Smitten by Books

87 Replies to “Sarah Mayberry takes us Home for the Holidays”

1. Home for the Holidays sounds very good. I love this time of year and reading love stories about the Holidays! Wonderful blog today thank you for being here.
   Happy Thanks giving!
   Penney

2. Hi, I also am a Sarah Mayberry fan!! I do want to read this book this Christmas. I did find it was sold out in the stores near me too. Are you planning on writing a holiday book every year? Thanks, Sue

3. I love Christmas time for many reasons!! It is my favorite time of the year!! I enjoy all the Christmas stories that are written for us. I am going to all the book stores looking for all of them. I sometimes find the Christmas books from a year or so back that the stores have brought back. I usually find them at Wal Mart and CVS’s . I have not found this one yet this year!! This looks like a good Christmas read.

   Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! Judy (magnolias_1@msn.com)

4. Hi,
   I don’t really read contemporary romances so this is the first time i’ve ever heard of Sarah. I do love books with good character buildup and sexual tension, so i might try one of Sarah’s now ^^

   My question for Sarah is what made her decide to write Contemporary romances?

5. Home for the Holiday sounds fantastic.Sarah Mayberry is a new author to me I’ll have to check out her other books.

6. I love the sound of Home For The Holidays I love the Super Romance Line and I also love the Blaze line. I have Sarah’s Take On Me on the TBR pile so I will be moving it up and will be looking out for the new one on the shelves here in Australia.

   Have Fun
   Helen

7. I have, of course, already read all of them 😉 and am eargerly awaiting the next Blaze release…only a few more days until it’s available at Harlequin, right?! Beverley turned me onto Sarah with the praises of Cruise Control a couple of years ago, and I can’t even beging to calculate how much time we’ve spent on the phone talking about her books when we were supposed to be talking about the ones we were writing. It’s more fun to talk about Sarah than your own plot holes. Keep them coming, Sarah!

   Devon

8. Hi Sarah, I love Christmas stories expecially when they are about kids and single parents. I haven’t read your books yet but this sounds like a great one to start with.
   Happy Thanksgiving.

9. What a great review !!. Like you I’ve veen a fan of Sarah Mayberry’s for a while (becuase really, her Blaze books are the best). I can’t wait to read her last superromance. This review only fueled my anticipation (if possible). Thanks again 😉

   ***And please don’t count me in this ocntest, I’ve already been super lucky and won a signed copy on another blog***

10. I can’t wait to read Sarah’s next book due out on January 1st (a Blaze; out online http://www.eharlequin.com on December 1st). I’m a Sarah Mayberry fan already (I have already read Home for the Holidays. Please do not enter me in the giveaweay:)

11. i haven’t read anything by sarah mayberry before, but i love the super romances. longer books mena more time with the characters! i would love to win a copy!

12. Hi everyone! Lovely to be here – and I’m blushing down here in New Zealand. What a great intro/review. I’ll have to send a copy to my mum! I’m so glad you enjoyed Home For The Holidays, Bev. I must admit, you weren’t the only one whose eyes were smarting near the end – I cried like a big baby when I was writing the last third of the book, and every time I edited it. I’d better get into these questions, hadn’t I?

    Hi Penney – thanks for popping in to chat.

    Hi Sue – You know, originally this book wasn’t set around Christmas at all, but when my editor scheduled me she asked if I could build some seasonal elements into the book and I thought about it and agreed that yes, I could. I haven’t really thought about doing one every year – to be honest, I think the Nov/Dec releases are pretty hotly contested spots because a lot of people buy holiday books to take on vacation etc. And we don’t have a lot of say about when our books are scheduled. I think if I came up with an idea for a story with a strong holiday element, I would pitch it and see what happened, for sure. It’s a heightened time of year, lots of emotion and conflict just waiting there to be explored.

    Hi Judy – I’ve been hearing from a few people that the Supers are hard to find in certain locales. You can definitely find the book on line at eharlequin.com (and they offer a good discount there, too, I believe!). Have a great holiday season. I’m in the process of moving home from Auckland,NZ, to Melbourne, Australia, so this Christmas will be a particularly sweet and welcome one for me. Home at last! Yay!

    Hi Melissa – How did I come to write contemporaries? To be honest, my first attempts at writing romance were Regency novels. I loved Georgette Heyer and Harlequin were doing a dedicated Regency series back then that I gobbled up. But as a regency romance author I make a great astronaut. (and I think I’d be a terrible astronaut! No shoe shops in space!) So I didn’t write for a while, and then I read a funny, touching, terrific book called “Anyone But You” by Jennifer Cruise. I’m sure everyone’s heard of her! It was part of Harlequin’s Love and Laughter launch, which was a dedicated romantic comedy line, and I read that book and thought “this is so funny and natural and human – I want to write like this!” So I sat down and wrote a book set in a world that I knew – magazine publishing, and I really got into my characters and the situation that I put them in – disliking each other a great deal, and then getting stuck in a lift together for several hours – and that book wound up being Can’t Get Enough, my first Blaze, and it all kind of rolled on from there.

    Hello there Elaing8 – Thanks for dropping in. Have a lovely Xmas.

    Hi Helen – Take on Me is the first book in my Secret Lives of Daytime Divas series, which is set behind the scenes on a soap opera. Now, you’re an Aussie, so you’ll know what I’m talking about when I say that I’ve worked as a script writer for several years on “Neighbours”, so I felt very comfortable writing with that world as a backdrop. Originally those books were set in Melbourne, like “Neighbours”, but Harlequin asked me to relocate them to LA. Fortunately, I have been to LA quite a few times, so I felt reasonably comfortable writing about the locale. Hope you enjoy the read! And Home For The Holidays is a December release in Australia – so look for it mid December, I think. Cheers.

13. I love Sarah’s Blazes. HAve never read any of her Super Romances.

14. Oooh, more posters! Awesome.

    Hey there, Devon. Great to see you here. It’s been so nice getting your emails over the last few years – I can’t tell you how nice it is to wake up in the morning, knowing you have to stare down the blank computer screen, only to find a lovely, supportive email in your in-box! Makes it all feel much more real and worthwhile. So if anyone is ever in two minds about dropping an author a line to tell them they enjoyed a book – go for it! I promise you we appreciate it, even if some authors are too swamped with fans to respond individually. Hope your own writing is rocking along, Devon.

    Hi Joan – Well, Joe is very definitely a single dad. He lost his wife in a car accident a few years ago and he’s moved to Melbourne from Sydney because he’s been struggling living in the old family home with all the memories of happier times. He’s not perfect – he’s trying to be both mum and dad while dealing with his own stuff – but he’s got a huge heart and he’s the perfect guy to help Hannah get over her own problems. When I was writing, I really felt how vital it was that these two people found each other – they both really answered each others needs.

    Hi Emmanuelle – Great to see you over here! I just addressed your parcel last night, believe it or not. I’ve been on deadline for my latest Blaze and I haven’t been out of my PJs for two weeks! Apologies for the tardiness, but I am DETERMINED to get to the post office today, if it kills me. Hope it’s not too cold in your neck of the woods.

    Hi JCP – Glad you’re enjoying the reads. And yes, Her Secret Fling, my latest Blaze, will be available in about a week’s time on eharlequin.com. I just got my author books the other day, in fact, so I’d be happy to give a couple away today as well, Bev. Let me know! This book came from a funny idea I had. I don’t want to ruin the story for people who might buy it, but there’s a scene reasonably early up – around page 59 – that I call “man versus machine”. Every time I thought about writing this scene – when I was coming up with the outline, when I was pitching the book, etc – I laughed. It’s a very Blaze-y concept, but I had a good time with it! Hope you enjoy the read.

    Hi Meaghan – yes, Supers do mean more time with the characters. They also have a broader scope than some of the other lines at Harlequin. I have ADORED writing sexy, modern Blazes, but there are definitely some no go zones due to the high raunch factor – no kids, for example, and family, home and hearth stuff is not big, either. I really enjoyed being able to spread my wings and explore my hero and heroine’s wide world in A Natural Father and Home For The Holidays. I was a bit worried about disappointing my Blaze fans with the lower heat level, but as I have continued writing Supers I am getting more and more confident about adding some hawt in there when it’s needed, so hopefully my Blaze readers will enjoy them just as much.

15. I love Blaze books and I love me some sexual tension. Plus Anna Campbell has raved about Sarah Mayberry’s books and now you, Bev, so I simply MUST try them! I’m sold! 😉

16. Sarah, I actually have not read any of your books so which one of your book would you recommend me to read first?

17. Hi Debra – There are actually some really awesome writers in the Supers line up. Molly O’Keefe is wonderful, and so is Karina Bliss, just to name a couple. And there’s a broad range of heat levels – from reasonably conservative to pretty damned steamy. Come dip your toe in – I assure you, the water’s fine!

    Hi Andrea – Anna Campbell is a legend. I remember when I first got published and invited onto the published author’s loop in Australia, everyone was raving about her debut, Claiming the Courtesan, and how gorgeous her cover was and how well she was doing. Then I attended my first Romance Writers of Australia conference and Anna Campbel came up to ME and asked for MY autograph. I was so embarrassed/chuffed I think I was completely incoherent! She’s such a talented writer. I’m currently knee deep in Captive of Sin, and it’s so evocative and incredibly sexy.

18. Hi Marjana. Which book first? Well, the one that seems to get the most positive reviews is Anything For You. This is a best friends to lovers book – if you like that theme, you may enjoy the read. I’m very fond of Below The Belt, which was my Blaze about a female boxer. A lot of people were put off by the boxing element, I think, but I loved writing that book. And both A Natural Father and Home For The Holiday are very emotional, family oriented, human books – more realistic than the Blazes, perhaps. Because they’re categories, I think you will either have to find them second hand or go the ebook route at eharlequin or one of the other ebook sites like Fictionwise. Except for Home For The Holidays, of course – that should be on book shop shelves right now.

19. Wowser! Great review and introduction. I’m ready to read Sarah’s latest releases and her entire backlist : ) Harlequin owns a chunk of my heart. I love the Supers and the Presents the most, but I read just about anything from the superworld of Harlequin. I still buy the “white covers” & others from the late 60’s & the 70’s at used book sales. Some of those books used a very small print size (squint)!

    Sarah, what’s up next for you?

20. Hi Ginger. I, too, have been a Harlequin fan for a long time. Both my grandmothers had romance collections – my maternal Nan’s was more hard cover, with awesome hand painted cover art, and my paternal Nan’s were paperback Mills and Boons from the 60s and 70s. All the heroes smoked and the women were all gold-diggers – it was great. What’s next for me? Well, I’ve written a longer form book that I’m shopping around at the moment. It’s a bit different from my usual fare – written in first person, and it’s chick lit rather than straight romance, although it has strong romantic elements, of course. As I said above, we’re about to head home to Australia after two years in Melbourne, so that will be great. And I’m currently completely my latest Blaze – title yet to be decided – and am contracted for another 2 Super Romances. Life is pretty full!

21. Sarah

    I use to watch Neighbours ages ago but these days I have too many books that I want to read so TV is left behind and I am loving it I will be watching the shelves in December for the new book.

    Have Fun
    Helen

22. That is so interesting that you tried to write regency first before finding your niche. Did you ever publish any of your regency material?

23. Melissa, if you could read those very early attempts, you’d understand that they were perhaps good enough to line the cat litter tray and not much else. So no, they never made it past an editor! I do have a little tickle in the back of my brain which is an idea for a Regency romance. I have bought and read a bunch of reference books on the period, so I’m amassing some research. There are some great elements that come with Regencies – increased danger and romance and all the conflict that comes from the strict social and class rules, but there is also the onus of getting the historical detail right. So maybe I will tinker away at this idea in between other projects and see if I can become more confident with the form. We shall see!

24. Congrats on the upcoming release, Sarah. “Home For the Holidays” is the first I’ve read from you. I loved it. Very emotional ending. I’m looking forward to checking out your backlist.

25. I have yet to read Sarah’s books but she comes highly recommended by multiple fellow readers. Recently rediscovered category romances thanks to DA’s Jane and looking forward to read these wonderful stories everyone keeps recommending.

    Hugs,
    Pearl

26. Oh, Sarah, I would read a Regency from you, no questions asked. My first love is historical and what could be better than Sarah Mayberry writing historicals???!! Love it!

27. Hi Jane. Glad you enjoyed Home For The Holidays. I hope you like my backlist, too. It’s one of the nice things about having written a few books now – I have a back list! Since I’m still pretty happy about being a published author, being a published author with a backlist is pretty damn cool.

    Pearl, I am always dropping in over at DA. I swear, I find out most of my publishing news and gossip over there! I’d just be a little mole in a cave pounding away at the typewriter otherwise (okay, occasionally I come out to shop, but otherwise the mole analogy is not far off…) Thanks for dropping in to chat.

    Bev,
    You are so kind! I promise if I ever do write one, you’ll get a copy. I really love reading historical, it’s probably my favorite escape, but I do worry that writing it might take some of the shine off the genre for me. If this idea takes more shape in my mind, however, I might have to put it on the page just to get it out of my head! Sometimes stories are like that.

28. Hi, Sarah!! As you know, I LOOOOOOVE your writing! Such an excellent introduction, btw 🙂 For those of you who haven’t treated yourself to one of her books, please wait no longer–you’ll be wondering what took you so long! Every book is a gift, and honestly, she couldn’t write fast enough to please me 😉

    Sarah, I’d love it if you tried your hand at historicals, but I’d be in line to read your grocery lists 😀

    Hope you’re having a fabulous week!

29. Yay! Fedora! Lovely to see you. You wouldn’t want to read my grocery lists, believe me. At the moment they consist of bread for making toast and peanut butter. If anyone ever wondered what fuels romance authors – or at least this romance author – it’s peanut butter toast, interspersed with the occasional Vegemite toast for variety. You have a great week, too, Fedora, and a wonderful Christmas.

30. I have Home for the Holidays waiting to be read. I think it’s going to be a great holiday read. From what you’ve said about it I know I’m going love it.

    I’ve read two of her Blazes, She’s Got it Bad and Below the Belt. I loved both of them. Sarah does know how to write a great book.

31. These sound like great books! Ones that will really get me motivated about the holidays! So I’m crossing my fingers and toes that Santa draws my name.

32. Wow, all of those sound great… and I’m very addicted to the cover of “Amorous Liasons” and “Her Secret Fling”… I needs them! Though I suppose if I received it, I might have to keep wiping drool off the cover.. but here’s hoping!

33. Hi Nicole. Hope you enjoy Home For The Holidays. I had a lot of fun writing that book – Hannah, the heroine, has a lot of attitude, and I also have a huge soft spot for Ruby, Joe’s little girl. I think the original scene where they go shopping together was about twice as long as it wound up being because I had so much fun with it! Happy holidays!

    Hi Joder, I’m trying to get myself into the holiday spirit at the moment, but it’s hard to get too excited when I’m on deadline and about to move countries. Maybe when we hit Australia I will have a chance to calm down and chill out a little… Hope you have a great one.

    Hi Morning, Yes, those artists in at Harlequin sure know how to rock a front cover. I have had some really great ones over the years. All Over You, which I think Bev has featured above, is one of my all time faves – I love the way they two models are just so totally into each other, and they both look EXACTLY as I imagined they would. Especially the hero, Mac. There’s a youtube clip somewhere where they show you a Harlequin cover photo shoot – it’s amazing how much trouble they go to. For my March 2009 Blaze, She’s Got It Bad, they actually went to a real tattoo parlor in Toronto to shoot, since my heroine is a tattoo artist.

34. If you ever publish one, i’d be very interested in reading it. ^^

    Peanut Butter and toast. Interesting. I remember that Emily said she used to make that with Banana’s for Lorelei in a Gilmore Girls episode. ^^

35. Peanut butter and bananas. That sounds a little Elvis. Didn’t he used to eat deep fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches? I’m quite partial to peanut butter and honey together. Sort of sweet and salty at the same time. And really nutritious – not! I wish I was one of those people who loved vegetables and fruit more than bread and pasta and ice cream….

36. Home for the Holidays, sounds like a wonderful book. I love how it starts out…….not off to a good start on their first meeting. Where it goes from there will keep me interested.

37. Hi Barbara. You can actually find an excerpt for that first meeting over at my website. If you click on my name above I think it will take you through to my site, then you can go to the books page and Home For The Holidays is the feature book in the top left hand corner. Click on the cover and you’ll be away. It should give you a good sense of what the book is about and my writing style. Cheers!

38. I am a Sarah Mayberry fan! Cannot wait to read Home For The hokidays.

39. Hi Estella. Hope you’re well and that you enjoy the read. And how about the cheeky bird in your avatar box – so cute!

40. I haven’t read any of these books, but this post has sure convinced me to go look for them. I love reading unconventional heroines. 😀

41. Hi, Sarah! I can’t wait to read Home for the Holidays, and Her Secret Fling sounds amazing, too! I’ve read Anything for You and Amorous Liaisons, which were both amazing. You do a friends to lovers like no one else! Do you have plans to write anymore of them in the future, please please pretty please? *puppy eyes* (I would love an historical from you, too. Just saying~)

42. Hi Julie. This is a coincidence, because I love writing unconventional heroines! Snap! So far I have written about a female boxer, a female mechanic, a tattoo artist(her) and a bike builder (him), a personal chef, a ballet dancer, an ex-Olympic swimmer… I wrote a blog recently at Blaze Authors talking about exploring other vocations through my books. I like to give my heroine’s a bit of sass and attitude, and often that means that feel like they need a job to match. And, you know, it’s just fun to extend the fantasy element of romance into their jobs as well as their private lives. Thanks for commenting!

43. Hi Sarah!!

    I’m so excited to get to talk to you here! You are one of my favorite authors! 🙂 I LOVE your books, especially your Harlequin Blaze’s! One of my favorites was “Anything For You”.

    I’m really looking forward to your next Blaze release – “Her Secret Fling”!!

    Sandra Lynne

44. The book sounds awesome ! Sarah, i’m still new with your works, really hope i can Win this fabulous book 🙂 count me in please.

45. Hi Sandra – lovely to “meet” you. Ta for your kind words. I know a lot of people enjoy Anything For You. I have a real soft spot for it, too. Sam is probably the most clueless hero I have ever written, but so sweet and lovely at the same time. I still smirk when I think about him on his hands and knees, naked, trying to spy on Delaney’s apartment down below to see if she’s brought her date home or not. For some reason the thought of this sexy, over-grown boy-man brought so low tickles my funny bone!

46. Hi Lynz – it just so happens that I have recently completed another friends to lovers book. This is kind of the ultimate friends to lovers – I feel like I have covered every corner of that theme now! It’s a Super Romance and it’s called Her Best Friend (love the title!!! so perfect for this book, and tells readers exactly what the book is about). I think it’s out in April 2010. It’s about Amy and Quinn, who grew up next door to each other. Amy fell in love with Quinn when they were both 14 – at the same time that a new girl, Lisa, moved to town. They all became fast friends but one fateful summer Quinn and Lisa get together and eventually they get married and leave town together. And Amy sits on the sidelines for 16 years, loving Quinn, feeling guilty for betraying Lisa, eating her heart out. And then she learns that Quinn and Lisa are getting a divorce… There’s lots of other stuff in there, but I don’t want to ruin too much. I loved writing this book, and I am really looking forward to how readers react to it.

    Hi Mariska – thanks for dropping by to chat. There are four books on offer today, so there’s a pretty good chance you’ll get lucky. Have a great holiday season.

47. Sarah, I love you. Seriously. Her Best Friend sounds AMAZING. I’m torn between freaking out over how long I’ll have to wait until I can read it and celebrating the how fantastic it sounds like it’ll be!

48. April’s just around the corner – it’ll be here before you know it. And Harlequin books are always available a month earlier at their website, so you could probably get your hands on it in March 1, 2010. That’s only 3 months away!!! But ta for the flattering impatience.

49. The Super Romance line offers good books that take the stories just a little further. Liked the sound of the story overview. I like stories with different and unexpected characters and plot twists. Predictability is fine if it is in the quality of the author. Unpredictable is the way I like a story to work out.
    By the way, I haven’t heard anyone use the phrase “Bees Knees” in a while. Would expect it from a character in their 80’s not a child. Cute.
    I have read Blaze, but I really prefer the Super Romance Line.
    Sarah, I hope you have a wonderful Holiday Season.

50. Pat,

    That was me paraphrasing how the child felt about Hannah in the book. And don’t even ask me where I heard it, cuz it’s new to me too, but I just loved the sound of it.

51. Beverly and LibraryPat, Bee knees, cat’s pajamas, ants pants and cat’s meow are four of my favorite sayings! Probably very old fashioned, now I come to think of it…Hope you have a lovely Christmas, too, Pat.

52. Hello Sarah ~

    Congrats on the release of Home For the Holidays. I’ve got it and will read it when I’m finished with my current read. I just started reading your books this year and have enjoyed every one of them. I’m always looking for your OOP books and was lucky enough to find Can’t Get Enough. Looking forward to reading it as well. 🙂

53. Hi Leslie, thanks for dropping by. Can’t Get Enough was my very first book! I can still remember the opening lines: “Claire was late. She hated being late almost as much as she hated Brussel sprouts…”

    The funny thing is, I put that line in because I have always hated Brussel sprouts with a passion. Thought they were the Devil’s own work. But I had some recently and am now quite fond! My taste buds must have finally matured, I guess. Hope you enjoy it and Home For The Holidays. Cheers.

54. Ooh, I definitely am putting Her Best Friend on the calendar, Sarah–April, you say? BTW, can you give a quick run-down of what’s coming down the pike for you? Please? 🙂

55. What’s coming up? Hmmm. Let me think. Birthday this week – yay! – and a trip to Sydney. Then the move back to Melbourne. Buying a house and a car…..

    Release wise, I have “Her Secret Fling” in January for Blaze. Then “Her Best Friend” in April. I’m finishing a Blaze now that is scheduled for later in the year. I don’t know that that will be called yet (they NEVER use my names) but it’s out in September. I think I might have another Super scheduled toward the end of the year, too – haven’t written that one yet! Eeek.

    The unnamed Blaze is about a very well behaved, dutiful, rather prim Englishwoman who is about to marry a rather dutiful, well-behaved Englishman when she finds out that the man she always thought was her father is actually her stepfather (and dead, like her mother, in a boating accident when she was 7), and her real father is alive and well in Australia. Her grandparents, who have raised her and are quite controlling in their own quiet, manipulative way, have kept this info from her to “protect her”. As has her fiance, she learns when she confronts her grandfather – they told him when he proposed and he’s since kept it from her, too. She has a flash that she is making a terrible mistake marrying this man and takes off to find her real father. Instead, she finds Nathan, who is living like a beach bum on Philip Island, a little place about an hour and a half out of Melbourne. Nate’s not even close to being as easy-breezy as he first appears – in fact, he’s facing down some major demons. This had turned into quite a dark book, although it has some nice fun moments. And I think I am going to have to cut the subplot out. Oh, for an endless page count!!! If this happens, I will offer the subplot to readers as a free download at my website when the book is released.

    The Super Romance is about a lady lawyer who gets to 38 and realises she’s single and that the family she’s always wanted – ie children – ain’t going to happen unless she does something drastic. So she explores going to a sperm bank, and one of her colleagues (who just happens to be v. handsome but v. averse to commitment) winds up offering his “services”. What starts as a very dry arrangement quickly becomes heated and Things Happen.

    After that I have one more Super Romance to get stuck into, then I’ll have to put my thinking cap on again…

56. Hi Sarah,
    I love The Season for the very fact I get to meet
    “new to me Authors”.
    I look forward to catching up on your books and keeping fingers crossed for Home For The Holidays. Wishing you success with your release.
    Carol L.

57. Hi Carol, nice to “meet” you too. This is a great blog – can’t believe how many people have dropped by. Thanks for the best wishes on the book – fingers crossed the world likes it! Cheers

58. Hi Sarah! I haven’t read any of your books, I’m afraid, but I will definitely see if I can get my hands on some. I love reading well executed Harlequin books. And I love reading about single dads! Are your books released later in the UK?

59. Sarah, no worries ! Anticipation is a good thing too 😉
    Plus, I wouldn’t take you away from you’re writing !!!

60. Hi Sarah,
    I love your Blaze books, all of them. Except I haven’t read the last one yet, because I’m saving that one for when your new novel is out. Luckily it’s only one more week :). It’s like the last piece of chocolate… I can never eat that before I can refill my stock of chocolate, because it’ll only leave me craving for more ;).
    A few of my favorites are Below the Belt (WOW), Can’t Get Enough, Cruise Control and Amorous Liaisons, but I enjoyed every single one. The Super Romance books I haven’t read yet, but they sound great as well, because I love it when a story makes my heart ache (provided there’s a HEA of course).
    Hugs,
    ErotRomReader

61. Hello Sarah –
    I didn’t see it mentioned in this article but my favorite book of yours is “Below the Belt”. What a great story!

62. Hi Sarah! It’s nice to meet you!

    I really enjoy the SuperRomance line so it’s great to see you writing for it! How do you like writing SuperRomances after writing Blazes for many years? Do you have a preference over which of the two (Supers or Blazes) that you like writing better? Also, are there any other Harlequin/Silhouette lines you’d like to write for in the future? Intrigue maybe?

    Happy Holidays!!! 🙂

63. Hi Sarah,
    I will have to look for your book because the review sounds great. Are you writing for both lines or have you switched to Superromance?

64. Please enter me in the giveaway for your January release.

65. All these books sound wonderful. I will add Sarah Mayberry’s name to authors I’d like to read.

66. Thanks for introducing me to another new author, Beverly! Sarah sounds like a fantastic writer. I’m going to B&N and I’ll see if I can find her book there.

67. Please enter me in the contest. Thanks! 🙂

68. Oh, a regency historical romance?! I think I just heard Beverley spontaneously combust from joy. I think you should write in all the genres so everyone can be happy. No pressure, of course 😉

69. Sarah~

    Wow. with at review like that how can I not want to pick up this book? I’ve never been big into Harlequin Blaze, but recently I’ve heard about some great stories coming from there, so I’ll definitely be checking out your books.
    Hope you have a wonderful holiday season. I would say Thanksgiving, but I recently found out that Aussie’s don’t celebrate Thanksgiving… 🙂

70. Hi, Sarah!

    I have never read any of your books, but they sound yummy! I’ve found another author to add to my must have library. That’s what I love about the Season. You are introduced to new authors (to you).

    Please enter me into your drawing. Thanks!

71. Enjoyed reading the comments. I would like to win this book since I am always looking for different authors to read. I like reading the Harlequins.
    Happy Thanksgiving

72. I’m going to look for HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS next time I’m out. I need something to get me into the Christmas spirit!

    Sarah, how far in advance do you have to submit a holiday story? How do you muster Christmas spririt, say in February?

    Thanks.

73. wow love her books they are so hottttttttt
    love below the belt
    How do u spend your holdiays, favoirte food and fav christmas song?
    Please countm e in. would love to read her new blaze
    great cover and great reviews

    whooo

74. I discovered Sarah Mayberry when she wrote the “Secret Lives of Daytime Divas” trilogy for Blaze and I’ve been hooked on everything she’s written ever since. Keep it up Sarah, your books are HOT, compelling and very hard to put down!

75. Squeee! Squeeee! One of my favorite writers is on the Season. Thanks so much, Bev, for inviting Sarah to be your guest. I think she’s the bee’s knees too! And the cat’s PJs! And the canary’s water dish. Hmm, that one kinda missed its target, didn’t it? How about the canary’s water dish just after it’s been cleaned out of all the urky bits? She’s Pavarotti’s Puccini! She’s American steak (yes, I think you guys do do steak better than we do – and that means I’m about to get chucked out of my home country!). Hmm, I’m starting to feel like Cole Porter here. “You’re the top…”

    Seriously, Sarah is a fabulous writer. I only discovered her in the last year too and I’ve devoured her backlist. Bev’s description of how she really touches your heart while still writing a wonderfully sexy story is absolutely spot on!

76. Wow i just read the excerpts for Her secret fling and it sounds intriging. I am always looking to read authors i’ve never had the chance to before and these blogs are one of the ways i find them. Then i get sucked right into all the books they’ve written. I’ll be looking for your books my next trip to the book store which is weekly!!

    Lisa

77. So I go to bed, and everybody comes out to play! Damn those time zones! Starting from the top:

    Hi Maered – I have only just started writing for Super Romance and I haven’t received any UK versions of my books yet – with Blazes it’s really unpredictable when they will be released, so it might be the same with Supers. Sorry, that’s not very helpful, is it? I will ask the question and get back to you sometime today! Happy holidays!

    ErotRomReader – I promise there is always a happy ending. I don’t do unhappy endings – in fact, I get all bent of shape when a book ends unhappily. Someone was telling me how Her Sister’s Keeper ends (the book, not the movie) the other day, and I couldn’t believe it. I mean, really? Happy is good. There’s enough of the other in the real world.

    Hi Susan Laura – As I said in one of the other posts, Below the Belt is definitely one of my faves, too. Jamie was a fun heroine to write, so ballsy but also so vulnerable, and Cooper was dreamy. And yes, in the privacy of my own imagination, these people are real to me!!! Glad you enjoyed the read.

    Hi Paula – Which line do I enjoy more, Blaze or Super Romance? That’s a bit like asking do I prefer chocolate or vanilla – each has its place in my heart (and on my backside!). Blaze is fun and bold and sexy, and Super is full and rich. There are elements I enjoy to both, and it’s actually really nice switching between the two. At the moment, because I have not written as many of them, I find the Supers more challenging, which is both good and stressful sometimes. As for other Harlequin lines I might like to write for… Well, I don’t think I would be any good at Presents, as for Intrigue, I don’t know that “plotty” stories are my forte. I tend to be a character driven writer, rather than a “what happens next” writer, so I might struggle to pull all the suspense/mystery elements together. The great thing about Super Romance is that if I did come up with a suspense plot, they would run it there since the line is quite broad in that way. I wouldn’t mind trying a paranormal, so Nocturne could be interesting, but I haven’t got an idea that everyone else hasn’t done to death yet.

    Hi Maureen – I’m writing for both lines at the moment. As long as they will both still have me!

    Thanks for dropping by, JCP.

    Hi Susan – Happy holidays, and thanks for dropping by.

    Hi Mary – I love going book shopping. I do most of it on-line now since I discovered this fantastic on-line bookseller in Oz/Nz called fishpond. But there is nothing better than having a tower of TBR books by my bed. Happy sigh.

    Hi Saphire – Great name! Happy holidays.

    Devon – LOL! I’ll see what I can do!

    Hi Dorthy – Blaze has some great writers working for the line. Tawny Weber is fabulous, and I keep hearing lots of great things about Kathleen O’Reilly. And I wish we had Thanksgiving – the food sounds awesome. I have always been fascinated by pumpkin pie….

78. Hi Cathy – I am a huge reader and I love finding new authors to consume ( and yes, I do gobble them up at a great rate of knots). I especially love finding someone with a HUGE backlist. I have recently just been on a Laura Kinsale glom, but have just read the last of her backlist. Cue sad violin music. But apparently she has a new book out in early 2010…

    Hi Joye – Thanks for dropping by.

    Hi Christiana – How do I muster Christmas spirit in February? One of the things us writers are good at is pretending! When I’m writing, it’s like a little movie is playing out in my mind and I’m watching my characters acting out the scenes, and I’m just taking dictation, trying to describe the scene as accurately as possible. With Christmas, I simply think about all the things I love about it – family, food, giving presents, the crazy shopping, eating too much, the post Christmas sales, etc, etc, and I’m away. Lots of strong memories to draw on there.

    Hi KH – Lovely to see you over here. How do I spend my holidays? What’s my fave food? And fav Christmas song? Well, generally I spend holidays with my family. The past two years we’ve been in NZ and we’ve flown home to Melbourne for Christmas. This has meant we’ve been staying in someone’s spare room – my partner’s parents or mine – which makes for some very cozy holiday interaction! I am very luck in having found a sexy, funny, gorgeous man who can put up a shelf and fix a car but also likes to shop. Yes, I know, I should have him dipped in gold to preserve him for all eternity! So we like to hit the post-Christmas sales a little. And we usually do the rounds visiting all our friends. My favorite food at Christmas time is hands down my Nan’s plum pudding with brandy sauce. This a very simple recipe that my mother’s mother has made since the Year Dot. She’s gone now, but my sister and I make a pudding each every year. It’s supposed to be made in advance and hung in the pantry to mature, but we haven’t had a lot of luck avoiding mold so I tend to make mine a few weeks in advance and keep it in the fridge. It’s very simple – lots of fruit soaked in brandy, basically, eggs, sugar, flour, then boiled for 6 hours in a calico cloth. And the brandy sauce is simply a white sauce made with sugar and brandy to taste. But it’s soooooo good. Just…YUM. Am drooling in anticipation. And I don’t have a favorite Christmas song. I kind of try to avoid them because they’re so damn catchy you can never get them out of your head….

    Hi Sarah Prime – Ta for your kinds words. I love those Diva books. I think because I wrote the three of them set in the same world, when I think back on them they feel very solid and real. I can remember writing each one thinking, oh these two are my favorite hero and heroine, and then I’d get to the next book and go, Oh, no, it’s got to be these two. The truth is, they’re all very different and that was why I had so much fun writing their stories.

    Huge squee straight back at you, Ms Campell! Very nice to “see” you here. I should have known you would be well known to The Season with your fabulous Regency Noir novels. I hope Captive of Sin is rocking the best seller lists for you – it’s such a sexy, sad, wonderful read. I am almost finished – stayed up very late (VERY LATE) the other night to gobble up almost the whole book. Am hoping to finish my Blaze today which means I will be launching myself at the couch to finishing the last little bit. You have such a wonderful way with words – I will be writing you a private email to gush about the bits I love the most. And I happen to have a little parcel with your name on it that will be in the postman’s hands very shortly. It’s evening coming in brown paper – highly appropriate, some might say!

    Hi Lisa – thanks for dropping by. I hope you enjoy my books if you can get your hands on some of them. I must say, that’s the blessing of ebooks – books are around for a lot long, and always available. I don’t have an ereader yet, but the idea of taking my whole library with me on holiday is very, very attractive so I am waiting for one to come out that tickles my fancy. I write on an Apple computer, and I keep hearing about this new Apple tablet computer thingy being on its way. Maybe it will be my Christmas present to myself (although, if I’m being honest, there have already been a few of those!) Happy holidays.

79. Ooh, double squeeing! Thanks for saying those lovely things about COS. I really look forward to your brown paper parcels – oh, no, now I’m singing these are a few of my favorite things! I’ve kept your supers as rewards for me when I reach significant moments in the wip – they’re the whip for the wip, you could say! Once I pick up one of your books, I can’t put it down!

80. You funny, Ms Campbell. Put that whip down!

81. Hey Sarah! *waving* Anna told me about this blog so I thought I’d pop over and say hi. 🙂 I’m in the middle of SHE’S GOT IT BAD and loving every minute of it.

82. Hi Mad. Great to see you. Glad you’re enjoying She’s Got It bad. I’m just powering toward the last scene and epilogue of my latest book. Woohooo! Then it will be revisions and editing time – the joy, the joy! But the important thing is that the first draft is almost done! Have a great day.

83. I don’t think I’ve ever read one of her books. Looks interesting.

84. Sarah, I have heard nothing but the best about you and your books! You have MANY fans out there. I’m really looking forward to reading your books!

85. Love holiday stories. Nice to see one where the roles are reversed. Makes things much more interesting. Super Romances are great books. Their length allows for more plot and character development. Will have to say I’ve read a Blaze or two and I still prefer the Super Romances.
    Hope you have a great Holiday Season.

86. Hi Sarah! *waves*

    I reallllly hope I’m not too late for the contest! Winning a Sarah Mayberry Blaze would cap my week, that’s for sure! Just last week I sent off my requested full to Blaze and it’s writers like Sarah who make me want to be a Blaze author. I loved her most recent one (I think it was called She’s Got It Bad?) and can’t wait to read more from her!

87. Hi Kelly, thanks for dropping by.

    Hi Gannon – Ta for the kind words. I must say, I’ve been a little overwhelmed by the response here at The Season. You’ve all been very nice and my writer’s ego is feeling very well fed!

    Hi LibraryPat – This it the joy of writing for two lines – something for everyone.(hopefully!)

    Hi Cari – congrats on getting a request for a full. That’s fantastic news. Make sure you take the time to celebrate. Publishing is a tough biz and it helps to mark each step forward because there are plenty of knocks out there. So go have some bubbly or whatever floats your boat and savor the moment! And fingers crossed you hear good news.

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