How we love 'Racing for the Sun,' 'Survivor' and 'Pride and Prejudice'

Today's featured authors: T.A. Chase, author of Barefoot Dancing; Sean Michael, author of The Piercer's Game; and Alexis Fleming, author of Dating for Demons. They're sharing books on their keeper shelves and favorite reality shows.

T.A. Chase, author of Barefoot Dancing

Three books on my keeper shelves:

• The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley. I loved this book when I first read it as a teenager. The heroine is a girl out of place in the world she lives, but then she's removed from it and discovers another world where she is seen as extraordinary. Perfect story for girls who don't feel like they fit in.

• Racing for the Sun by Amy Lane. This book is an unconventional love story. Both men are broken, but together they make each other whole. The things Ace does to make Sonny feel safe and loved might be considered beyond what a normal person would do, but still I can totally understand why Ace did it.

• Magic's Pawn by Mercedes Lackey. Actually all three of the Last Herald Mage books are on my keeper shelf, but the only one I will re-read all the time is the first one. Only because they all tear my heart out. So much pain and hurt for Vanyel and everything he had to give up to keep everyone else he loved safe.

Here's the blurb about Barefoot Dancing (book six in the Rags to Riches series):

A moment in time can be the most pivotal one in our lives.

From the CEO of a Fortune 100 company to a homeless man living on the beach, six couples learn a fundamental truth about success, life and love. If a man doesn't have love, he's poverty-stricken, no matter how much money he has in the bank. They discover each other in the most unusual of places and occasionally at the most inopportune times. But to go from Rags to Riches, they need to take a chance on each other to find the treasure hidden away.

Find out more at tachase.com.

Sean Michael, author of The Piercer's Game

My three favorite reality shows:

• Survivor. This is where I confess to my guilty pleasure — I'm a closet reality show fan. I totally blame Survivor, the granddaddy of them all, and still my top favorite. I love watching the interpersonal dynamics, the way people can complain bitterly about the way another contestant is playing the game, even while doing the exact same thing themselves. It's crack, I tell you! But less expensive and not illegal.

• The Amazing Race. I might like this one even more than Survivor, but I had to give the start of my addiction pride of place. Aside from getting a glimpse of many different countries and some of their traditions, I love the way some couples embrace every obstacle and culture they come across while other couples totally implode. And I adore host Phil Keoghan's raised eyebrow, which makes multiple appearances every episode. Then Canada got its own Amazing Race and I like it even more than the original! Host Jon Montgomery is so damn Canadian and it's awesome seeing so many parts of the country that I haven't had a chance to see for myself.

• Big Brother. This one is pure crack. It has no redeeming features whatsoever and yet there I am, three times a week, to see what shenanigans have happened since the last episode. It's a total train wreck and I'm not even sure why I keep tuning in. Again, there's now a Big Brother Canada and I watch it even more avidly than the U.S. one.

Here's the blurb about The Piercer's Game (book six in The Chess Series):

Luke sees a lot in his job as a piercer, but for all that, he's shy and lonely. Can live-in-the-moment Temple open his eyes to life's pleasures?

Luke's a piercer and owns a successful business with his tattooing partner. Despite his job and his inked and pierced appearance, Luke is actually quite shy and lonely, not to mention inexperienced. An event from his past has left him unable to open up completely to anyone and it's easier for him to just keep to himself.

Temple is a cancer survivor, coming up on five years cancer free. He's travelling across North America on the back of his motorcycle, just going where the wind blows him. Ever since first being diagnosed, he turned into a true believer of living in the moment.

When Temple first turns up at Luke's shop, Temple is immediately drawn to the quiet piercer. First he's going to have to convince Luke that there's something between them…then he's going to have to work his way past Luke's defences.

Find out more at www.seanmichaelwrites.com.

Alexis Fleming, author of Dating for Demons

Three books on my keeper shelves:

• The Kama Sutra. Hey, I write sex. A girl has to educate herself, doesn't she? One of the hardest things as a writer of sexy novels is to make certain each sex scene is different and that they don't all become generic. What better way to do it than through education? Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

• The Macquarie Dictionary. No matter how many books I have published, I'm not too proud to admit my spelling can sometimes be abysmal. Plus I often look up a word to check on the finer details of its meaning. My dictionary is my friend. And thank God for spell check on the computer.

• Pride and Prejudice. I may have a quirky brain that comes up with off-the-wall ideas for my stories, but romance is my first love, the key to all my novels, despite the different scenarios I throw my characters into. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is pure romance. The relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy, and all that they go through to realize their love, touches my heart and feeds the romance in my soul.

Here's the blurb for Dating for Demons:

A date with a sexy incubus, horny little imps, kidnapping demons, and an aunt with all the power of the devil…life is about to get interesting.

Araminta Tempest, Mina to her friends, isn't normal by any stretch of the imagination. She's one-eighth succubus demon and her Aunt Lucifer, supreme ruler of Hell, never lets her forget it. Accountant by trade, Mina normally does the books for Aunt Luce's business, but this year Aunt Luce wants her to coach Jedd Madison, stud of the incubi stable and Mina's nemesis from her teenage years, on dating techniques.

Mina smells a set-up. Maybe it's time to turn the tables on her nosy aunt from Hell.

Find out more at www.alexisfleming.net.