The Wedding Planners

Monday, January 19, 2009

WE’VE GONE TO THE DOGS!

I have a new puppy!

Yes, I hear you out there, asking what in the world does this have to do with weddings or romance or even books. Bear with me. I’ll explain.

But first let me introduce Moki, a Jack-rat mix adopted from a kill shelter two weeks ago. Some time past, Melissa McClone told me about Petfinders and after our wonderful old rat terrier died, we decided to adopt a shelter dog. I searched for a while but when Moki’s sad little face appeared, (above photo) I knew he was for us. A little battered from mistreatment, but eager to love, Moki is now thriving.

That’s the thing about dogs-a lot of love and attention garner a pet owner an enormous return. Such is the case in my current Harlequin Romance, THE SNOW-KISSED BRIDE. (See, I told you I’d get around to the wedding and romance part.) The book’s heroine, Melody has two search and rescue dogs that she considers family. Ace and Chili play big roles in the book, so of course, when it comes time for the wedding, guess what two, loveable canines step up to do their part?

So, tell us, have you ever been to a wedding that included a pet? Or maybe you’ve read a book or seen a movie with a dog that stole the show?

One last thing, I have to know. How many of you have seen the new comedy movie, “Marley and Me”? Did you cry?

Labels: books, dogs, linda goodnight, romance novels, shelter dogs. rat terriers, wedding planners

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

LINDA'S NEW 'BRIDE' BOOK

THE SNOW-KISSED BRIDE
by Linda Goodnight

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission of Harlequin Enterprises. All rights reserved.

The call for help came late at night. They usually did.

Only this one was the worst kind. A child. Lost in the unforgiving Colorado mountains.
Melody Crawford replaced the receiver and rolled out of the bed, shoving her feet into heavy boots as she pushed to stand. She'd been asleep less than thirty minutes.
Within another ten minutes, she was wide-awake, dressed for the frigid temperatures and rummaging in her "rescue closet" for the equipment she might need on the snow-covered trail. In more than fifteen years of rescue work, she'd never stopped feeling the adrenaline rush that came with a call.

Backpack always loaded and ready, she reached for her dog's leash and vest and heard the soft pad of canine footsteps crossing the kitchen and coming toward her in the narrow hallway.

It was Ace.

A little piece of her heart broke off.

Smile wide, thick fur fluffed and ready with one hard shake of his muscular form, the big, black-and-silver German shepherd gazed up at her in question. As always, Ace was ready to work, ready to run, ready to rescue the lost.

"Sorry, old chum," she said, laying one hand on the wide, intelligent head. "Not tonight."

Not any night in the near future, although Ace was the best air-scent search and rescue dog she'd ever trained.

As if he understood, the dog whined softly and collapsed at her feet to stare up at her with sad eyes.

"As soon as I get the money, boy. We'll have you fixed up and good as new."

But money, for Melody, was hard to come by. Even by training and boarding other people's dogs, her income was limited. The monthly check from her father's insurance barely covered necessities, and the surgery to correct Ace's damaged hind knees was expensive, far over her budget. But he'd sustained the injuries in the line of duty and deserved a chance to work again. Somehow, even if she had to take an outside job, she'd find a way to help her partner and friend.

The idea of working at a regular job made her shudder. Not that she was lazy. She worked long and hard up here in her secluded section of the mountains. It wasn't work that bothered her. It was people.

"Chili," she called softly and was not surprised to find the affable, reddish-brown Lab waiting quietly in the doorway behind her. Trained to search by air and ground, Chili was an excellent rescue dog who loved kids. With a little luck and by moving quickly, he had the best chance of finding the missing child.

With regrets to the depressed Ace, she snapped Chili into his bright orange rescue vest and, flashlight in hand, headed for her truck.

One step outside and she burrowed deeper into the muffler around her neck, thinking of the search to come.

The night was still as death and ten times as cold. Unless the lost kid was well dressed or found shelter, he was in serious trouble. The colder he became, the less scent he gave off. Without scent particles floating into Chili's incredible olfactory glands, the dog couldn't do his job.

The knowledge spurred Melody to work faster. If anyone could find the boy, she and Chili could do it. They were the best in the mountains. Maybe the best in the country. They never quit until the victim was found—alive or dead. She preferred alive.

As she passed the snug kennels, the rest of the dogs, all boarders in training, slipped out of their houses to stretch and shake beneath the white moon. Silver vapor puffed around their wide, sturdy heads. Like Ace, none of them would make the trip tonight. They weren't her dogs. They were brought to her by folks too busy or disinclined to do their own initial obedience training. Melody didn't mind. Working with dogs, anyone's dogs, was her life's work and ambition.

Ace and Chili, on the other hand, were her babies, her children, her family. She took care of them and they took care of her. Together, they didn't need anyone else, but a lot of people needed them. Occasionally. And when the need was met, people faded away from her wilderness cabin like the foggy vapor faded into the night.

People.

She touched the barely visible scar at her hairline.

Not her favorite species.

Intentionally, she turned her thoughts to the little boy lost somewhere beneath the flat white moon. He would be scared. Scared of the black, inky darkness. Scared of the night cries of wolf and owl. Scared even of the bare aspen limbs rubbing together like dead bones.

Kids were a different matter. She didn't consider them people yet. They didn't have prejudices and ulterior motives. They were at the mercy of adults, just as she'd been.

But no more. She was captain of her own fate, in control of her life, which did not include people most of the time. Thank God and Grandma Perkins, who'd left her this remote cabin more than sixteen years ago when life had been hell.

She opened the truck door and waited for Chili to leap easily into the passenger side, ready for the trip to a ranger station four miles down the mountain. As she climbed in behind her dog and cranked the engine, Melody wondered why she'd awakened tonight with the old memories so sharp.

But memories were okay, occasionally. They kept her focused, kept her mindful of why she'd never permanently leave this mountain again.

4 1/2 Stars from Romantic Times Magazine.

A reader writes: "I read the last chapter over and over, not wanting the book to end. A very unexpected read. I always appreciate your books but this one goes on the top of the top of the top of my keeper pile."

Available January 13 from Linda Goodnight. Order now.

Labels: Harlequin, linda goodnight, romance novels, The Snow-kissed Bride, wedding planners

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Collecting Once Upon a Time

From Shirley: This blog entry is from Kenneth Gloss, owner of the Brattle Book Shop, the oldest antiquarian book store in the country. It's all about collecting romance novels, which is a pretty cool thing to do, if you ask me! So if you love your romance novels, read on for tips on their history and for creating a collection!

ROMANCE NOVELS HAVE BEEN FAVORITES FOR DECADES
By Kenneth Gloss

Romance novels, in one form or another, have been around virtually as long as writers have been penning stories. Some of the more famous ones were written by the Bronte sisters and also by Jane Austen. Many of these early novels are enjoying a resurgence in popularity as Hollywood takes them and converts their tales into movies. Those box office dollars often translate into increased demand for the early works. An original first edition of a Bronte or an Austen novel can be worth thousands of dollars, depending on the rarity of the edition.

What sets those two authors apart is their innovation in writing. Their plots and themes set the trend for many novels that followed. Decades of authors have written stories about mysterious men and strong women who escaped the traps of their lives by the end of the book.

The true original romances are found in fairy tales, in the love story between Cinderella and Prince Charming, who swept her away from her dreary life. The romances that were written in the ensuing decades either repeated this theme or were so grand in scale and scope that they allowed readers to live vicariously through the exciting lives of the characters. Gone with the Wind is a classic love story (even though it didn't have a happy ending), complete with a larger-than-life panoramic backdrop and multi-generational scope.The popularity of that novel is clear in its price tag, too. A first edition of Margaret Mitchell's classic (which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1937) runs $2500 to $3500, depending on its condition.

It takes a special combination of story, tragedy and conflict to create a romance novel that endures decades of reader popularity. Not every book written 100 or 200 years ago was good, however. Many people complain about the paucity of quality modern novels, when in fact, many of the books written in the 19th century weren't all that well written. Some of the books were very formulaic and predictable. Ultimately, as with any book, it's the writing and the story that set one book apart from another.

The books of the 19th century also weren't as explicit in description of romantic encounters as today's books are. A great deal was inferred, leaving the rest behind closed doors. There were a few books that bucked that trend, like Tom Jones, but it was rare. What little sexuality there was in those books was frowned upon by censors. The novels written around the turn of the century were mainly sold by subscription because they weren't deemed proper enough to be sold in stores.

The popularity of romance novels skyrocketed 50 years ago when Harlequin began producing paperback versions that made the books cheaper and more accessible to the general public. Collecting the vast number of Harlequins produced is a nearly impossible task because they were meant to be read and eventually discarded. People who collect one certain author and want earlier Harlequins that someone like Nora Roberts has written may end up paying 20 to 100 dollars for a book that probably cost no more than three dollars when it was released. It's the books that were worth the least at the time of release that are usually the hardest to track down.

There is such a wide selection of romance novels and types of novels, from the gothic romances to the paranormals like Anne Rice's Dracula, that one can begin a collection at almost any point and have a great deal of selection available. There are people who collect books by certain authors, ones that had interesting covers or books that were illustrated. As far as I know, there is no bookstore that specializes in antiquarian romance novels. However, nearly all good stores will stock a variety of romance novels and carry the high-demand ones by Austen, Bronte and other romantic writers.

Romance novels provide a vivid social picture of the mores and customs of the time when they were written. Mitchell's novel paints a picture of a world filled with balls and debutantes that was ripped apart by a brutal war. Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare's classic romantic play, shows the devastating consequences of wars between families. Tolstoy's Anna Karenina depicts the constraints of life in Russia at that time, coupled with the consequences of bucking social traditions. Many collectors seek out books that provide the fictionalized version of life at a particular time, finding that the authors often had a true handle on their world.

Some people collect books written in specific settings or romances from particular time periods, like Regency England. Each individual collector's interests will usually dictate the area on which he or she chooses to focus.No matter which type of romance novels a collector selects, there is bound to be a wide variety of books to choose from. These types of books are sometimes even spotted at garage sales or library sales because the value of an early Bronte isn't always as clearly seen as that of a first edition Dickens, for instance. These were books that were read and enjoyed by hundreds of people over hundreds of years. Their classic themes of love conquering all live on in the hearts of many readers and collectors. Starting a collection of romance novels can provide both reading entertainment and a glimpse of the enduring power of love.

Ken Gloss is the owner of the Brattle Book Shop in Boston, the oldest antiquarian bookstore in the United States. 2008 is the 59th year of Gloss family ownership. Ken is seen from time to time on PBS' Antiques Roadshow. For further information visit the website at http://www.brattlebookshop.com/ or call 1-800-447-9595.

Labels: book collecting, romance novels