We are starting a new series called “If You Like” which will be hosted by various readers, authors and bloggers of Dear Author. The purpose of the post and the comments is to explore what we like about a particular iconic author and what other authors have books like the iconic author. Today’s feature is brought to you by one of my favorite people, Jill Myles. Jill was my long suffering roommate at RWA in San Francisco. She is also an up and coming author with her first story to be released in January 2010. (I know, so far away). We’ll be shamelessly pimping her in a year or so. Until such time, enjoy her account of the wonderful books that Julie Garwood contributed to our romance community.

If you would like to host an “If You Like” post, please email me at Jane at dearauthor.com
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If You Like…Julie Garwood

For as long as I can remember, Julie Garwood’s historical romances have been on my re-read shelf. I have a lengthy list of enjoyable authors, but no one captures my heart quite like Julie Garwood does. About once a year, I …

Note: I mentioned below that several ebook vendors were having big sales this week including BooksonBoard.  I read the BoB promotion to require a minimum of $100 to get the 50% rebate.  This is not accurate. There is a 50% rebate/reward for each book purchased through today regardless of what you spend.

Arstechnica, one of my favorite tech blogs, had an article up last week about EMI’s decision to open an EMI only music store. Ars argued that an EMI only music store was doomed to fail for two basic reasons

most music customers don’t know the label of their favorite musician
music buyers want to find their favorite music easily and in one place. “Research has shown that when consumers are looking for music they want it all in one place.”

These assumptions don’t necessarily carry over to the niche romance ebook reading market. Ellora’s Cave has a brand name in erotic romance of which most ebook readers are aware. For several years, EC was really the only game in town and thus it made sense to drive readers to its exclusive portal. But the ebook market and ebook publishing has evolved since 2001, the birth …

It’s long puzzled me that there are individuals out there that want to prevent the gay and lesbian community the joys of divorce, boring sex, and marital infidelity by enacting constitutional amendments to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.  Why should the gay and lesbian community get all the benefits of being in a committed relationship without the legal entanglements?  They should be punished by the law for making marital mistakes just like heterosexual couples.

This is why I am glad that famed sex advice giver, Dan Savage, is offering up a contest for those who donate to the cause to stop these constitutional amendments.
The six biggest Savage Love donors to either www.noonprop8.com or www.sayno2.com will see their letters in print, and everyone who makes a donation of at least $25 to either group—send me your donation confirmation e-mail along with your question—gets a personal reply from yours truly. The cutoff date for eligible letters is October 16.
Who else wants to give money so that gay and lesbians can be unhappy divorcees?

Welcome to First Page Saturday. Individual authors anonymously send a first page read and critiqued by the Dear Author community of authors, readers and industry others. Anyone is welcome to comment. You may comment anonymously.

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Prologue

The small boy was lost in the depths of the huge tester bed. The room stretched out around him, full of mysterious shadows that seemed to move for no reason at all. His nurse had begged his father for a night light and for once his father had acquiesced - for whatever reason. Hannah was sure it wasn’t to ease a small boy’s fears, and the sense of abandonment he’d had since his mother had left; she wasn’t sure exactly why José Aguilar had agreed, but she had taken her victory and scuttled back to the room with it.

His father had said there were no such things as monsters, only monstrous people who ought to be horse whipped. You have to be a man in this life, he’d said, and quit believing in monsters under the bed or in the closet. The boy wasn’t too sure about that; surely the closet door had opened just a bit more? …

Dear Mrs. Beecroft,

I’m sorry it took me so long to finally read the book you offered to DA way back in….oh dear, was it really February? ::Winces:: Note to self: must forgo sleep in order to read more books. But better late than never.

The way you opened the book was very powerful. It gives us an immediate hit to the gut as well as a good view of one of our heroes, Midshipman Josh Andrews. He’s trapped and horrified and angry all at once as he is forced to face what might happen to him if he doesn’t watch his step. Buggery is specifically forbidden by the Articles of War to which all Navy men are subject as well as unlawful in civilian life. Poor Josh is damned no matter where he is. And if anyone ever catches him out or lures him, as was the case for the poor sod (literally) he watches hung from a yardarm, he’s on his way to a necktie party.

So he can’t move, can’t look away from poor Henderson’s final death kicks because Captain Walker is watching for any signs of sympathy, any indications …

On October 15th, Dear Author will host a book club event for Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games. This is a book that was recommended by Jia. It’s a story about a sixteen year old girl who offers herself up as a Tribute in place of her younger sister, as a player in the annual hunger games, whereby 12 children compete to the death to win a year of boon for his or her district and a lifetime of wealth for themselves.

This is a gripping story. With twists, turns, and lots of action, it kept me on the edge of my seat. Not only that, there’s no denying the power of its themes. War and violence leave scars on the next generation. Haymitch may be the town’s middle-aged drunk but can you blame him? Not did he survive a brutal battle to the death, now as a victor he must mentor future tributes. That hurts. Imagine getting to know these children, coaching them, hoping for their victory… and then watching them die. Year after year, that has been Haymitch’s fate. Of all the things he could have resorted to in order …

Welcome to the My First Sale series. Each Friday, Dear Author posts the first sale letter of bestselling authors, debut authors, and authors in between. Mindy Klasky writes paranormal romances for Harlequin and fantasy books for ROC. Her book , Magic And The Modern Girl, is in stores now and an excerpt is here.
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Once upon a time, a girl wrote a novel. She submitted the novel to an agent, who agreed almost immediately to represent her. The agent shopped around the novel for six years, without a successful sale. The girl became upset with her agent. She fired her agent. Twice. But then she took him back. Both times.

But the girl wasn’t an absolute idiot. While the agent was shopping around the girl’s first novel, the girl wrote another one. She sent it to the agent when it was complete. She wrote, “This novel is much better than the other one.”

The agent wrote back. He said, “There comes a time in every relationship….”

I’m the girl who got a “Dear Jane” letter from my first agent. …

Note: “This book is an expanded version of the title originally released by Ellora’s Cave as Fantasy Fix. It contains new content and can be considered the First Novel of the Others.” Source: Author’s Website

Dear Ms. Warren:

I recall reading one of your St. Martin’s books before which I thought had good ideas but I wondered about the execution. I know you have a legion of fans from your Ellora’s Cave days and are probably picking up news ones every day. It helps that your cover was the most striking of the October releases.

I loved the red hair, lips, and font against the white background with the sepia colored wolf on the street flanked by the old fashioned street lights. It was very arresting. I was a bit confused because the street front looks more representative of the twenties than the current time and because neither the hero or heroine are shifters. Why was the wolf there? The plot of the story even revolved around a rogue vampire maker. Cue confusion.

Much of this book is given over to bedroom gymnastics (the first seven chapters of …

You may have noticed that we have been delinquent in putting this up. The sad truth of the matter is that we have few books to recommend this month. Jia liked, but did not love, Barb Hendee’s Blood Memories. I liked Deirdre Martin’s Power Play and the upcoming Samhain release by Maya Banks, Into the Lair (reviewing coming next week).

Given that we don’t have many books to recommend, please feel free to use this thread as an open one for your reader recommendations.

Dear Ms. Lackey,

When I was a young teenager, I devoured your Valdemar novels.  They were my favorite books and I was a very loyal reader.  I eventually outgrew them, as it sometimes happens, but I still look back on them fondly.  You write a special brand of animal companion fantasy about ostracized, misunderstood teens and the magical white horses that love and accept them that just speaks strongly to a certain audience.  As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gained a healthy amount of respect for that power.  There was a time when I couldn’t read a Valdemar book; when I outgrew them, I really outgrew them to the point of feeling elitist disdain.  (I think we all have those stupid moments of reading snobbery.)  But I like to think I’ve since moved past that, so I was cautiously optimistic when Jane mentioned she received a copy of your latest Valdemar novel for review.

I was pleasantly surprised.  This book was a return to early Valdemar books.  Part of the reason why I outgrew the Valdemar books was that later books took on a more epic, worldchanging tone, and if I’m honest, that wasn’t what …