Author favorites: Julie Garwood, Christopher Walken, Miranda Lambert
Today's featured authors — Lola White, Leah Grant and Amanda Bretz — share their favorite romance authors and celebrities.
Lola White, author of Betrothed
Three of my favorite romance authors:
• Julie Garwood. Her books take up prime real estate on my shelves. I've read many of her books over and over — they are my go-to reads, whatever mood I'm in. I've always loved the way she's told stories, the way her words pull me in and the way her characters have so much dimension.
• Gena Showalter. I've been a fan of hers for several years now. There is something about her stories that captures my imagination and sweeps me away. I'll pick up one of her books to read or re-read, and won't put it down until it's finished.
• Jenna Fox. She's a newcomer to the scene, starting out as an indie author but now has multiple publishing contracts. She writes primarily novellas on the darker side of romance, effortlessly weaving in threads of horror. When I want a quick, well-crafted thriller, I look to her books.
About Betrothed:
In witching society, magic and politics are the only things that matter, and marriages are arranged for advantage rather than love.
But neither Ileana Lovasz nor Eliasz Levy are looking for love. Humiliated by a string of broken betrothals, Ileana only wants freedom from her manipulative grandfather. Eliasz simply wants an alliance with Ileana's brother Silviu, a man rising through the witching ranks. That is, until the Lovasz woman arrives at his home and stirs up emotions he'd never thought to feel.
Silviu has bigger things on his mind than his sister's marriage. Georgeanne Davenold, Silviu's betrothed and the key to his rise in power, is back in his life after a ten year separation that left her distrustful of his intentions. Their union is a novelty, spanning the divide between Matriarchal and Patriarchal Families. Their union is also alarming, combining the influence and magic of two witches only heard of in myth and legend.
Ileana, Eliasz, Silviu and Georgie must build an alliance that will help them all get what they want but, with too many lies and too many enemies, the game they're playing turns deadly. When the two women come under attack, neither Silviu nor Eliasz knows which is the target. They only know they will protect the women their hearts have claimed as their own, even though that means defying the traditions of witching society, risking every goal they hold dear and confronting the dangerous members of their own families.
Find out more at www.lola-white.com.
Leah Grant, author of Over the Hill & Through the Woods
My three favorite celebrities:
• Jimmy Stewart. They don't make them like that anymore. Yes, I know he isn't from my era, but he makes my heart race. Class all the way.
• Robin Williams. Very sad that he left us last year. Brilliant and courageous. He made us laugh and brought issues forward with his humor.
• Christopher Walken. Really talented man — brings such unique edges to the characters he plays. A gem.
About Over the Hill & Through the Woods:
A Witch advertising her heat cycle by scenting out can only lead to trouble, especially for Lothar Kaltenbrun. This time it isn't the Witch burning—it's him!
Lothar Kaltenbrun is trying to keep life on an even keel for himself and his younger brother, Telfor. After the murder of their parents, they are the only two pure bloods left of their Clan. A new scent is in the air—a Witch is advertising her heat cycle. Only very powerful Witches do this and it can only lead to trouble. Lothar knows that scent is an open invitation and may bring uninvited guests onto Kaltenbrun territory.
Lothar finds himself unable to resist the sexual pull of Jesse the Witch. When he ends up at her cabin, she asks him to drink her blue potion, ending the torment of her heat cycle, but he shifts and runs into the woods. Everyone knows never to trust a Witch.
But as Jesse's magic captures his heart, he worries whether it's a spell or true love…
Find out more at leahgrantthewriter.com.
Amanda Bretz, author of Life of Privilege
Three of my favorite celebrities:
• Madonna. She's remarkable in that she's stayed true to her controversial nature. I think her risqué personality is partially what helped catapult her into stardom, but it's also kept her relevant in the entertainment industry for three decades and counting. I also admire her ability to constantly reinvent herself with almost every project she's released.
• Ian Somerhalder. He's gorgeous and is talented both in front of and behind the camera. Ian's smoldering good looks have made him the inspiration for a couple of male characters in my stories, but what appeals to me most about him is that there's more to him than meets the eye. He is a passionate activist and he really seems to want to make the world a better place for future generations.
• Miranda Lambert. There's so much about Miranda that I love: her sassy attitude, her humor and her unique sense of fashion. She's an amazing singer and songwriter, but what's made me a lifelong fan is her ability to just put it all out there. She's not one to shy away from speaking her mind or from singing about the kind of visceral feelings that women sometimes have after a messy breakup.
About Life of Privilege:
Living the life of a celebrity isn't always as perfect as it seems.
Katherine Dawson was born into a life of privilege as the heiress to an apparel dynasty. Between judging a reality TV competition for budding fashion designers and having been the face of her family's clothing line for most of her life, she's one of the biggest celebrities in her field.
When she becomes engaged to up-and-coming television producer Nathan Taylor, she appears to have it all. To any outsider, she has a picture-perfect life, so when Katherine leaves her groom-to-be at the altar and disappears, the tabloids are full of speculation over her sudden departure.
Fleeing New York to hide out in Seattle, she quickly finds that living the life of an heiress in hiding isn't as easy as she thought, especially after she meets a magnetic writer named Royce Reynolds. In her new life on the West Coast, she struggles to keep her anonymity, and experiences a relationship with a man who wants her for the person she is, not the celebrity she used to be.
Find out more at amandabretz.com.