Lisa Plumley

I’m so excited! My latest contemporary romance, Let’s Misbehave, is a finalist for the Booksellers Best Award in the single title/mainstream category!

Let’s Misbehave is in excellent company too. Here’s a list of the finalists:

Traditional
Best Friend… Future Wife – Claire Baxter
The Italian’s Wife By Sunset – Lucy Gordon
Hired By The Cowboy – Donna Alward
His Christmas Angel – Michelle Douglas
Millionaire To The Rescue – Ally Blake

Short Contemporary
Breathless! – Trish Wylie
Trouble In Tennessee – Tanya Michaels
The Forbidden Enchantment – Nina Bruhns
Fortune’s Vengeful Groom – Charlene Sands
His Style of Seduction – Roxanne St. Claire

Long Contemporary
Baby Makes Three – Molly O’Keefe
Could Been A Cowboy – Brenda Novak
The Soldier And The Rose – Linda Barrett
Danger At Her Door – Beth Cornelison
The Rancher Needs A Wife – Terry McLaughlin

Inspirational
And Baby Makes Five – Gail Gaymer Martin
Over Her Head – Shelley Bates
A Treasure of the Heart – Valerie Hansen
Operation: Married By Christmas – Debra Clopton
Midnight Sea – Colleen Coble

Long Historical
Beware A Scot’s Revenge – Sabrina Jeffries
Dark Rider – Kathrynn Dennis
Claiming The Courtesan – Anna Campbell
Southern Seduction – Alexandria Scott
The Cornstalk – Heather Garside

Short Historical
Falcon’s Heart – Denise Lynn
Bodine’s Bounty – Charlene Sands
Ever My Love – Gretchen Craig
Sleepless At Midnight – Jacquie D’Alessandro
Seduction is Forever – Jenna Petersen

Single Title / Mainstream
Tempting – Susan Mallery
Let’s Misbehave – Lisa Plumley
Who Wants To Be A Sex Goddess? – Gemma Bruce
Your Mouth Drives Me Crazy – HelenKay Dimon
There Goes The Bride – Lori Wilde

Paranormal / Time Travel / Futuristic
Persecuted – Lisa Childs
Lord Of The Fading Lands – C . L. Wilson
Thirty Nights With A Highland Husband – Melissa Mayhue
In The Midnight Hour – Patti O’Shea
More Than Fiends – Maureen Child

Romantic Suspense
Dead Giveaway – Brenda Novak
Dead Right – Brenda Novak
One Last Breath – Laura Griffin
Overkill – Linda Castillo
Count To Ten – Karen Rose

Erotic
Slave To Love – Nikita Black
Raina’s Fantasy – Jo Carlisle
Born Again – Rena Marks
Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind – Karen Kelley
Everything Forbidden – Jess Michaels

Hi there! I have a couple of exciting events coming up next week (April 14th - 18th). I hope you’ll check them out:

• guest blogging at The Sisterhood of the Jaunty Quills — join me for a talk about men, women, and whether opposites really attract
• Harlequin Historicals week at Romance Vagabonds — chat with several amazing authors including Michelle Willingham, Denise Lynn, Carol Townend, Blythe Gifford, Georgina Devon, Elizabeth Rolls, Patricia Frances Rowell, Deb Marlowe, Diane Gaston, Julia Justiss, Charlene Sands, Kathryn Albright, Michelle Styles, Amanda McCabe, and Terri Brisbin

It’s going to be fun, so be sure to stop by!

Hey there! I hope your February is plugging along nicely. I’m psyched today, because I just got a sneak peek at the back-cover copy for my upcoming book, Home For The Holidays. It really does a great job of describing the story, and it reminded me all over again how much I love the characters. Check it out:

When Rachel loses her Hollywood dream job, a trip home for Christmas seems like a good idea. But she never expects to find a hunk from her past waiting under the mistletoe…

Red-hot stylist-to-the-stars Rachel Porter has it all. Well, sort of. Her luxury beach house is actually a loaner from her #1 client. And her cute Tesla Roadster? Well, that’s just another job perk…hers to keep, right? But when Rachel catches her #1 client in bed with her boyfriend, she exacts her revenge by tricking her turncoat “frenemy” into committing fashion suicide on the red carpet—and promptly finds herself out of a job. And her house. Her car. Her life. With nowhere to turn, Rachel does the unthinkable: she goes home to Kismet, Michigan.

For Reno Wright, picking up his neighbor’s daughter from the airport for a holiday visit sounds like no big deal. But from the moment he spies Rachel in the airport, Reno knows he’s in over his head. The girl Reno remembers from high school looks nothing like the glammed-out man-killer who walks off the plane. But for all her attitude, Rachel is really just a small-town girl with a heart too big for Hollywood. The temperature may be freezing, but the heat between Rachel and Reno is burning hot.

Reno is falling hard fast…but will his holiday romance survive once the calendar turns?

So that’s it! Fun right? I can’t wait for you to meet Reno and Rachel! Their story will be hitting the shelves just in time for Halloween. Hooray!

Okay, I know. Halloween is not Christmas. And this is definitely a Christmas book. But what can I say? October is when publishers send out their holiday releases. I stock up when Christmas books arrive in stores (so I don’t miss any), then stash them all to read in December. What’s your strategy?

I was browsing the Library Journal Web site today and spotted this interesting video about what the romance genre is all about right now. The Day of Dialogue: Romance 2007 panel features author Eloisa James, editorial director Kate Duffy (Kensington), executive editor Mary-Theresa Hussey (Harlequin/Silhouette), and LJ romance columnist Kristin Ramsdell, and was moderated by LJ managing editor Bette-Lee Fox. It’s got a few laughs too, so check it out!

Till later,
Lisa

Hi! I’ll be guest blogging on Monday with Lee Hyatt and the fun people at Tote Bags ‘n’ Blogs — so please join us! It’ll be fun.

Till later,
Lisa

Hey! Why not try something completely different this year?

You’ll still be able to have lots of fun shopping on November 24th and beyond, I promise. But it might be kind of fun to miss all the “Black Friday” madness right? (Come on, admit it!) In the meantime, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Till later,
Lisa

Hi! I’m guest blogging today with the inimitable Lee Hyatt and the gang at Tote Bags ‘n’ Blogs — so why don’t you stop by? You can join the conversation, ask questions, and find out why my lovable dog, Cid, is pictured to the right. (See? It’s not just my book covers that feature dogs!) Please check it out today.

Till later,
Lisa

The lovely Patti Fischer (hi Patti!) interviewed me for the Romance Reviews Today blog, and I was happy to spill the beans about my latest book, my author buddies, the hardest part of writing, and more. We’re also giving away three autographed copies of Once Upon A Christmas (winners to be drawn at random). So head on over, read the interview, and join the conversation!

Till later,
Lisa

Don’t look now…but Christmas creep is here. You buy Halloween candy at Target, and fully decorated Christmas trees flash (and play music) at you from a few aisles over. You try to find a can of pumpkin at the grocery store and almost trip over the display of red-and-green Oreos instead. You head out for a walk around the neighborhood, hoping to spot some colorful autumn leaves…and your neighbor is already in the front yard stringing Christmas lights. Arrgh! What’s a girl to do?

In my case, resist! It’s a longstanding tradition with me that the holidays do NOT officially kick off until AFTER my birthday in early December. (Those of you with December birthdays will totally understand this!) So until then, there are no Christmas lights on my eaves, no peppermint mochas in my mornings, and no Christmas music on my MP3 player. The day after my birthday, all bets are off — it’s an all out, no-holds-barred, ho-ho-ho Christmasapalooza. Because I LOVE Christmas. But until then? Please, retailers and others…chill out with the Christmas creep!

My exception to this rule is holiday books, CDs, and DVDs. Since those are usually only available for a limited time (sometimes just until they sell out for the season), I scoop up all the items I want the minute I see them. Otherwise, I might miss something awesome! Of course, I stash them all away and don’t read/listen to/watch any of them until the official kickoff to Christmas hits (aka, on the day after my birthday). But with this genius plan, I don’t miss a thing. And I’m completely stockpiled for when I’m ready to embrace the holiday spirit.

If you enact a similar Christmas embargo (or even if you don’t), please consider breaking it (just this once!) to pick up a copy of the Santa Baby anthology, featuring holiday stories by Lisa Jackson, Elaine Coffman, Kylie Adams, and Lisa Plumley (me). These are four seriously great stories, and they’re guaranteed* to put you in the Christmas spirit!

You can visit a bookseller or retailer near you or order a copy at 30% off directly from Kensingtonbooks.com. Please try it today!

In the interest of full disclosure, I have to tell you: this anthology was originally released in 2002 (this is a reissue, courtesy of my publisher, and I’m SO psyched about it). So you might have already read Santa Baby (if you’re not sure, try out chapter one of my story, “Merry, Merry Mischief.”). If so, I hope you enjoyed it! If not, now is your chance! Don’t miss it!

*not an actual guarantee (are you kidding me?)

Till later,
Lisa

People often ask me if my books are based on real people or real events in my life.

On the surface, the answer to that question is a no-brainer. By which I mean: No! Are you kidding me? I write to escape!

Not really. Actually, the plain fact is, most people/daily events are just too…well, boring to make interesting fiction. (No offense, friends and family. You are awesome of course.) Most people go to work every day, go out at night, visit friends on the weekends, practice recreational square dancing in their spare time…you know, the typical stuff. There’s not a lot of drama involved. Not for me and (I’m just guessing here) not for you. Not unless you decide to act on your threat to “get even” with that annoying woman three cubicles down from you who keeps stealing your Diet Cokes from the office fridge. And even then your personal vendetta probably only matters to you, your parole officer, and Ms. Klepto Pants herself.

On the other hand, real life does inform a writer’s fictional world. How can it not? We’re imaginative, sensitive, easily influenced folks. For instance, we often concoct elaborate scenarios in which we deliver the perfect stinging comeback to that snooty waiter from lunch. Or we get lost in flights of fancy (and order the wrong coffee at Starbucks–I hate you, accidental decaf Americano!) after an overheard snippet of conversation sparks a new story idea. Or we walk around sporting togas after viewing an especially good episode of Rome. Just for instance.

No seriously. What I encounter/learn about/fear often makes its way into my books. That’s the truth. That’s why I’m always writing about super studly, ultra successful men. They’re all around me! Adoring me! I can barely swivel my office chair! (Abrupt movement startles the hunks into dropping their peppermint foot-massage lotion.)

No. Even more seriously (for real), that life-bleeds-into-fiction effect is why my heroines are often unsure of themselves, feel like a fish out of water, or make jokes to get through a tough situation. They’re a lot like me, in big and small ways. Some of them share my obsession with cute handbags. Some of them are determined to blaze their own path. Some of them even learn to love football. (Go Eagles! Go Seahawks! Why oh why do I always seem to root for the underdogs?) All of my characters grow and change over the course of a book…exactly like me. Which is, for better or worse, one of my very favorite things about the writing life.

Till later,
Lisa