Another Suite Secret Hotel Story Pick

This is truly getting harder and harder! All of your stories really resonate with me and my own hotel situations from the past.

I'm enjoying them all.

But since I promised to pick one this week - it's Martha E

Congratulations!

Contact me at charlenesands@hotmail.com with your address and your pick of one of my books from my backlist which include:

The Corporate Raider's Revenge
Fortune's Vengeful Groom
Like Lightning
Taming the Texan
Bodine's Bounty


I'll be drawing a random winner on September 15th for the Big Grand Prize for all who have entered.

Keep your stories coming!

Another Fun Hotel Story!

Thank all of you who are continuing to post your hotel stories! Check back tomorrow when I pick one of the many favorites for a signed backlist book!

And remember, this is a HARD task for me because all of your stories are unique in their own way! I appreciate you sending them in.

Here's a fun story from a good friend I thought I'd share:

It was on one of Joe's business trips to California. We were at the Universal Studio hotel. We went to the lounge to have a cocktail before dinner. While sipping on a Sombrero, I spied a mouse under the radiator. I did a great job of keeping my composure seeing I'm terribly afraid of mice (aren't most women??).

I don't know if Joe did it on purpose or not, but he touched my leg. Thinking it was the mouse, I jumped out of seat and let out a blood curdling scream, which got the attention of everyone in the crowded lounge. Joe was mortified. Management came out with brooms and tried to capture it, only to have a guy at the table next to us say, "Gee, lady, it's only a poor little mouse".

What is it about mice that scare us? I'm the same way - I jump and scream if I see a mouse! What about you?

Megan -if you're out there, I still owe you a book! Email me at charlenesands@hotmail.com

And remember, if you post annonymously, I have no way of knowing who you are! Always put your names or email addresses in your posts!

The Most Googled Person in the World!

Do you know who it is?

If you guessed Michael Phelps, you guessed right!

This swimmer is just amazing! Have you been watching the Olympics? Not to give my age away, but I remember Mark Spitz winning Gold some 32 years ago, very vividly and all the girls had a big crush on the tall, lean, moustached Olympian.

Now, Michael Phelps has surpassed his record which had held up for 8 Olympics. The NBC announcer put it this way - 8 Gold medals swimming at the Olympics that started on 8-8-08 at 8 PM. You think #8 is a lucky number for Phelps?

Here's a picture of one of our fabulous relay teams helping Michael achieve is 8 Golds! Those guys all deserve accolades too.

According to Wikipedia - some facts about Michael:

Michael Fred Phelps (born June 30, 1985) is an American swimmer and 14-time Olympic gold medalist (the most by any Olympian), who currently holds seven world records in swimming.[2]

He holds the record for the most gold medals won at a single Olympics; a total of eight, surpassing Mark Spitz.[3]

Overall, Phelps has won 16 Olympic medals: six gold and two bronze at Athens in 2004, and eight gold at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. In winning these medals, he has twice equaled Soviet gymnast Alexander Dityatin's record of eight medals (of any type) at a single Olympics (Dityatin: Moscow 1980; Phelps: Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008), and ranks second in total career Olympic medals, after Soviet gymnast Larissa Latynina, who won a total of 18 medals (nine gold) spanning three Olympic Games.

Phelps' international titles, along with his various world records, have resulted in him being awarded the World Swimmer of the Year Award in 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2007 and American Swimmer of the Year Award in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2007. Phelps has won a total of 48 career medals thus far: 40 gold, six silvers and two bronze. This includes all of the Championships in which he has competed: The Olympics, the World Championships, and the Pan Pacific Championships.

I'm really amazed and proud of our athletes, who train so hard and have such discipline! To think, I wasn't going to watch the Olympics this time, and now I'm hooked.

Don't get me started on the courageous female gymnasts! I'm pulling for them all the way!

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE SUITE SECRETS CONTEST!

LJ and Megan have won signed books and I'll be picking another of your stories soon! If you post, you're automatically entered in the drawing for some great prizes!

Suite Secrets Book Winner! MEGAN

It's getting harder and harder to pick a favorite. So many of your hotel stories are amazing. Remember you're still entered in the drawing in September and you can submit more than one story!

Thanks for all those remarkable tales, but this time the signed book goes to: MEGAN

Choose from one of these choices then contact me at Charlenesands@hotmail.com :

Heiress Beware (Desire)

The Corporate Raiders Revenge (Desire - prequel to Suite Secrets)

Fortune's Vengeful Groom (Desire and winner of Booksellers Best Award)Taming the Texan (Western - Knight in Shining Silver honor)

Bodine's Bounty (Western - Nominated for Booksellers Best Award)

or any other from my available backlist of books.

All who post are entered into the random drawing for the Victoria Secret Gift Card and Secret Prize!

Check out the Contest Page for details!

STOP BY AND SEE ME AT PETTICOATS AND PISTOLS TODAY WHEN I BLOG ABOUT TRUE LOVE ... WHAT IT REALLY MEANS!

A Good Deal from Eharlequin!

Just thought I'd pass this along to you! If you buy two books from eharlequin.com, one will be free. It's only a 3 DAY SALE, so make your decisions and get shopping!!

BOGO!

Do Not Disturb Until Christmas!

Okay, I'm jazzed. This is my favorite cover EVER!

Don't worry Christmas is still 4 months away, but I'm happy to give you a sneak peek at my NOVEMBER book, the 2nd book in Suite Secrets. (I love Christmas, can you tell?)

I have to give credit to my senior editor, Melissa Jeglinski for coming up with these great titles. All had to tie into hotels, but have their own unique brand.

Five-Star Cowboy

Do Not Disturb Until Christmas

Reserved for the Tycoon

Isn't it great?

And sometimes the author is the last to know ... LJ from the West Indies, emailed me that she saw this beautiful cover up on Amazon. Who Knew? Thanks, LJ!

I'll post the back cover blurb when I get it! But at least you get to see hotty, Code Landon and pretty Sarah Rose!

Loving All Your Suite Secrets!

I'm so glad many of you are taking part in the Suite Secrets Contest. I can't tell you how much fun they are to read.

Here's a story from a good male friend, who shall remain nameless. I can't resist sharing HIS hotel story with you. BTW, I verified this with his wife and she confirmed this really happened. Names have been changed to protect the, uh, innocent.

When I was in my mid twenties, I would often be sent to Manhattan for computer training. On one such trip I finished the session for the day and took the elevator to my room. After a few minutes the phone rang. It was a women's voice saying she would like to come to my room to meet me. Now this was a time when THE WIFE and I often played pranks on each other and my first thought was that she is with a friend and had her call me to see how I would react.

Well I really turned on the charm and the woman talked more about a visit. She asked what I drank so she could bring some with her. I mentioned scotch. After a few minutes of hot conversation thinking I was confusing THE WIFE and her friend I said I just stepped out of the shower and she caught me with nothing more then a towel (a lie). She said not a problem she would be right over. I figured I would expose the "joke" by asking how she knew what room I was in. She said she was in the elevator with me and got off the same floor I did. I stopped breathing! She hung up the phone. I don't remember how long I went without breathing but just when I started there was a knock on the door. I opened the door, she walked in quickly, handed me a drink and took a seat. I was still looking out the open door at a maid that was watching the whole thing. It probably caught her eye because the women was wearing some sort of negligee at five in the afternoon. I closed the door and started to take a sip of the drink she handed me. My hand was shaking so much that the ice was clinking against the glass. She put so much perfume on the glass I couldn't tell if it was in fact scotch. The first thing I said to her, over the sound of the ice clinking against the glass, was "I'm married and you better leave".

She made some small talk about just being friends. I said with a voice shaking more then the ice, "if you don't leave I'm calling the front desk". (Boy, did I handle that well). She got up and left the room. The whole thing couldn't have taken more then two minutes.
Over the years, many guys have asked what she looked like. I have no idea.

How many times do you think she told her female friends about the idiot she met while in New York?

Keep sending in those stories. I'll pick from our list at the end of next week and one of you will receive a signed copy of one of my backlist of books.

All who post are entered into the Contest!
Remember, don't post here. See the rules on the CONTEST page.

Bookseller's Best Award Winners

This certificate was handed out to all winners at the BBA ceremony along with a gorgeous pin! Here you can see all winners.

HelenKay Dimon, who shared a workshop panel with me about Romancing the Internet also won!

Special thanks to Patti Shenberger and the The Greater Detroit Chapter of RWA!

Romance Writers of America Conference ... My SF trip!

Just thought I'd share this pics. A fun time, but quite exhausting. So much to do, so little time!

Here's my good friends, Tanya Hanson, author of Midnight Bride and Kathy Bennett on our way!

No sooner did we land and check in, did we begin our booksigning event at the Marriott in San Francisco to benefit Literacy.

Half of the fillies from Petticoats and Pistols celebrate at the signing together. Stacey Kayne, top left, Pam Crooks, Kate Bridges, Pat Potter and yours truly. We met at the top of the hotel for drinks afterward to view a stunning landscape of the city and bay.

Our traditional Harlequin Historical Hussy breakfast on Convention Thursdays. Shari Anton and Gail Ranstrom among 18 others! A good way to catch up with our online pals!

Next it's a 20 minute taxi drive to Tal y Tara where we had tea with the

Mills and Boon editors. Stacey Kayne, Suzy,(editor) Linda Fildew (senior editor), Charlene Sands, Kate Bridges and Pam Crooks in the gardens.

My Orange County Chapter friends.

Sandra Madden, my former critique partner and me. Sandy gave me her husband's book, Rueben on Wry which is laugh outloud funny. You'd best know Dave Madden as Rueben Kincaid from the Partridge Family. Pick it up on Amazon, you'll love the "wry" humor!

Smiling with my new 2008 Booksellers Best Award pin after the ceremony!

It was quite a thrill to win for Fortune's Vengeful Groom.

That covers Wednesday night and Thursday! Still two more days of convention, including the Harlequin party and Chinatown excursion, but I ran out of film. Oh, and we had a great dinner at a place called the Stinking Rose. Did some shopping too!

First Book Giveaway goes To LJ from Suite Secrets Contest!

Hi LJ,

I loved your hotel story!
Really so many are great it was hard to choose and I'll keep picking more stories every week or so.

But you're the first one so contact me at charlenesands@hotmail.com with your address and pick.
Here are your choices:

Heiress Beware (Desire)
The Corporate Raiders Revenge (Desire - prequel to Suite Secrets)
Fortune's Vengeful Groom (Desire and winner of Booksellers Best Award)
Taming the Texan (Western - Knight in Shining Silver honor)
Bodine's Bounty (Western - Nominated for Booksellers Best Award)

All who post are entered into the random drawing for the Victoria Secret Gift Card and Secret Prize!

Check out the Contest Page for details!

Blogs, Blogs and More Blogs!

I'm blogging today about Everything But the Kitchen Sink at

Fresh Fiction. This stunning picture has something to do with it. Stop on over. I'd love to see you!

Also, take a peek at Petticoats and Pistols for a fun look at SHOES by Pam Crooks!

Then visit me on Friday at Petticoats when I talk about the meaning of True Love!

And don't forget to enter my brand new SUITE SECRETS CONTEST. Check out the Contest Page for details!! You could win a Victoria Secret Gift Card and a Secret Prize!

Top Ten Eharlequin Summer Reads!

As listed by Eharlequin

Top 10 Summer Reads

1. Five-Star Cowboy by Charlene Sands

2. The Boss's Unconventional Assistant by Jennie Adams

3. Under Suspicion, With Child by Elle James

4. Hired: The Sheikh's Secretary Mistress by Lucy Monroe

5. Killer Affair by Cindy Dees

6. Matthew's Children by C.J. Carmichae

7. Meet Phoenix by Marcia King-Gamble

8. The Journey Home by Linda Ford

9. A Mother's Wish by Karen Templeton

10. The Millionaire's Inexperienced Love-Slave by Miranda Lee

How many have you read? Have you met sexy Trent Tyler yet?

Rules to Blog By ... for the SF RWA attendees and beyond!

Yesterday, I joined Fronnie Lewis, Jina Bacarr and HelenKay Dimon (HelenKay and I both won the Bookseller's Best Award at the conference in separate categories, btw ... more to come on that) as we shared insights about Romancing the Internet.

Fronnie moderated the panel and kept the discussion lively. In her beautiful voice, Jina Bacarr spoke about podcasting, HelenKay spoke about her experiences with personal blogging and I spoke about group blogging. It was a packed room of maybe 80 to 100 attendees, showing just how popular blogging is. People want to be informed and learn the how-to's and find out about the benefits from those of us who blog regularly.

As promised to the SF group, here are my blogging rules.

TEN COMBLOGMENTS

1. Thou shall have FUN with your blog. It's a strategic way to market and promote your books. It's fast and easy and inexpensive.

2. Thou shall promote with a bigger picture in mind. The Blog never stands alone. Should be tied to other events, web sites, gimmicks and media relations.

3.Thou shall develop the blog with a goal and audience in mind. No random thoughts here.

4. Thou shall be provocative - in that your blogs should provoke a response from the readers.

5.Thou shall recreate the experience of your books, tie into your brand or your story.

6.Thou shall use NEWS YOU CAN USE. Write about your craft, your style, how you write.

7.Thou shall always have an advance schedule for posting and use a tag line: "Coming up next on the blog:" to increase reader interest and participation.

8.Thou shall find inspiration in: themes in your books, your brand, your book titles, current events, causes you support or are passionate about and your writing expertise.

9.Thou shall realize media and readers want "topics and "expertise" not people. Events, stunts and PR activities are easier to pull off with a group. ALWAYS USE LINKS in your blogs.

10.Thou shall remember to be TOPICAL. Try to tie your blog into what's happening in today's world. Hot Topics.

Think about what blogs intrigue you and ask yourself "Why" and see if the blogs fit into this criteria. I bet they do!

Come visit our group blog Petticoats and Pistols for a good example of fun, informative blogging. Did you all get one of our sexy cowboy handfans? Stop by, make a comment or just lurk, if you're shy.

It was a pleasure meeting you in San Francisco!

Fun in San Francisco!

This year the Romance Writers of America convention will be held in San Franciso in just a few days! My Orange County Chapter is holding a wonderful contest for attendees.

If you're going you won't want to miss playing OCC Bingo. Here's the details from our esteemed president, Sue Phillips:

For anyone attending the National RWA Conference in SF --
Win a $100 Visa Gift Card!

The Orange County Chapter/RWA is sponsoring a fun game at the Literacy Signing on Wednesday night, July 30th!

Look for an OCC member passing out Bingo-type game cards with the names of 30 OCC/RWA authors who are signing that night. (They will have a tent-card with a big orange on it!) Get at least 15 signatures plus the title of their next book, write your email address on the card and drop it at the OCC Hospitality Suite. A winner will be drawn after the conference and notified by email.

Say hello to your favorite authors! Meet new authors! No obligation to buy! (But, of course, feel free to do so!)
See you there!

I hope you stop by my table and say hello. They always seat us alphabetically, so you'll find me at the "S" table!!

Good luck with the contest! It sounds like fun!!

HERE IT IS... SUITE SECRETS CONTEST!

Have you ever gotten stuck in an elevator in a hotel? Have you ever been in a hotel black-out? Any hotel mishaps? Met your other half in the hotel pool or gym?

Celebrating the launch of Five-Star Cowboy set in Tempest West Hotel, the first of the Suite Secrets mini-series, we're holding this blog contest!

Simply post any fun/intriguing/harrowing/romantic adventures that has happened to you in a hotel! Every so often I'll be picking a favorite and sending out autographed books.

Then in September, all hotel blog comments will go into a random drawing for a Grand Prize of a $25.00 Victoria Secret Gift Certificate AND a Secret Prize.

Remember you have to blog here to be entered!!

I want to hear your stories!

New Contest Coming!

Yep, we picked a winner for the Five-Star Cowboy Contest a few days ago. Congratulations to Vickie H!

Soon we'll be posting a new Suite Secrets Contest.

This time it's something a little different. So put on your thinking caps ! The contest will be held right here! I'll be asking you to relay your most memorable, favorite hotel story.

Have you ever gotten stuck in an elevator? Have you ever been in a hotel black-out? Any hotel mishaps? Met your other half in the hotel pool?

Win a Victoria Secret Gift Certificate and a Secret Prize, sure to please.

Look for the Suite Secrets Contest ... coming soon!

The Changing Ways We Read

Do you remember, before the invention of backpacks how we would pile up our schoolbooks onto of a thick binder and walk to school each day? It may have been five or six books at a time. I recall the books falling off the neat stack as we gabbed with friends along the way. I also remember my parents taking pity on me when I had too many books, offering to drive me to school. Some days I took them up on it.

Times HAVE changed!

There's no denying it. I don't think my parents would have believed or fathomed how much. With the ever emerging inventions of electonic devices these days, even a person well atuned would have trouble keeping up with the new technology.

Would my parents ever have believed that you could have hundreds of books held in the palm of your hand? What would they say if they saw the new teeny tiny cell phones that have computer tendencies? Would they even grasp a text message?

I think not.

I've been keeping up, barely. I have a cell phone, a bluetooth, a 22 inch computer monitor with all the bells and whistles. But I'm not a text messager. I haven't succumbed to reading a book on my cell phone or an ereader. Amazon now has Kindle, a device that turns pages like a book. For effect, I'd say.

And now the latest is Daily Lit. How many of you know what Daily Lit is?

I'm learning.

Yesterday I received a message from a representative from Daily Lit who has partnered with Harlequin, that my book The Corporate Raider's Revenge, will now be available in this form.

In essence, they spoon feed you a story daily. Here's where cell phones come in handy. Many people will read the stories via their cell, via email or RSS feeds. Daily Lit provides you with two free samples which seems to consist of several pages of text, then if you like what you're reading ... if the author has hooked you ... you can buy the entire book and it's delivered in daily chunks.

The books are read in short, daily installments via email or RSS. They offer both free and paid books and have titles available in genres as diverse as science fiction, classics, and, of course, romance.

Daily Lit has chosen The Corporate Raider's Revenge, 1 of the 100 that they are featuring to date ... pretty impressive ... and I'm delighted they chose my book for this!

To view two free samples of my book from Daily Lit :
http://dailylit.com/books/corporate-raiders-revenge

Please check it out.

Let me know what you think!

.

Rules to Blog By

Today I joined Fronnie Lewis and HelenKay Dimon at the LARA chapter of RWA as we shared insights about Romancing the Internet. I spoke a little about Group Blogging and my wonderful experiences with Petticoats and Pistols. It was a fun day for all in beautiful Barnes and Noble.


For those of you who might be interested in joining or developing a group blog ...

10 COMBLOGMENTS

1. Thou shall have FUN with your blog. It's a strategic way to market and promote your books. It's fast and easy and inexpensive.

2. Thou shall promote with a bigger picture in mind. The Blog never stands alone. Should be tied to other events, web sites, gimmicks and media relations.


3.Thou shall develop the blog with a goal and audience in mind. No random thoughts here.


4. Thou shall be provocative - in that your blogs should provoke a response from the readers.


5.Thou shall recreate the experience of your books, tie into your brand or your story.


6.Thou shall use NEWS YOU CAN USE. Write about your craft, your style, how you write.


7.Thou shall always have an advance schedule for posting and use a tag line: "Coming up next on the blog:" to increase reader interest and participation.


8.Thou shall find inspiration in: themes in your books, your brand, your book titles, current events, causes you support or are passionate about and your writing expertise.


9.Thou shall realize media and readers want "topics and "expertise" not people. Events, stunts and PR activities are easier to pull off with a group. ALWAYS USE LINKS in your blogs.


10.Thou shall remember to be TOPICAL. Try to tie your blog into what's happening in today's world. Hot Topics.

Think about what blogs intrigue you and ask yourself "Why" and see if the blogs fit into this criteria. I bet they do!

Happy Blogging all!

Harlequin's Way to Ease Gas Prices!

Harlequin is offering some great bargains this July! Hope you can take

advantage of some free books!

Keep a lookout for the winner of the Five-Star Cowboy Contest

ending soon!

Are you a Trivia Junkie?

Come visit me today (Friday) on Petticoats and Pistols. We'll talk trivia, including these 4 guys who made history in the 1960's!

See you there!!

Petticoats and Pistols