I’m excited to bring you yet another one of my brain children - this one, like all the others, was conceived while I was supposed to be writing …

Ever wanted to pick up the phone and talk to your favorite author? Well, now you can! Each month, I’ll be interviewing bestselling romance and erotica authors - and YOU can call in and ask them questions.

Upcoming authors include: Robin Schone (2/11), Leigh Michaels (3/11), Mary B. Morrison (4/15), and Suzanne Forster (5/13), with many more to come.

Please check my web site for author bios and call-in details. I really hope you’ll join us!

So, what do you think of this idea?

January is half over and my To Do List has very few strikethroughs. I was feeling optimistic about what I planned to accomplish. Maybe a five-page list was a bit unrealistic. LOL At any rate, here’s one thing I can cross off my list - my blog post here.

Just wanted to share a bit of exciting news … I was invited to participate in a charity anthology, Dreams & Desires, which will be out in February. Not only does this anthology contain wonderful stories written by 18 other authors, ALL net proceeds will be donated to a battered women’s shelter in Florida. Thus, none of us - including the publisher - will profit from this book. So please help us support a great cause - and read a bunch of great stories - by buying the perfect Valentine’s Day book.

To purchase, please visit Freya’s Bower or BarnesAndNoble.com. For more information on the book, as well as an excerpt from my story, “Romance For One”, visit the DREAMS AND DESIRES page.

Wishing everyone a belated Happy New Year!

Since I launched my web site in 2005, I’ve held various contests. Some have been ‘treasure hunts,’ where visitors read my excerpts for a chance to win a free ARC. One was a chance to win a free 6-month subscription to the Aphrodisia Book Club. My biggest was the “Chase the Dream” writing contest, co-hosted with Leigh Michaels.

To my knowledge, Lynn Goodale has entered each contest. But, entering was not enough, for Lynn takes her contest entries every bit as seriously as her manuscript submissions. First, she wants to know what her odds are of winning. Then, if the odds are looking unlikely, she wants to know if she will win. Her inquiries are filled with such humor, they always make me smile.

When I’m not offering contents, Lynn still sends me the occasional email. These emails are oftentimes jokes. While I usually dislike being the recipient joke strings – namely because I’m already easily distracted by email when I should be doing other things (like writing) – I always find Lynn’s amusing. Oftentimes they are laugh-out-loud funny. And many times they come on days where I need a good laugh, where the muse has disappeared, or I have doubts about my writing, or I am feeling overwhelmed.

And as I learned from the “Chase the Dream” contest, not only is Lynn persistent, she’s a talented writer – two traits that are crucial to getting published. It’s only a matter of time before I receive the I-Got-The-Call! email from Lynn.

So, I’d like to present Lynn with the Lynn G. Goodale Persistence Award as a way of saying ‘thank you’ for her ongoing support. In addition to an award certification, here are the prizes she’s assured of winning:

• SECRETS VOLUME 13
• ARC of SEX LOUNGE
• ARC of SIN CLUB
• $25 Gift Card to Borders

Thank you, Lynn.

During recent conversations with fellow writers and friends, Amie Stuart and Calista Fox, the topic of quotes surfaced. Most likely because I’ve been sending out advance reading copies (ARCs) of my December 2007 release, SIN CLUB, to folks whose work I admire in hopes that they love my work and will give me a quote saying … well, that they love my work.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about quotes. But I’ll be the first to admit that, prior to becoming a published author, I never thought about quotes. Not even when I had a book in my hand that I was thinking of buying. My eyes would skip past the quotes, barely registering their existence.

The only time I read quotes was when I was annoyed. Like, when I picked up a book and turned it over to read the back cover copy and – instead of text – the whole back cover was an author photo. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good photo as much as the next gal, but when I look at the back of the book that I’m thinking of buying, I want to see words, not look at pictures.

So, after heaving a huge sigh, I’d open the book, looking for that little excerpt to entice me to buy it, only to find page after page of quotes. These I’d skim, looking for the ones that actually gave me a hint about what the book was about, barely noticing who gave the quote.

Alright. Off my soapbox. That was then …

Now, after I turn in my completed manuscript to my editor, I become obsessed with quotes for a month or so – sometimes I even experience quote-envy as I read the quotes given to other authors.

But despite my obsessive-compulsive quote seeking behavior and my occasional quote-envy, I still don’t buy a book based on its quotes. Am I alone here? Do quotes influence your decision to buy a book? If so, I’ll let you know when Dean Koontz says, “If you only read one book this year, read a Rachelle Chase romance!”