Who is controlled by Gun Control? by Tara Fox Hall

Tara Fox Hall

Being American—and a former member of the NRA (National Rifle Association)—I admit to being pro-gun.  In most of my works, my hero or heroine has a working knowledge of guns. Sarelle, heroine of the Promise Me Series, shoots and kills an average of at least 1 bad guy in each book, as do heroes Danial and Theo. Lash, my antihero of the Lash Series,  has a far higher shoot and kill rate per book. I have used guns in real life, and view them as necessary tools for rural living, as do all of my neighbors. So it probably comes to no surprise to you that I am against the recent gun control measures passed in my home state of New York (NYS).

                                                                                                             

I am very bothered by the issue of gun control in the United States, in terms of mass killings. My gripe with the measure passed regarding guns in NYS is that:

 a) It was done on the sly, i.e., I went to bed with one set of laws and woke up to another;

 b) While some measures do close important loopholes in the law, like rules on waiting periods and background checks on gun sales, others like reducing clip size from ten bullets to seven does NOTHING. (All mass murders as a rule bring large number of clips with them to their massacres, and they never expend all of them. The only thing changing clip size really did to stop massacres is…NOTHING. Criminals won’t care if their clip has a few more bullets than is allowed! All the better to kill you with! But it sure will prompt a rise for the gun manufacturing business  when everyone who cares about being legal has to run out to get new clips to be compliant.);

c) NYS already HAS strict gun laws.  Pistol permits in NYS take at least 6-8 months for processing…and it takes a few months just to compile all the data needed for application.

See a sample copy of a pistol permit here: http://www2.erie.gov/clerk/sites/www2.erie.gov.clerk/files/uploads/PISTOL%20PERMIT%20APP_%202012.pdf

Even if you do all of this, you may have a licensing judge in your county who frowns on pistol ownership. Or one of the four references you have to provide as character witnesses may say they are not comfortable with you having a gun. In that case, you may be denied out of hand for a permit, and that $20-115 you paid for photos, processing, and other fees to apply is gone. Yes, that amount of cash is not a misprint: http://www.gobroomecounty.com/sheriff/id. In Rockland County, pistol permits run $150: http://www.rocklandcountyclerk.com/pistol_license.html

And guess what? Even if you go through all those hoops above to get your permit, you still aren’t allowed in New York City—probably the most dangerous city in NYS—with your pistol:

From http://www.troopers.ny.gov/FAQs/Firearms/Permits.cfm

In order for an upstate licensee to lawfully carry a handgun in New York City, he/she must first make application with the New York City Police Department to have their permit "validated." An investigation will be conducted to determine the authenticity of the license, after which a "needs assessment" will be conducted to determine whether the applicant has sufficiently demonstrated a "need" to possess a handgun under the circumstances provided. The simple desire to possess a handgun while in New York City, without some other extenuating circumstances, will not serve to present a "need" suitable to receive authorization. In cases where "need" is sufficiently demonstrated, permission will be given, usually for a specific period of time, after which the process would start over again

A recurring NRA argument for less gun control is that any laws that are made to increase gun control affect only the people that obey them. It’s reasonable to think that criminals who have illegal guns are not going to rush out to buy legal clips, or hurry to sell any illegal rifles that the new law mandates are assault rifles (which are now illegal to own in NYS).  While there is truth to this argument, it is not a measure for advocating against all gun control measures.  Rather I present to you that some gun control measures ARE needed, especially to close loopholes in current law, such as making longer wait times, requiring background checks, and requiring sellers to keep records at all gun shows, which before the new law took effect were exempt from many laws that gun shop owners had to comply with. I just believe that measures legislated in the dead of night in order to be the first state to comply with the president’s new hard line on gun control is not in anyone’s best interest, especially the law-abiding gun owners of New York State.

Here is a passage from my vampire romance Promise Me’s first chapter, in which the human heroine Sar goes out to confront someone trespassing on her land:

            I cursed aloud and decided I’d better take a look. Whoever had decided to take a little side route to adventure had first gotten through the heavy steel chain that blocked the access road. Bolt cutters would have been needed to cut through that thing, and who carries bolt cutters in their car? Someone had planned this, and if they were willing to cut a chain, they might be planning worse than some drinking and partying.

            Throwing on some clothes and collecting my waist-length hair in a plastic clip, I gathered a flashlight and my keys. I debated taking a weapon, but I talked myself out of it. Then, on the way to the door, I talked myself back into it, and got my .38 Special revolver. It was loaded. Depending on the size of the car, there could be six people at the most. Six bullets were enough.

            I buckled on my gun belt and knife and went out the front door. Walking to the barn, it occurred to me that I might be overreacting. But I wasn’t one for hiding in the house, waiting to see if someone would leave me alone. It wasn’t my way and had never been.

            The first fall I’d owned the farm, I’d seen a hunter parked by my barn during deer season. I hadn’t called the police, hoping they would show up before he either left or put a bullet through one of my windows. I’d loaded my shotgun and walked over to his truck. I’d racked the weapon within hearing range, and when his head had whipped around, I’d asked him what the hell he thought he was doing. He’d been properly apologetic and left. More importantly, he’d spread the word, and I didn’t get many trespassing hunters anymore. People who wanted to hunt on my land respected me enough to ask me, and if I thought they hunted with care, I let them. That was that.

            Tonight, I hoped I could just ask them to leave nicely and have them agree. Most times, despite my worries, that’s exactly what happened. But I didn’t hear the usual sounds I expected: loud talking, music, the sort of giggling that meant sex was a definite possibility but not a surety. Odd that whoever was in the quarry wasn’t laughing it up.

            I got to the barn. Its outside light was on and welcoming. I slid the door open and walked into the darkness inside. I knew the barn in and out, and I wasn’t afraid. There was nothing that was going to hurt me in there. I’d never been afraid of ghosts. I believed in God, and I had faith. And what my faith couldn’t handle, my .38 Special was sure to be able to take care of.

Now, in reflection, is Sar being a little reckless going out to handle things on her own? Possibly.  Most women would not feel comfortable going outside in the dark to confront someone, even if they were armed, myself included.  However, if this situation occurred in daylight, it would be a normal thing that you’d do if you lived in a rural area. Just as the passage above states, most people who trespass will leave if you ask them nicely. But in the event that someone does something unpredictable—such as the hunter that killed several other hunters who attempted to kick him out of their tree stand a few years ago in the U.S.—it’s good to have backup in the form of a gun.  A gun is not something to wave about, or idly threaten people with. It’s a tool that can be useful when you’re living out in the country by yourself…and it’s something that you hope you never have to use on another human being.

Promise Me is available from the following sites:

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Promise-Me-ebook/dp/B0086G4GDC

Lulu link: http://www.lulu.com/shop/tara-fox-hall/promise-me/paperback/product-20146694.html

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Promise-Me-ebook/dp/B0086G4GDC

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/TaraFH

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/tara-fox-hall

Melange Books: http://www.melange-books.com/authors/tarafoxhall/index.html

Jenny Twist's argument will follow in a few hours' time.

And now for something completely different - The Gun Debate with Two Top Writers

This is a complete departure for this blog, but when two of my favourite writers asked me if I would be interested in hosting a debate about the controversial issue of gun control, I couldn't resist.  These writers are Tara Fox Hall, author of the acclaimed Promise Me and Lash series, not to mention numerous excellent short stories in a variety of anthologies and Jenny Twist, loved for the wonderful Domingo's Angel, All in the Mind, her delightful new best-seller Away With the Fairies as well as a large number of equally brilliant short stories. 

Anti-gun sculpture at the U.N.

As writers their styles are quite different, so it hardly comes as a surprise that their opinions about guns and the right to bear arms should also differ.  Tara's natural acceptance of arms is evidenced in several of her stories, while Jenny's objections are highlighted largely (but not entirely) by the absence of weapons in hers.  But their views are not quite as straightforward as that and in a short series of blog posts, both writers are going to explain their opinions and how these affect their writing.

The right of Americans to bear arms is a significant part of America's constitution and we all know that.  But then increasingly we seem to hear of gun-related atrocities of such stunning proportions that rock not just America but the rest of the world.  Britain is not exempt from such tragic events, of course, but the more rigid rules about gun ownership do make these senseless massacres somewhat rarer and usually on a smaller scale.  But does that make the UK's laws right and America's wrong?  Will President Obama's new gun-laws prove acceptable to a people whose history is rooted in the belief in their right to bear arms? 

I don't know the answer, and I don't think my two guest writers claim to do so either, but over the next few days, I've offered my blog as their platform to air their opposing views in peaceful debate.  I think it will be exciting and I hope readers will contribute their own opinions in this discussion.  So watch this space because in just a few hours, Tara Fox Hall will start off the debate, hotly followed by Jenny Twist.

Three Top Writers at My Valentine's Party & Did You Win?

My Valentine's party is in full swing and my special guests, Sophia Knightly, Meg Bellamy and Linda Andrews are nicely relaxed and seem willing to talk all night, which suits me fine as I still have questions to ask.  But before we continue, I'd like to announce the winner of Sophia's prize draw.  It was far from easy for her to choose from amongst the mouth-watering desserts everyone put forward (tee hee - I'm glad I left it to her!) so she put all the names through Random.org and the winner was ♪ ♫ ♪ Donna Cummings - probably the only person who didn't mention chocolate!  Clever Donna - a copy of Grill Me Baby is sizzling its way over to you right now.

Anyway, with so much talk of chocolate, it seems to me we need a bit of a diversion before the dessert is served, so I also ask Linda and Meg about the most desirable characteristic they've given to their hero.  I'm secretly wondering if they match up to the sizzling Paolo in Grill Me Baby who has me completely enthralled following Sophia's description of him during the last post.

Linda is another one who has modelled her hero on her husband.  She tells us: "The most desirable characteristic I gave Sloan Dugan is a sense of humor. Frankly, laughter is sexy. Very sexy and appealing. I love to laugh and let's face it, raising kids, working full time and living life isn't always a laugh riot. As for who it resembles, my husband is the guilty party. He always makes me laugh. And that's why all my heroes have a sense of humor in one form or another."  I'm in complete agreement there - a sense of humour in a man is a must-have quality for me too.

Meg agrees. "My hero's most desirable characteristic is that he's intelligent, warm-hearted and has a great sense of humor.  I guess that's three.  All are bottom-line, minimum requirements for any hero in my stories.  Also for my real life heroes, such as my DH."  I'm beginning to recognise a theme here, and I'm feeling just a tad jealous...

But life's not all hearts and roses, so I ask them which of their characters is most likely to have a disastrous Valentine's Day.  Sophia is bubbling with laughter and a ready answer.  "Francesca Lake in Paging Dr Hot," she tells us, "because in spite of her best intentions, she has a propensity for landing in trouble. Her radar for men isn’t the greatest, otherwise she would have realized early on that Harrison was her 'Dr Hot'."  Hmm... I think the clue is in the name, Francesca - how can anyone called Harrison not be hot?

Meg has a slightly wicked gleam in her eye as she answers: "Melinda, the villain of Divorce by Chocolate."  I'm all ears - I love a good villain.  "The reason why is that she deserves Valentine's Day and every other day to be miserable. She's manipulative, nasty, self-absorbed and has no sense of humor.  Her plans always go awry because her motives are always selfish and hurtful to others."  It's no coincidence that Meg's villains are often called Melinda as we discover when she regales us with an account of two real-life Melindas who would make great villains in any story.  "At this point, I believe I'm ready to move on to giving my villains other names," she says.  (Memo to self: don't get on the wrong side of Meg tonight, or her next villain might be called Lynette!) 

Linda doesn't have to think too long about this questions.  "Alessa Lombard (the heroine in That's Amores) is most likely to have a disastrous day. She thinks love is fine for other people but not for her. And as one of Cupid's most successful archers, she knows all the tricks. Or she thinks she does. She doesn't know it but she's about to outsmart herself and Sloan is there to take advantage of it."  Intriguing.  It seems to me it's time to find out more about Alessa and Sloane from That's Amores.

Here's the blurb:

How's a girl supposed to stay single with the entire town wants her married? Alessa Lombard has a plan to avoid the marriage trap. It's not that she's opposed to marriage. Wedded bliss if fine for other people. Now all she needs is the help of the town's newest bachelor to help pull off a fake romance.

Determined to fall in love, Sloan Dugan immigrates to the magical town of Amores.  Surely in the town devoted to love, he'll find a woman who doesn't use trickery and deceit.

But Cupid has other plans. Soon Alessa and Sloan will find themselves playing the game of love. Will winner take all?

That's Amores will be released on Valentine's Day, February 14th.  Check out Linda's Amazon Author Page for details of all her titles: 

http://www.amazon.com/Linda-Andrews/e/B001JOWEAU/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1360591525&sr=8-2-ent

A free prequel is also available from: 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-love-lottery-linda-andrews/1111399144?ean=2940033238446

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/love-lottery-paranormal-romance/id543176057?mt=11

Excerpt from That's Amores

"What in Charles Dickens is going on?"

She clamped her free hand over her mouth. Tears streamed from the corners of her eyes before she doubled over and unleashed the full measure of her mirth.

"Christmas cookies," she snickered. "Charles Dickens."

"You can blame my sister-in-law." Sloan crossed his arms over his chest. "She insisted on the no swearing rule."

Which was all fine and dandy in Holly, where the rest of his family lived. But it was downright sissified in the real world. Especially when he was aroused and the object of his lust thought it was funny.

Alessa swallowed her last chuckle.

"It's cute."

"Cute." He winced. The female equivalent of let's just be friends and the verbal shafting of I don't love you that way. Guess he didn't have to worry about a romance leaving him homeless.

He bent to pick up his Stetson. Of course, he did love a challenge. What would it take to turn the glow of friendship to the fire of desire?

"But you may want to come up with something more Valentine's Day, like ‘splintered arrows’ or ‘broken bows.’ That way, folks will know you're a resident." Alessa Lombard stepped on the hat's brim, pinning it to the floor.

"I'll keep that in mind." Sloan reached for her trim, jean-encased calf. Should he lift her foot for her? His hand curled into a fist. Touching probably wasn't the best course of action. For all he knew, contact with the teacher of love archery was what had brought the tsunami of lust crashing down on him.

"Look, I'm sorry you were scared."

He raked his hand through his hair, felt the burn along his scalp as a few curls came free. And the day just kept getting better. First, he was a sissy, and now, he's a coward. He crouched by his hat, waiting for his chance to grab it. He’d had enough humiliation stuffing for a month of holidays.

"I wasn't scared. I was concerned." There was a difference. A big difference. "An appropriate response, given that you had an arrow sticking out of your chest."

"I am truly sorry that, for even one moment, you believed I had suffered an injury." Balancing on the balls of her feet, she dropped down next to him. Her warm hand closed over his, and her thumb stroked his fingers. She had nice hands, long, tapered fingers. He pictured them nimbly undoing the button of his jeans, slowly lowering the zipper and dipping--No. No. No!

He yanked his hand free and overbalanced. His butt landed on the cold marble, and the impact rattled up his spine and out his head. Yeah, he was making real headway dispelling that bad first impression. He rubbed his hand on his pant leg. The thoughts still lingered.

Why hadn't anyone warned him that Amores's citizens had an erotic potion infused in their skin?

About Linda Andrews:

Linda Andrews lives with her husband and three children in Phoenix, Arizona. When she announced to her family that her paranormal romance was to be published, her sister pronounce: "What else would she write? She’s never been normal."

Sisters!

You can connect with Linda at any of the following sites:

website: http://www.lindaandrews.net

blog: lindaandrews.wordpress.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LindaAndrews

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Linda-Andrews/252439334802200?ref=hl

Let's put Linda on the spot:

Quickfire:

Q: Chocolates or red roses? A: Chocolates with caramel filing

Q: Champagne or cocktails? A: Since I'm allergic to alcohol, I'll say strawberries and whipped cream

Q: Puppies or kittens? A: Puppies

Q: Spa hotel or country cottage? A: cottage

Q: Log fire or moonlit beach? A: Beach

Well my party isn't over yet, but my blog post is, so I'd like to thank my three lovely guests, Linda, Meg and Sophia for taking the time to come and talk to me.  I hope you've enjoyed reading about them and that you'll rush out and buy their great new releases.  Here's a quick reminder of them:

Three Top Writers at my Valentine's Party & Give@way!

The party continues and there's a special Valentine's gift for you - just check out the details at the end of the post.  Now, if you recall, my three guest writers are Linda Andrews, Meg Bellamy and Sophia Knightly and during the first course, Meg shared her excerpt Divorce by Chocolate with us, leaving us all drooling for dessert before the main course was even served!  I need to take my guests minds' off thoughts of chocolate and fast.  I ask them which of their heroes they would choose for a secret Valentine's Day date and where they would go.

Meg looks a tad nervous, "You're not going to tell my husband, right?"  Fortunately he's engaged in a different conversation so, with a bit of encouragement, Meg goes on: "The hero I'd have to choose is Ben Riker from Divorce by Chocolate. He could take me anywhere he'd like to.  Maybe we could have a fun time at an arts or crafts fair," (she gave a meaningful look here towards her partner).  "Somewhere DH has zero tolerance for."

Linda also seems hesitant at first to give an answer.  "In so many ways that's like asking who is my favorite child," she says, before adding with a wink, "which depends on how difficult they're being.  I think my favorite would be Alistair Holmes the hero from Dancing in the Kitchen. In the book, he invades the heroine's dreams to seduce her. Honestly, don't we all want men to just know what we're wanting and give it to us without us having to ask or write sticky notes?"  Well, yes, Linda - you have a point there.

Sophia, however, has absolutely  no hesitation: "I would choose Paolo from Grill Me, Baby. He’d whisk me away to Buenos Aires and prepare a delicious feast for me at his family’s restaurant. Afterward, he’d take me tango dancing. We’d share a bottle of Malbec wine and he would charm me with his sexy, Latin accent."  Now that, if you ask me, is the way to do it!  She goes on to tell us that Paolo is generous, romantic and has a big heart - all the qualities she admires in her husband.  So romantic...sigh.

We clearly need to find out a bit more about Paolo and Grill Me Baby so here goes.

The Blurb:

The heat is on…

Raised among women who taught him to cook at his family’s Buenos Aires restaurant, master chef Paolo Santos deftly works his culinary wiles—and his gypsy charm—on posh Flamingo Island’s female clientele.

The tastiest tidbit on the island, though, is cool, elegant Michaela Willoughby. The redhead’s slender curves are as enticing as her rabbit-food menus are maddening. And she’s his main competition for the chance of a lifetime.

Michaela overcame her own weight issues to become Flamingo Island’s premiere spa chef. Now she has a chance to share her innovative recipes for healthy living on a new cooking show—if she can somehow outshine Paolo. His sizzling, Latin-lover looks are more heart stopping than his decadent cooking. And she’d love nothing better than to stick a fork in his outsized ego.

When the stage lights ignite, so does the competition…and a sexual chemistry no one—least of all Paolo and Michaela—saw coming. Suddenly, separating business from pleasure is as impossible as separating a scrambled egg. And the big question isn’t whose knife cuts fastest…it’s whose heart can take the most heat.

Warning: Contains two hot chefs duking it out in a lively showdown of sexy rivalry. Mix in family drama, luscious recipes and spicy mischief, and there’s more than just steam rising out of the kitchen. May cause lusty cravings for midnight indulgences.

Grill Me Baby is available from the following outlets - just click on the links for further details:

Kindle: http://amzn.com/B007YJN82C

Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007YJN82C

Nook: http://bit.ly/JvuaDi

Samhain: http://bit.ly/KYCJnV

Apple: http://bit.ly/K2wnEL

And here's an excerpt from Grill Me Baby:

So this was the infamous Paolo Santos.

Michaela sized up her opponent in the waiting area of the producer’s office. The seriously hot Argentine seated across from her looked so relaxed, nobody would have guessed he was vying against her to host the hottest new celebrity chef TV show, Miami Spice. A confident smile spread over Paolo’s rugged face as she assessed him. His large, muscular body was sprawled across the sofa, with one tanned arm draped across the sofa back and long legs stretched before him. A crisp white linen shirt revealed a hint of hard chest beneath a tailored buff suit. He looked like a perfectly caramelized Argentine churrasco steak. Good enough to eat—damn him!

Michaela’s stomach growled so loudly that Paolo raised an amused eyebrow. A gentleman would have acted like he hadn’t heard it and discreetly looked away.

“Hungry?” he asked with a brazen grin. His deep voice and sexy Latin accent sounded as delicious as he looked.

“Maybe just a little,” she replied breezily. She was trying to relax before her meeting with the producer, but cocky Paolo Santos was doing his best to disarm her with steady, smoldering looks.

She smiled coolly and looked away. Focus, she told herself. In a few minutes, she would have to sell herself to Mr. Blumenthal, the producer, in order to land the host spot. If she did, she’d become an instant celebrity chef and her almost finished cookbook would rack up lots of sales. She would also be able to pay back her parents every cent they had shelled out for her education. Her parents, two successful partners in the same law firm, still hadn’t forgiven her for dropping out of Duke Law School in her third year. Adding insult to injury, she had chucked it all to become a chef. Their grimace of shame when friends asked about Michaela’s new career never failed to make her stomach churn. At thirty years of age, it still felt awful being a failure in their eyes.

She needed to use her nervous energy to show she could hold her own alongside celebrity chefs Paula Deen’s zaniness or Rachael Ray’s perkiness or Bobby Flay’s wise guy banter. But she wasn’t the only one competing. She had Santos to contend with, and for the life of her, Michaela couldn’t help staring at his mouth. It wasn’t just the pair of deep-slashed dimples that drew her attention; it was his full lips that were probably great at kissing…

Stop, she told herself, concentrate on the upcoming interview.

Michaela focused on the stark, modern painting on the wall before her, but the image of Paolo’s white teeth gleaming against his bronzed olive skin invaded her thoughts…strong teeth poised to take a bite out of her chances for the job. From the corner of her eye, she caught his black-as-sin eyes giving her a slow and thorough once-over.

Were all Latin men so forward? Could be a cultural thing, but he might be trying to seduce her into losing her focus. She had to be on her toes around this one.

Wow!  I knew I'd be hooked on this from the moment I read the blurb!  I can't wait to read it.

Here's more about the author:

Bestselling author Sophia Knightly loves to cook up hot romance and delicious humor in her feel-good stories. Whether it's romantic suspense or romantic comedy, her books are fun and sexy contemporary romances.

A two-time Maggie award finalist, she believes in love-at-first sight and happy endings, and she always enjoys a good laugh. When not writing or reading, she finds pleasure in walking the beach, exploring museums, going to the theatre, enjoying good food, and watching movies. One of her favorite pastimes remains simply watching people, especially those in love!

Write to her at: sophiaknightly@gmail.com

Follow her on Twitter @SophiaKnightly

"Like" her Facebook author page at: http://on.fb.me/vGfJ5t

Visit her website at: http://www.sophiaknightly.com

Cooking up Hot Romance and Delicious Humor

Wild for You (Tropical Heat Series, Book One) http://amzn.to/t2LydP

Sold on You (Tropical Heat Series, Book Two) http://amzn.to/tfQCeF

Grill Me, Baby- http://amzn.com/B007YJN82C

Paging Dr. Hot -  http://amzn.com/B008X9GVQC

www.sophiaknightly.com    Facebook author page

Time to put Sophia on the spot:

Quickfire:

Q: Chocolates or red roses? A: Chocolates, preferably dark.

Q: Champagne or cocktails? A: Champagne!

Q: Puppies or kittens? A: Puppies

Q: Spa hotel or country cottage? A: Spa hotel

Q: Log fire or moonlit beach? A: Moonlit beach

Q: Ski holiday or cruise? A: Ski holiday

Sophia is definitely a lady who knows her own mind.  It's impossible not to admire her.  And she's giving away a copy of her great new book Grill Me Baby to one lucky visitor to this blog.  To win it, here's all you have to do.  We started with chocolate but will we finish with it?  Before the final course arrives, just tell us what dessert would make your Valentine's Day dinner-date perfect.  The one that gets us salivating the most wins Sophia's great prize.  And just to remind you of why you want this, here's Sophia's YouTube trailer.

Whatever happens, please don't forget to come back on Wednesday for the final instalment of our party.

Three Romance Writers and Valentine's Day

I love throwing parties, not least because it gives me the perfect excuse to call in the professionals to take care of the cleaning and cooking while I focus on the little decorative touches.  And tonight the house looks wonderful inside and out ready for my special guests at my early Valentine's party.  The table looks stunning with heart-shaped silver dragees (especially imported from Spain) and edible pearls sprinkled around the sumptuous blood-red rose centrepiece.  The silver and crystal glitter and gleam against snowy linen in the soft light of pretty pink candles and the place settings are carefully arranged to afford easy conversation with my three special guests.  These are romance writers Linda Andrews, Meg Bellamy and Sophia Knightly who all have special new releases for Valentine's Day.

Linda Andrews

Meg Bellamy

Sophia Knightly

Naturally conversation quickly turns to the forthcoming day of romance and after the starter is served, I ask them about their most romantic Valentine's memories.  Linda wrinkles up her nose and smiles.  "I'm the most unromantic person I know," she tells us.  "For our first Valentine's Day together, my soon-to-be husband bought me a dozen red roses, a box of chocolates and a trigold necklace. All I could see was dead plants and a sparkly noose. The chocolate was wonderful but I hate jewelry and prefer live plants." (Here she glances at my centrepiece, hopefully not with disapproval). "It was a culture shock to him and to me. I couldn't believe people actually did such things and he couldn't believe I didn't want them. Twenty-six years later, we've come to an agreement. I get to hold his hand as much as I want and we still make out on the couch when the kids aren't around. I think it's romantic that he'll go out at 10PM to get me a DQ Blizzard with peanut M&Ms anytime I want and he thinks I'm wonderful because I always have ice cream in the house."

Meg casts a meaningful look in the direction of her partner when I ask her the same question.  "I hope that will be this year.  Time with my wonderful, gorgeous, hot DH.  A lovely meal I haven't cooked and he doesn't have to clean up after.  He will surprise me, as he occasionally does, with a big bouquet of flowers and some lovely, lacy, mushy cards that he swears are completely sincere.  He will scrub my back while I'm enjoying a fragrant bubble bath.  My favorite music will be playing on the CD.  He will help me out of the tub, his eyes feasting on my beauty.  Then, after he towels me off and provides a magical massage, I'm going to turn the lights off on this description."  Good thinking, Meg - I think our imaginations are working overtime now!

While Meg looks forward, Sophia looks back with a dreamy expression on her face remembering times past.  "One of the most romantic Valentine’s Days I had with my husband was a sunset picnic on the beach in Naples."  I'm transported in an instant - I love Italy!  "He filled a basket with chilled stone crabs and mustard sauce, assorted salads, Key Lime pie and a bottle of champagne. It was a beautiful evening. The sky was streaked with pink and orange as the sun descended into the ocean." It sounds like one of those perfect moments from a romantic novel or film.

Which leads me quite nicely to my next question; I ask Sophia if she had ever let any part of herself creep into her novels.  She nods and tells us:  "I related quite a bit to Michaela in Grill Me, Baby because she tends to be a perfectionist in her work.  I’m like Gabriela in Sold on You because I have a soft spot in my heart for the underdog. Both women are strong and independent, and they stand up for what they believe in."  Hmm, they sound like my kind of heroines too.

Linda is also nodding in agreement.  "In The Christmas Village I wrote about a heroine who hated coffee and only drank tea.  When some of my co-workers read the book they decided to be more careful about what they did or said around me for fear of it ending up in a book. Of course, I'm really good at spying and some of my co-workers have interesting habits."  She winks and laughs when we ask her to elaborate, then purses her lips.  It seems we'll have to read her novels to find out more.

Meg then gives the question some thought.  "I've noticed that many of my heroines seem to devote lots of attention to food.  Since I consider cookbooks and food magazines recreational reading, I can see why they're interested.  Diana, heroine of Divorce by Chocolate, loves baking and creating desserts so much, she builds that skill into her business.  She is like me also in not always being careful or attentive enough to the details of her business in that she'll sign papers without really reading them.  This leads to some really tough lessons.  Finally, all my heroines have a sense of humor.  They have to, or I wouldn't want to spend much time with them."  We all agree with that - and what a wonderful title!  Time to find out more about it.

Divorce by Chocolate by Meg Bellamy

While she makes sweets, her partner cheats…

Diana Lambert seems to have it all -- a loving husband, a successful business and a gorgeous home.  Then, on returning from a business trip, she finds her husband and trusted assistant playing house.  Even worse, they've planned a coup to remove her from Goddess Goodies, the business build from her dreams -- and her family's recipes.

Devastated, Diana is ready to drown herself in hot fudge and sorrow when her inner goddess spurs her not to let her talents go to waste. She rolls up her sleeves, unleashes the goddess within and starts cooking up a recipe for getting even through the best means -- success. Her life's sweet treats aren't confined to the kitchen, as she discovers with the support and love of her sister, her friends and one very special guy.

Divorce by Chocolate is available from http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B4Y4RSM

Or for UK readers: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00B4Y4RSM

And here's an excerpt from Divorce by Chocolate

Ben Riker and his partner had offices in the Belwether Building overlooking Union Square.  I was early for that appointment too.  I sat in the outer office, leafing through magazines about money and entrepreneurship while the receptionist for several of the offices cheerfully answered phones and pounded away on her keyboard.

A large sandy-haired man who looked like an intellectual teddy bear came over to me.  "Are you Diana?"

I put down the magazine I hadn't been reading and nodded.

He smiled, which brought crinkles to the corners of his brown eyes, twinkling behind black framed glasses.

I couldn't help smiling back.  I had to fight a completely inappropriate temptation to give him a big hug, to bury my face in his baby blue cotton pullover.  This reaction was so not me.  I must have been feeling really desperate to want to throw myself into the arms of a total stranger.  Granted, he was that cute and cuddly looking.  Mostly, I was that out of it.

"I'm Ben Riker."  He extended his hand -- which felt wonderfully warm and strong in mine. "Let's go into my office so we can talk."

I nodded, feeling gladder to follow him than I had about anything else in the last few days.  Ben's office might have won some sort of record for most paper piled in a single cubic measure of space.  "Excuse the mess.  I'm in the middle of a huge project."

Somehow I suspected his office would always look the same.

I looked around for somewhere I could sit without disturbing any of his files. He cleared off a pile and steered me to a reasonably comfortable dark green leather chair.  He managed to find another one to sit in.

"Thank you so much for seeing me.  You're obviously very busy."

He shrugged.  "Work is always with us, but I don't often get a chance to help a friend.  Izzy was terrific to my sister Ellen during Ellen's divorce.  I'm glad to finally have a chance to return the favor."

In these past few days I'd really begun to get a whole new appreciation of my sister -- of how many people's lives she touched.  My previous blindness had not been limited to Derek and Melinda's shenanigans.

"Why don't you tell me how I can help?"

I almost wished he could have been at the lawyer's office so I wouldn't have to repeat the whole miserable story.  But then I realized Ben Riker didn't need to hear about Derek or Melinda or what they'd done.  I just had to tell him about the business, which I proceeded to do.

"I've always been a big Goddess Goodies fan.  Keeps me going to the gym."  He patted his stomach appreciatively.  "I never knew the story of your business before."

"The Goddess Goodies that's been is no more.  We're about to enter a new chapter, and I'm not altogether sure I can feel good about this -- my personal problems aside."

"Change is often scary.  But just think, Diana, you might come out of this with an even better, stronger company than before -- hard as that is to envision."

"I'd love to believe the change will be beneficial. I don't know if I'm ready to accept that the company I started might become even more successful without me." I was beginning to realize big time how much Goddess Goodies meant to me -- on all levels.

"So tell me, Diana. What can I do for you?" He gave me another of his fabulous smiles.

How about a full body massage?

Thank you, Meg - that certainly has me intrigued to read more!

More about Meg Bellamy:

Meg Bellamy

Along with her husband, her family and her books, language is Meg’s passion. In fact, by day she’s a mild-mannered language teacher. Currently she teaches ESL (English as a Second Language) to international students, but in her early teaching days, her main subject was French. Though her French is a bit rusty these days, she figures a trip to France would help fix that. She’s also studied Russian, Spanish and Italian and is now studying German in preparation to attend the Love Letter Convention in Berlin in May. This love of language spills over into her writing craft and appreciation for books.—and travel!

Meg gets to satisfy the travel bug with trips to England—as often as possible!— to visit her son, daughter-in-law and grandsons. She’ll be heading there from Berlin. It’s great when Lee, her DH, also goes because driving on the left side of the road doesn’t intimidate him—talk about your basic hero type! Meg also has to travel to see her daughter, who lives in New Jersey—a mere continent away from Meg’s home in Northern California.

Being a published member of the community of writers with her contemporary romances and women’s fiction is the fulfillment of one of Meg’s most cherished dreams. Her first Meg book, Homecoming, was released by The Wild Rose Press. She’s currently writing two series of romantic stories—TV Tales and Nuclear Nuptials and has two other series in her plans.

Why not visit her website to find out more? www.MegBellamy.com. She loves hearing from readers at Meg@MegBellamy.com . You can follow @MegBellamy on Twitter. FB page coming soon.

Feedback and reviews are always welcome!

Time to put Meg on the Spot!

Quickfire Questions:

Q: Chocolates or red roses?  A: Red roses.  Much more suitable for a perpetual Weight Watcher.

Q: Champagne or cocktails?  A: Champagne.  I love having a mimosa for breakfast or brunch -- would never dream of a morning cocktail.

Q: Puppies or kittens?  A: Kittens.

Q: Spa hotel or country cottage?  A: Can't I have both?

Q: Log fire or moonlit beach?  A: Log fire.  I'm an indoors girl.

Q: Ski holiday or cruise?  A: Cruise.  Fewer chances of revealing my inner klutz.

Thank you Meg (also Linda and Sophia) for this fascinating insight.

I hope you'll return at the weekend for more interview answers and an excerpt from a different Valentine's release.

Readers Writes - All About Books from a Reader's POV

I was so pleased when today's reader agreed to let me interview her for this blog because I think she has a unique and interesting story to tell.  In fact I'm not going to give away anything at all about her but instead hand straight over to Michelle to tell her story herself.

Michelle Hedley

I am based in the UK and reading is something that I always loved to do from being a small age.  I never shied away from the world of words and indeed I feel it helped to mould me into the person I am.  As a young child I was encouraged to read by my parents and it was as natural to me to read as it might have been to eat food.  Throughout school I had a reading age several years ahead of my peers which demonstrates my love for the written word.

The author Enid Blyton was a heavy influence on my early childhood and I loved her various boarding school series together with the Faraway Tree adventures and they always got my imagination firing.  I used to play being a Librarian and loved playing with my many books!  Sadly Blyton is no longer politically correct in the UK and she is no longer a staple on the bookshelf of many shops.

An early introduction into my childhood to a huge influence in my life came when I was just 10 years of age.  My parents bought a teletext television which with it brought the new dimension of subtitles.  Being deaf (from birth) and relying almost totally on lipreading, subtitles on the TV meant that I continued to be bombarded with words. As a result of subtitles, my reading speed increased (a necessity!) and thus I was, and still am, able to read a reasonable sized book in a couple of hours. I loved the English language and was always complimented on the way I would read out loud.  For someone who is deaf, that was a compliment, but also demonstrated my love for the written word.

As an adult, the written word continues to be a huge part of my life through the medium of paperbacks, television (subtitles), the internet and of course the ebook as technology evolves our world.  Through reading, either paper based or media based, I embrace learning and love exploring new genres and new authors. 

I am not a lover (excuse the pun!) of romance but I go through many phases of likes and dislikes.  I tend to veer towards books from the crime/mystery/thriller genre.  Generally speaking (and I apologise it does sound morbid!) I like books where disasters happen and people die!  

Interestingly, I find that perhaps in one sense I do not read as many books now as I did as a child.  This is because I spend so much more time on the internet and social networking which is still reading in my mind.  Perhaps some would say that the internet has brought about the demise of reading, but I would disagree.  I fought for a long time against ebooks but finally late last year I decided to try out the Kindle app on my phone.  I now compromise and read paperbacks (for some obscure reason I cannot abide hardbacks!) at home and read ebooks at work/public transport etc.  I find this an excellent way to always be able to have access to a book no matter where I am and surely that is a good thing?  

Another thing social networking has done is to allow its readers to meet others and explore new worlds.  I have discovered many new authors and genres through this medium that I would not have perhaps done otherwise and that is a positive thing.  Even with modern technology I think reading needs to be nurtured and encouraged with our youngsters as we become more and more dependent on the internet.

It was through social networking that I was posed an interesting question, one that made me stop and think as I had not even thought about it!  I was asked whether I heard the voices of the characters I read.  The answer, after much thinking, is yes.  Most deaf people have some hearing to some degree, it's what we can do with it that dictates how deaf we are.  I have a severe hearing loss but with the small level I do have (amplified by hearing aids in both ears) I “hear” normally in my mind.  Of course that “normal”, if you compare it to your normal, is worlds apart, but as I am not aware of what you hear, I see myself as hearing.  

I love music and going to the theatre, and reading is another dimension that allows me to be on an equal par with my friends and family.  When reading, (or even dreaming) I allow the sounds to play out even though in reality I may never have heard those sounds “normally”. Just like the hearing reader, I have sounds that I associate with actions, they just would not be the same as those you hear.  

Reading has allowed me to evolve from childhood into adulthood and has been a huge influence in my life.  I strongly believe that reading, whether it be subtitles on the TV or books, has been responsible for my developing speech to the level I have and enables me to get away without telling people that I am deaf.  I hope to continue my exploration of the written word whether via paperback or technology.

Fascinating, Michelle!  Thank you so much for sharing your story with us.

If you are an avid reader and would like to tell your story on this blog, please contact me for further details at: ManicScribbler@gmail.com.