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MFW-PAN CyberNews, an eNewsLetter.>
MFW-PAN CyberNews, April 2005
MFW-PAN CYBERNEWS - APRIL 2005
Midwest Fiction Writers Published Authors' Network's
Monthly Online Newsletter
Greetings to our readers from the Heartland!
April showers bring May flowers and a little extra time for
reading. Do check out the final installment of Christina
Dodd's Texas Hearts suspense trilogy. CLOSE TO YOU
received a starred review from PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY. And get
a double dose of Regency Romance from Kathleen Baldwin.
Please stop by www.midwestfiction.com and view the cover
art for all three of these wonderful books, not to mention
the classy photos of the authors themselves.
We've got lots of other great news this month at the MFW
web site, including three RITA nominees--Connie Brockway,
Lois Greiman, and Susan Kay Law--all in the same category.
Their books are all so good, we think it's going to be a
horse race. Wait, that wouldn't be fair. Lois is a master
horsewoman. Arm wrestling match? Connie and Susan might
have an unfair edge since they work out religiously. Guess
we'll have to wait for the judges' decision, to be
announced in July at the annual Romance Writers of America
conference in Reno.
Meanwhile, enjoy our April books!
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CLOSE TO YOU
Christina Dodd
Pocket Books (ISBN: 074345619X)
Who knows the truth about her family?
Who wants to keep her past hidden forever?
Caitlin Prescott was only a baby when her parents
disappeared. Adopted by a wealthy Texas oil family, she
became Kate Montgomery and grew up with no memory of her
family.
Now an ambitious news reporter, Kate lands her dream job at
an Austin TV station and soon realizes she's being stalked.
Why did a car try to run her down? Who would want to kill
her? Turning her precarious situation into a story, she
takes on a bodyguard and follows him on the job. But she
doesn't plan on the cool, blade-sharp strength of Teague
Ramos or the attraction that sizzles between them. When
Teague connects the death of an Austin socialite to
unanswered questions about Kate's childhood, she finds
herself unlocking dangerous doors to her past. Now with
only her mysterious bodyguard to protect her, Kate is on a
high-stakes chase that may lead her to the family she's
never known - or into the arms of a ruthless killer.
CLOSE TO YOU is the stunning conclusion to Christina Dodd's
New York Times bestselling and classic Lost Texas Hearts
trilogy, on the shelves March 21!
At home with Christina...
For those of you who have followed my family's saga in
raising an assistance dog, we have good news or bad news,
depending on how you look at it. As you know, we got Ritter
when he was eleven weeks old and hell-dog. The first thing
we were told about him was that he'd eaten a towel and we
should watch to make sure he'd pass it. (It's stuff like
this, folks, that makes me realize that I'm the living
embodiment of romance.) He wrestled with our own dog,
Lizzie, who didn't understand why she couldn't be an only
dog. We had to teach him over thirty commands including
"Visit" which had him put his head into your lap so you
could pet him and "Hurry" which was the "go to the
bathroom" command. (Yes, romance! I'm surrounded by
romance!) Be sure to check out the picture of Ritter and
me, Christina at www.midwestfiction.com.
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CUT FROM THE SAME CLOTH
Kathleen Baldwin
Zebra Regency (ISBN 0-8217-7747-5)
Why does the powerfully built, golden-haired, Lord St.
Cleve dress like an overdone Dandy? His outlandish wardrobe
belies the hard unyielding lines of his face. Whoever he
is, he’s ruining Elizabeth Hampton’s desperate scheme to
secure a rich husband. Terribly vexing, to arrive at the
most fashionable Breakfast Party of the Season wearing a
perfectly stunning Chinese silk gown, only to discover Lord
St. Cleve is clad in unmentionables cut from identical
cloth.
Lord St. Cleve despises pretension of any kind. He cannot
abide the self-important airs put on by some members of the
Ton and takes pleasure in making a mockery of Brummell’s
fashion strictures. Conceited frauds! Hadn’t his
grandfather’s snobbery made his mother’s life a misery?
Maddening to discover the one woman who captures his
interest is the biggest pretender of all! He vows to teach
Miss Elizabeth Hampton a lesson she won’t soon forget.
"A humorous and enchanting tale with intrigue and danger…"
--RT
Note from Kathleen...
Luckily, the theme of this story is: "One can’t judge a
book by its cover." Luckily? Why, you ask. Well, because
this cover is completely misleading. Lord St. Cleve should
be a tall Nordic-looking military fellow with golden-red
hair. The heroine is supposed to have raven tresses and an
assertive headstrong expression about her. OK…so who are
these folks on the cover? I have no idea. But, the real
characters were such fun that I miss being with them. Aunt
Honore is back again, this time making all kinds of
mischief for her mysterious nephew.
I think taming of the shrew may have influenced me on this
book. While I don’t think my heroine is shrewish, she seems
to have a fairly sharp tongue. She is definitely overly
determined and hopelessly clueless. I thoroughly enjoyed
watching her charge forward and get herself deeper and
deeper into trouble. Let me know what you think. For
contact info, excerpts and extras: www.KathleenBaldwin.com
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WALTZ WITH A ROGUE, Anthology
Zebra Regency (ISBN 0-8217-7761-0)
"THE HIGHWAYMAN COMES WALTZING" by Kathleen Baldwin
A dashing French highwayman is encamped in Claegburn Wood.
But all is not as it seems...
When Lizzy learns that her childhood sweetheart Lord
Ryerton will be investigating a string of robberies in the
village, she doesn't expect a shared waltz to rekindle
their attachment. As romantic as the dance is, she knows
she cannot give in to a foolish tendre. For if the dashing
nobleman learns her secret, more than her heart will be at
stake... 4 ½ stars --RT
Behind the scenes with Kathleen...
My story in this anthology created some controversy at my
publisher's. I chose not to write the predictable ‘handsome
rogue sweeps girl off her feet’ story. I changed it up a
bit. Admittedly, the premise is a trifle improbable, but
that’s the wonder and delight of fiction. Some of my
editors loved it; amazingly, the story survived the
disagreements intact. I had fun with this little tale and
hope, someday, to turn it into a screenplay. The comments I
repeatedly hear from my test readers are: "I love these
characters. I just wish you’d made it a longer story." Like
my heroine, I’m dying to know what you think. For contact
info, excerpts and extras: www.KathleenBaldwin.com
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Midwest Fiction Writers
Chapter 24 of Romance Writers of America
Minneapolis, MN
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