WHERE AM I?

Out today in what looked and felt like a winter wonderland.

It had been a good week (I made the USA Today Bestseller list with MONARCH OF THE SANDS), but this was the real frosting on the cake.

The snow in the city had mostly melted but high up on Farley Mount it was like being in a different world. I saw three deer (not ships!) gamboling across a woodland path ahead of me, which gave the walk a magical touch.

The snow was intact and crunchy underfoot (very good research because my current hero and heroine are just about to experience a whirling snowstorm!).

But most of all, it was beautiful.


Where have you been recently that's beautiful?

TODAY I AM BLOGGING OVER AT

iheartspresents where I am talking about the enduring sexiness of

So I do hope you'll drop by and visit. I'll be talking about my latest release which is called MONARCH OF THE SANDS.

Do you like this iconic cover of E. M. Hull's classic Sheikh novel?

BACK FROM MAGICAL TRIP....

to Ireland, where I wandered through Belfast, met up with the fabulous Lynne Graham, travelled to the tiny town of Clones and then caught the bus to Dublin, where I stayed with the lovely Abby Green. Whew!

Now I'm back and instead of the leisurely Christmas shopping I'd anticipated, I'm revising my book about the sexy Neapolitan Ciro D'Angelo. I shall deliver him into the hands of my editor next week, when I might have time to post some photos of Ireland. After all, it's not as if much else is happening at this time of year is it?!

And in the meantime, my book about Sheikh Zahid of Khayarzah and Frankie O'Hara will soon be hitting the bookshelves or floating through the aether in North America. If you want to get your hands on a copy, it's called MONARCH OF THE SANDS.

So are you also working or maybe doing something wonderfully indulgent (like making mince-pies while carols blare out)?

Or have you decided to brave the shops which currently look like Armageddon (Armageddon outta here!)

I'M A COVER-LOVER!

This book is out in the US in January - but thought I'd give you an advance view of the beautiful cover, along with the blurb on the back.

One of the best things about this picture of Zahid and Francesca is that the scene is so true to how I imagined it. The artist has captured perfectly the exotic river which flows through the amazing land of Khayarzah. He (or she!) has also captured the lazy passion which exists between the Sheikh and his once-geeky lover.

Today, I finished the first draft of my latest story, which features a Neapolitan - my first ever hero from Naples. Now all I need to do is polish and tweak and tie up all the ends before delivering the book. I love this part of my job. It's a bit like icing a cake - and apparently, Neapolitans take their cake very seriously!

Anyone out there ever visited Naples?

A BAREFOOTED HERO....

Here's a sneak preview of my next North American release.

MONARCH OF THE SANDS features Zahid and Francesca and is an emotional read about a once-geeky girl and the man who suddenly has the burden of Kingship thrust upon him.

My research for this book was done with the assistance of the brilliant Dr. Lloyd Wood, who was then rather surprised to discover that I'd used hardly any of the things we'd discussed! But as I explained (and say to all students of writing) - you don't need to show the research you've done. Just the fact that you've done it means you can write with freedom and confidence.

I just lurve the cover because it shows the Sheikh in a very intimate moment and I don't just mean because he's kissing Francesca. It would have to be a very relaxed King to have taken off his socks, wouldn't it?

The book will be published on January 24th, but you can pre-order your copy here.

The blue sky behind them reminds me of a line from one of my favourite poems: "All in the blue, unclouded weather."

Who knows which poem I'm talking about?

MONARCH OF THE SANDS

hits the shelves this week!

FRIDAY, 2nd SEPTEMBER sees the UK paperback release of this sultry and highly emotional desert romance.

You can also order it here

How do you rate the cover?

I love those dreamy ochre towers.....

ZAHID AND FRANCESCA'S STORY

Ever since Sheikh Zahid Al Hakam first made a moody appearance with his girlfriend Francesca in ITALIAN BOSS, HOUSEKEEPER BRIDE, readers have written wanting to know more about them. Like, what was the terrible atmosphere between them all about? And why was Zahid so angry with his girlfriend?

I knew there was a story there somewhere, I just had to wait for the idea to come along. And it did. Which is how MONARCH OF THE SANDS was born.

Frankie O'Hara isn't your usual kind of heroine. She's the geeky daughter of a scientist who has known Zahid since she was a little girl. Only the little girl has suddenly grown up....

And Zahid is unprepared for the woman she has become.

I absolutely loved writing this and hope you enjoy reading it - and it's out in the UK now.

The book is a stand-alone, but if you haven't read the story which inspired it, then write to me and I'll see if I can find one lucky recipient a copy.

TOO PROUD TO BE BOUGHT

Is out in the United States right now. It features my first ever sexy-as-hell Russian hero. With his hair of beaten gold and glacially blue eyes, Nikolai Komarov has a heart as cold as ice. And Zara Evans, the small-town waitress who walks into his privileged life - is just about to find that out for herself.

Discover what happens when two very different worlds and two very different people collide...

Oh, and MONARCH OF THE SANDS is now available in the UK. This book tells the story of Zahid and Francesca - which so many readers have been pestering me to write. So now you can discover why they made such a moody entrance in ITALIAN BOSS, HOUSEKEEPER BRIDE!



(Can't quite work out why the two covers are of such differing sizes!).

And now I must try to ignore the sunlight which is glinting on Lake Trasimeno, which I can see from where I write this. Instead, I must lose myself in my latest hero, Zak Constantinides. Oh, but he is TROUBLE!

HELLISH REVISIONS AND NOO YORK

Here's a sneak preview of a book which is out in the UK in September, entitled MONARCH OF THE SANDS. (Do you like the title?)

I've been working like crazy on my latest manuscript, trying to revise it before I go off to the RWA conference, which is being held in a city which seems to get an enthusiastic response whenever I mention it.

Yes, it's New York. I'll be staying on Times Square and collecting an award from Harlequin for having published 75 books. It all feels a bit unreal....

Sooo, I've only ever been to this vibrant town once before - and that was years ago. Do you know it - and do you have any secret or exciting places to share?