things? In my debut book The Gladiator’s Honour, a long term relationship between a Patrician woman and a salve was forbidden. Such things were looked on with disapproval. This is in part because a woman’s status did depend on the men in her life. In A Noble Captive, the heroine as a priestess of a cult and a enemy of Rome was forbidden from having a relationship with a Roman soldier. In The Roman’s Virgin Mistress, the hero and heroine are on opposite sides of the political spectrum but I also explored some of the ‘forbidden activities’ that were practiced in a town like Baiae where the Romans went to party, rather than Rome where Romans went to govern. Given Roman behaviour, I was surprised to learn that nice girls didn’t dance nor did they recline at the dinner table. One of the great reasons to read about the Roman era is because of what was forbidden during that era and the opportunity to immerse yourself in that era.


To help Christina celebrate, I’m offering one lucky commentator a copy of one my Roman set books.







Michelle Styles writes historical romance set in the Roman, Viking, Regency and early Victorian periods for Harlequin Historical. She has written 15 books for them and recently sold a Roman set Undone which will be coming out sometime next year.














Thank you for that thought provoking post, Michelle. I know I discovered a lot of unexpected things when I was researching the period. So, to be in with a chance of winning one of Michelle's wonderful Roman set books, leave a comment for Michelle or tell us what's the most unusual/weird/shocking/funniest (umm you get the picture?!) thing you've uncovered during the course of researching, for whatever reason that research might have been for?

Once again I have to extend my apologies for not being around due to living Down Under! But I'm sure there are a couple of Roman warriors lurking if you need any assistance for any reason!!

Forbidden Party Trailer

Scroll down for newer posts!!

To help get into the party spirit, I'm giving away a signed copy of Forbidden to one lucky person who helps spread the word about the party.

So here are the deets. Please feel free to copy and paste!

To help celebrate the release of Forbidden, Christina Phillips's debut Roman/Druid Ancient Historical Romance from Berkley Heat, she's holding a launch party with lots of amazing authors and fabulous giveaways! In addition, Christina's giving away a signed copy of Forbidden to one lucky person who helps spread the love. All you have to do is mention the party (you can copy and paste this blurb), being held from 1st to 6th September at http://christinaphillips.blogspot.com. You can Tweet about it, blog, Facebook, MySpace or anything! And then drop her an email at ChristinapPh @ gmail dot com (no spaces) to let her know. Please put Forbidden Launch Party (or something similar) in the subject line. The winner will be drawn for that on Monday 6th September.

And if you'd like to also put the trailer up on your sites, please do!!! The YouTube link to embed is here

Here it is - hope you enjoy!!!

Who's Your Fave Hot Warrior?

After having lovely weather all last week and thinking Spring was on its way, it's been rainy and miserable today, so far. But not to worry! Because there is a great party going on over at Australian suspense author Helene Young's blog today, where we're chatting about ancient heroes and which actor would you cast as your favourite hot warrior? We'd love to see you over there and there is a copy of Forbidden up for grabs too!! *pats pretty cover*

The Published Cover!

Here is the final, published version of the cover of Forbidden! I love the new font for my name. Well I love everything about it!! (although I think I should probably stop hugging my copies!!)

I've had a contest running over at The Mystic Castle, where readers could ask me questions. Unfortunately, the site was hacked over the weekend and despite the lovely owners' best efforts, some of the questions have been lost. So the contest has been extended, and if you did ask a question, or want to ask a question, then please do pop over if you get a moment and repost. Thanks, and sorry for the inconvenience!

Visiting with our Golden Girl!

I tried doing my first sticky post today - let's see if it works! :-)

Today I'm over at Golden Heart Winner Kylie Griffin's blog, where I reveal all sorts of weird facts about myself :-) There is also a copy of Forbidden up for grabs for one lucky commenter - love to see you over there for a natter!!!

Pretty Animated Banners!

Have you noticed that totally awesome banner at the top of my blog? Isn't it gorgeous? I want to give a big Thank You to the talented Dorie Hensley who designed two for my pages over at the Mystic Castle and then went above and beyond the call of duty by taking the time to answer my questions as to how I uploaded them!!! Thank you, Dorie, and also to my younger daughter Charlotte who helped me out with the blog one (I did figure out how to upload to my website but blogger beat me!!!)

Speaking of The Mystic Castle, there's still time to pop over there and ask me a question to be in with a chance of winning a signed copy of FORBIDDEN! Would love to see you over there!

RWA Cocktail Party

I came home from conference to revisions for Captive, so that's been exciting, and I'm very relieved I had them this week and not next week, since I have something very special happening here next week!!! I'm holding a cyber launch party for Forbidden, and lots of wonderful author friends have agreed to come over and have some fun! And there will be prizes!!! I'll post more details over the weekend, once I've finished polishing my party trailer.

As promised here are some photos from the RWA's Harlequin Cocktail Party that was held last Friday (a week ago already!!) The fancy dress is just amazing. I'm going to have to seriously re-think my wardrobe for Melbourne!!

  

Here I am with my agent sister, the immensely talented Allison Withers, who won the Historical category in the Emerald award (the Aussie Golden Heart) Go, Alli! Guess what period of history Alli writes?










More fab fancy dress! And Johnny Depp!!!










Amanda Ashby and Sara Hantz with awesome Presents author, Trish Morey, who was The Princess Bride!



















Here I am with the lovely TWRP and Eternal Press author Suzanne Brandyn!









And Eleni Konstantine, in her amazing Batgirl outfit!!














I'm sorry I don't know who these fearless warrior maidens are, but underneath Darth Vader is Silhouette Desire author, Paula Roe!!!









And here with Sara is Emily Gee, who writes fantastic dark fantasy and also, as Emily May, wonderful historical romances for Harlequin.


I was so taken with my beautiful dessert on the Saturday night awards dinner, I took a photo of it!!

RWA Conference at Coogee Beach, Sydney

As promised, photos of the conference!






Here I am with the gorgeous Erica Hayes (who writes the darkly erotic Shadowfae series). Erica brought me back a copy of the Romantic Times BOOK Reviews magazine from Orlando so I could see the write-up for Forbidden myself!!!













The lovely Tracey O'Hara won the R*BY Award for her awesome debut novel, Night's Cold Kiss. Here we are at the Friday night cocktail party. She also gave me a promo pep-talk which I will do my best to follow :-)








On Saturday night before we went down to the Awards dinner, we had drinks in our room. Here I am with the completely amazing Silhouette Desire author, Rachel Bailey. It was so nice to meet up again after three years!













I was so excited to meet up with Samhain and Carina Press author Cathryn Brunet! It was only brief, unfortunately, but we'll make up for it next year in Melbourne!!!













Here's the wonderful Robyn Grady, Silhouette Desire and Modern Heat author extraordinaire! We've known each other for sooo long, but this was the first time we'd ever met face-to face, so that was pretty special!




I'm not sure what happened to the camera here (I blame the photographer who'd indulged in a few too many wines!!!) (nothing to do with me, of course!!!) But here is the lovely Anna Campbell, who writes dark Regency noir for Avon! It must be six years since we'd last met back in the UK at their Romantic Novelists Association conference. How time flies!!!














Late Sunday afternoon we wandered down to the fabulous beach. And here, as you can see, are my two sedate CPs, Puffin author Amanda Ashby and Flux author Sara Hantz.









If the weekend wasn't exciting enough, this afternoon I had my very first FedEx delivery of an early copy of my new baby!!! OMG. It's so shiny and pretty, and the font has been changed for my name and looks completely awesome!!! And my husband is actaully reading the book!!!

I'll post some photos of the cocktail party in another post. Seriously, the fancy dress was amazing!!!