I know. Not book related. I can’t even make it so, but I am slavishly devoted to this show so I had to post. According WWD, Tim Gunn is to be the Chief Creative Officer at Liz Claiborne but will remain on Project Runway. Long live Tim Gunn.
Via Project Runway.

My Costco Connection came today and the featured author (also known as “Pennie’s pick” after Costco Book Buyer, Pennie Clark Ianniciello), is Diana Norman. Her book, Mistress of the Art of Death, is the pick of the month which, I would guess, would almost guarantee Ms. Norman some kind of bestseller status. [...]

Dear Ms. DeLeon:
This is a book I bought based on Word o’ Mouth. It was billed as fast paced, laugh out loud, police procedure book. It was fast paced and a police procedure book but I wasn’t really sold on the “laugh out loud” part. Humor is a subjective thing. Fortunately, the [...]

I don’t know why the idea of seeing Harry Potter’s dongle bothers me, but it does. I must be a prude. Jane, the PRUDE.

Freya’s Bower is releasing an upcoming charity anthology, DREAMS & DESIRES. The purpose of this anthology is to raise awareness about domestic violence.
All net proceeds will go to a battered-women’s shelter. Nineteen romance, paranormal and erotica authors have volunteered stories for this anthology. For more information, visit the Freya’s Bower website.

Keishon posted that last night Sidney Sheldon passed on. Mr. Sheldon was a triple threat: a Broadway playwright, a TV and movie screenwriter and a best selling novelist. He worked on I Dream of Jeanie and The Patty Duke Show but didn’t really become a household name until his breakout novels such as [...]

That she writes under pen name Ariana Franklin? If you can’t wait for a new Diana Norman book, you may want to try to trample other Diana Norman fans to the store (try not to hurt Jayne though because we need her here), and pick up City of Shadows: A Novel of Suspense. [...]

Dear Ms. Linden,
Jane has already written a letter explaining the plot of your second book so I’m gonna just skip to my thoughts on it. Yeah, I love being lazy.
I loved watching the stuffy, ultra-in-control hero Marcus lose his cool and get his Ducal feathers ruffled. I enjoyed seeing him be charmed [...]

Dear Ms. Rose:
I began reading your books about 4 months ago and proceeded to go on a Karen Rose glom. Count to Ten’s heroine is Mia Mitchell. Mia is the partner of Abe Reagan , the hero of I’m Watching You. Mia is recovering from the emotional wounds of her father’s death [...]

Tiffany Baker’s THE LITTLE GIANT OF ABERDEEN COUNTY, pitched as Wally Lamb meets Elizabeth McCracken, about a girl who grows physically and emotionally beyond her small town’s wildest expectations, to Caryn Karmatz Rudy at Warner, in a significant deal, in a pre-empt, by Daniel Lazar at Writers House (world).
Hmm. I mean, what’s the point of [...]

In the recent RWR (Romance Writers Report) from RWA, there is an article about what RWA is doing to improve the image of romance. RWA, at the behest of its membership, formed the “Image Committee.” The goal of the Image Committee was to “improve the public perception of the romance genre and promote [...]

Dear Ms. Mittman,
I’m so glad to learn that the “Next” line isn’t kaput like I thought I had heard it would be and that the second book in this series is already out. Or would you call it the third since there is another book from last year about Teddi’s breakup with her first [...]

There is a fascinating article at New York Magazine about Judith Regan and how she became to be the fall person for the OJ Simpson debacle. The author, Vanessa Grigoriadis, seems to have some personal connection with Regan and admits to finding her likeable. The article provides interesting backstory to Regan’s career [...]

Additional Reviews from around the net of DearAuthor’s January’s Book Club Selection. The general consensus is that this debut book features phenomenal world building featuring a strong heroine, a divine hero and a very sexy romance that is, at times, hampered by pacing issues and dialogue.
If you’ve picked up the book and want to [...]

Leah Hultenschmidt is an editor with a unique perspective. She majored in Journalism and English; did internships at newspapers; was an editorial assistant at Dorchester and was Dorchester’s Director of Public Relations. In 2002, she was named in the Who’s Who of Professional Management. Two years ago, Ms. Hultenschmidt took over the editing [...]

Not content with ruling the publishing world, Nora Roberts aims to take over the small screen starting with cable channel, Lifetime. Lifetime has an entire page devoted to Ms. Roberts, her movies and her books. There is a blog, exclusive video and a message board, in case you don’t get enough of Ms. [...]

In 2004, Google announced its plan to scan every book printed. They began working with university libraries such as Harvard, University of Michigan, and Oxford.
This caused the publishing industry some great consternation because an author’s work would be included automatically unless the author chose to opt out. Problem was that Google [...]

Sybil sent me a link to a new romance site called Romance NovelTV. It has interviews with Nora Roberts and Eloisa James currently and looks, well, very professional. I wonder who is backing it?

Dear Ms. Briggs:
As I was reading this book last night, I turned to Ned with an epiphany. “Ned,” I said, “When an author of a fantasy book can make you believe her truths, that’s a great book.” He replied, “that’s why I read fantasy.” Indeed. You have the unique gift of [...]

In honor of Jayne’s review of Suburban Secrets (Harlequin Next)

Clearly I was wrong in my previous guessing. Damn that google anyway. Sydney Poiter’s The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography is the latest book to benefit from the Oprah effect.

One of the boys I dated in law school was also in a band. Sometimes they would drink. . . Okay, they would drink alot, but sometimes when they did, they would each take a turn at writing a song lyric on a napkin.
Esquire magazine engaged in a napkin project wherein they sent [...]

Next week’s issue of TV Guide features Nora Roberts and her four books which are being made into TV movies. The article, written by Ms Roberts herself, expounds on having her books adapted for the small screen.
Nora Roberts TV Schedule:

Angels Fall, Monday, January 29th at 9pm ET/PT on Lifetime.
Montana Sky, Monday, February 5th [...]

Dear Mrs. Birdsell,
I had been looking forward to the next book in your Georgian spy series but when I saw this one in Waldenbooks the other day, I gave in to another “what the hell” impulse. The back blurb sounded different but honestly I had no idea what to expect in a comtemporary from [...]

Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood, Ann Brashares (Delacorte Books for Young Readers), $18.99, No. 2 (Peak 2) Not really a romance, but interesting and encouraging to see a YA book so high in sales because doesn’t this mean that young people do read.
Plum Lovin’, Janet Evanovich, (St. Martin’s Press), $16.95 No. [...]

Dear Ms. Bast:
I’ve kind of marked you down as a go to read. When I am looking for a hot but emotionally satisfying story, I generally feel that you will deliver. Alas, this was a misstep. I looked at the copyright on this one and it says January 2006. I can’t [...]

Dear Ms. Riley,
After reading “The Oracle Glass” I knew I needed to look into getting your other books. I just wish more than “Vision of Light” were available as ebooks. Ah well, I’ll keep looking for others and in the meantime, I’ll point out to other readers that they need to buy this one.
Brother Gregory [...]

Belle Books, the small print press run by Deborah Smith, Sandra Chastain, Debra Dixon and others, are looking for books featuring sexed up Southerners. Officially they are “interested in seeing queries for erotica/romantica with Southern settings and/or themes.” (note to Belle Books - erotica and romantica are not the same thing).

Dear Ms. Dubois:
I purchased this book based upon the good cover and the first paragraph of Mrs. Giggles review. I didn’t read the rest of the review until I was done because I didn’t want to be influenced in the outcome of the book. Surprisingly, I had some of the same issues of [...]

Dear Ms Thornton,
Though I’d never tried any of your books before, I took a chance on this one when I saw it was set in Restoration Era Venice and England. Alas, it turned out to be a style of novel I’ve lost all patience for. The hero and heroine are torn apart years before [...]

JA Konrath has started a new club for the publishing industry. Kind of like Ted from ET. or the not very well disguised blind items posted by Nicole Richie on her Myspace page.
Of course, to make the Vent Club a nice happy place, the rule is that there is no attempt to match up [...]

This is not at all book related but I will work hard to make it so. While football is my favorite sport, the one thing I’ll be grateful for at the end of the football season is the constant montage of white people in the Chevrolet “Our Country” ads. Apparently, in the midwest, [...]

I don’t know why but this sounds really interesting to me.
Sidura Ludwig’s HOLDING MY BREATH, a coming-of-age story about a Jewish girl struggling to be true to herself (she wants to be an astronaut) in spite of the expectations of a family of strong women, to Sally Kim at Shaye Areheart Books, for publication [...]

Dear Readers and Authors,
In our FAQ section, Jane and Jayne posted the following review grade explanation:
Our review grades are our own opinions, obviously, and therefore fraught with subjectivity. You may or may not agree with our opinions, our grades, or anything else. We’d love for you to comment on the reviews and tell us where [...]

Dear Ms. Jeffrey,
When I started reading your book, I was so glad that I work with a woman who’s owned horses for years and who has taken me out to ride her horses many times because I immediately caught one of your first clues that something wasn’t right about the crime scene. “Whoohoo,” I [...]

Pearson, the parent corporation of Penguin Publishing (Berkley, NAL, Jove, Signet imprints), reported that its fourth quarter earnings were on track with its expectations and that 2006 would show a record profit. I can’t help but wonder how much the stock would fall if Nora Roberts left that publishing house.

Slate reported that print on demand publisher, BookSurge, offers a positive review for $399 from NYT bestselling author, Ellen Tanner Marsh. You can even make suggestions about what you want in your review. BookSurge was recently acquired by Amazon. At least Klausner does it for free. Via Slate.

Upon Googling Oprah Book Club No. 56., a link to HarperCollins appears and the author identified is Joseph Krumgold. He is a Newberry Medal winning author.
The Amazon Oprah Book Club #56 profile lists Harper as the publisher, only the imprint is Harper Perennial.
Of course, this could just be a Harper Collins glitch. Or [...]

Sue Grimshaw is the romance buyer for BGI. She buys for Borders, Borders Express and Waldenbooks. Since she began her position with BGI, Ms. Grimshaw has increased romance book sales for BGI by 20%. She is a fan of the genre and is devoted toward getting the romance books into the hands [...]

Tara Marie pointed out that my blog posts on Sunday rarely make any sense. I thought it might be helpful to write up a buyer’s guide for the Romance Reader in what I hope is plain, non tech language. The short answer is as follows:

If you want a backlight, are concerned about cost [...]

“Marianne Findlay lives next door to the Earl of Latteridge’s York townhouse.
Though she has never met him, it was his mother who sealed her fate years before–and drove her from polite society. Now she and Aunt Effie take in boarders and live a modest life, which is soon disrupted by the handsome earl, his scapegrace [...]

Okay, it’s just a day, but it should be a week. At least.

Hmm. Could be funny.
Lois Winston’s LOVE, LIES, AND A DOUBLE SHOT OF DECEPTION, being charged with your husband’s murder sure can be a relationship killer, to Leah Hultenschmidt at Dorchester, by Carolyn Grayson at Ashley Grayson Literary Agency.
Did the query letter start with “It’s a cross between Mark Twain and Jane Austen.”
Laurie [...]

Dear Ms. O’Reilly,
When Jane sent me this arc I have to admit that I wasn’t that thrilled. Oh look, another series about three siblings. And my, it’s set in New York City so it’ll read like a “Sex in the City” clone book. It’s a Harlequin Blaze, we’ll get tons of inappropriately timed lust/sex scenes. [...]

Dear Ms. Day:
I’ve always thought that your plots fit my expectations of erotic romance the best. Yours feature experienced men and experienced women finding emotional love to walk in concert with their physical expression. Unfortunately, my first experience with your work after the highly recommended Bad Boys Ahoy, wasn’t very positive. I [...]

I found, in browsing the Simon & Schuster website, a listing for Taming Him: Ellora’s Cave by Kimberly Dean and Michelle M. Pillow and Summer Devon. Price is $14.00. There are nine books listed when you do a search for Ellora’s Cave. I spoke with Simon & Schuster about this and received [...]

Plum Lovin’, Janet Evanovich, (St. Martin’s Press), $16.95 No. 1, (Peak 1)
Point Blank, Catherine Coulter (Jove), $7.99, No. 6, (Peak 3)
Sun Kissed, Catherine Anderson (Signet), $7.99, No. 11 Is this an inspirational? Moved up quite a bit.
Slow Burn, Julie Garwood (Ballantine Books), $7.99, No. 12, (Peak 5)
Gone, Lisa Gardner (Bantam), $7.99, No. 7, (Peak 7)
Be [...]

Dear Ms. Matthews,
I don’t know whose idea it was to post this novella for free at Belgrave House publishing, but it’s a great one. As my blogging partner Jane posted, it will showcase your writing for new readers and reward faithful fans at the same time.
Drucilla Carruthers might be young but she’s been [...]

HarperCollins announced that its Regan Books imprint will be eliminated. As of March 1, 2007, all Regan books will display the HC logo. Via Media Bistro.

Dear Ms. Davis:

I mentioned after reading the anthology Hell With the Ladies that I thought it would be interesting to read a full length novel of yours as you had a good voice. Bookseller friend informed me that you wrote both chick lit and romantic suspense. I was interested in reading a romantic [...]