Packing for a trip is arduous activity...

Packing all I need to take in ONE medium-sized carry on bag.

(It's tougher than it sounds...)

Um...socks go in the bottom, laid out flat. Underwear next, again laid out flat. My dress slacks. Four dressy tops. (One nice set of dressy slacks can work with any number of tops.) Two pairs of nice casual slacks. A couple of my book-cover T-shirts. My Pajama Party PJs (I sleep in a T-shirt). The two big leather belts that are to be my Zombie-night costume. (I am simply wearing a black T-shirt and my Zombie-Killer belt and a leather bandolier of bullets). My dress shoes. 

I will not be lugging my lap-top along this trip.  It's fairly big and heavy, and I hate having to unpack it, open it, turn it on, etc. just to get on the plane. I almost missed my flight last time because it took almost an extra hour to go through the garbage to get my bags through the xray machine, etc.  Oh, and having a titanium hip makes it even more of a joy. 

Of course, without my lap-top, I will be unable to get my e-mail, check my Facebook page (oh, woe is me!) and so on.  But then, maybe I can use someone else's computer.  Or buy one of those slimline, tiny, 7-inch thingys that can fit in your purse.

And my "purse". The piece de resistance...my 24-inch long, 18-inch deep, 8-inch wide shoulder bag that carries my "real" purse, plus all my ziplock-bagged cosmetics, prescriptions, herbs, Alka-Seltzer,  allergy pills, tubes of Airborne, etc.  Can't leave home on a trip in a crowded plane with everyone around you coughing and sneezing without your tubes of Airborne.

If I could find a way to pack it, I would also take my car so that I could tour the area. 

I will NEVER take luggage that has to be checked. Too many ugly things happen to luggage.  (Just ask Laurann.)  After one trip where we took luggage that had to be checked (A Disneyland trip for my family) and coming up missing the bags with the most important stuff like cameras, tickets, etc.  I learned my lesson.

So, tell me how YOU pack for trips. What are your methods? Can you manage to get everything into a carry-on bag? Tell me about YOUR nightmares with luggage.  Have fun!

And if your comment strikes my fancy, you might win a copy of one of my back list books. 

(I know...it's sad to have to bribe people to come to your blog, but authors can be totally shameless that way!)

Hugs!

Fran

On my way to Romanticon!

This is Ellora's Cave's fabulous Romance Readers and authors convention! 

If you are in the Akron Ohio area next week, and want to get books signed by your favorite Ellora's Cave authors, drop into the book signing between noon and 4:00 p.m. on October 14, 2012.  All your favorites will be there. Including moi. LOL! It is being held at the McKinley Grand Hotel, 320 Market Avenue South, Canton OH 44702.

I will be signing a brand new print book that will not be released formally until November 23, 2012, but will be made available at the book signing. Check it out...

Broken Rules

COMING SOON!

 November 23, 2012

Double Your Pleasure

Helen is working a latte shop just outside an upscale high-rise apartment in Manhattan. Switching shifts with her boss, she finds herself face-to-face with the most delicious, maddeningly arrogant men she’s ever met. He’s hot and sexy as hell, but the fact that he can’t lift his eyes from her chest is a strike against him.  Too bad he’s such a jerk…she would have loved to get to know him better. But as soon as he’s out of sight, she turns around to find another one, just like him, but this one looks her in the eye, and has a smile that takes her breath away. Dear Lord, there are two of them?

Jason and Jonathon Blackstone have the same taste in clothes, cars and women. Identical twins, they often trade clothes…and sometimes they even share their women. Jon may have seen her first, but Jace intends to be the man who gets her. Unfortunately, he may just end up having to share again, since the sexy coffee girl seems to want them both.

Her Own Set of Rules

Bored with her sex life with a husband she still loves, but who has the Saturday-night, three-minute orgasm—his—down to a fine art, Haley takes the first step on a journey of sexual discovery when Josh, younger brother of her closest friend, expresses a decidedly carnal interest in her. The result is more than she imagined in her raunchiest fantasies.

Josh has had a crush on Haley since he was a kid, gangly and too damn tall for his weight. But he isn’t a kid anymore, and he grew into his six foot five inches, plus some. He’s come back home for one thing only—for a shot at the girl he fell for when he was too damn young to do much about it.

But Harry’s not done with his wife—not when he finds out that inside that prim, repressed shell, she’s been hiding the sexual temptress he’s always hungered for. Now all Haley has to do is ask, and two men are ready to give her everything she wants.

See you there!

Hugs!

Fran Lee

http://www.franleeromance.com 

In memoriam...

God bless and keep you...

Angelo Riguero

At just 27 years of age, one of the sweetest, most considerate and loving men has been taken away from us.  Angelo was our favorite Caveman...our most asked-for cover model, our most delicious dancer...and one of our sweetest friends.  His face and body are on a great many of our favorite Ellora's Cave books.

So many people loved and admired him...there has been such an outpouring of prayers and sentiments that this small tribute seems miniscule. So I will tell you what I personally loved about Angelo.

He made you feel special with a smile and a caring word. He radiated energy like the sun. He had a smile that lit up the room. He was beautiful, kind, and loving to everyone, no matter who you were or how you looked. His personality sizzled and glowed, and he was undoubtedly the most magnetic man I have met. When I attended my first Romanticon in 2010, I had a second floor room in a hotel that didn't have an elevator. I have had hip surgery twice, and am a very slow, careful climber. I almost had to crawl up the stairs at the end of a long, hard day on my feet...and between Angelo and Rodney, I was never left on my own to make that climb without assistance. Angelo was sweet enough to offer to carry me up the stairs. (I outweighed him by a good 20 pounds). I thanked him and just grabbed his arm, and up we went.

No matter who he met, he paid close attention to every word, remembered names, and always had a grin and a kind word. You sort of felt like you were his BFF. Not many gorgeous young men have those qualities.

We will miss him desperately.

Rest in peace, mi amigo...

Fran

New Cover Art...

Coming November 23, 2012!

This special edition will be available for one day only prior to its formal release date.

It will be available on book signing day

(October 14, 2012)

at Romanticon!

 

Broken Rules

Double Your Pleasure

Helen is working a latte shop just outside an upscale high-rise apartment in Manhattan. Switching shifts with her boss, she finds herself face-to-face with the most delicious, maddeningly arrogant men she’s ever met. He’s hot and sexy as hell, but the fact that he can’t lift his eyes from her chest is a strike against him.  Too bad he’s such a jerk…she would have loved to get to know him better. But as soon as he’s out of sight, she turns around to find another one, just like him, but this one looks her in the eye, and has a smile that takes her breath away. Dear Lord, there are two of them?

Jason and Jonathon Blackstone have the same taste in clothes, cars and women. Identical twins, they often trade clothes…and sometimes they even share their women. Jon may have seen her first, but Jace intends to be the man who gets her. Unfortunately, he may just end up having to share again, since the sexy coffee girl seems to want them both.

Her Own Set of Rules

Bored with her sex life with a husband she still loves, but who has the Saturday-night, three-minute orgasm—his—down to a fine art, Haley takes the first step on a journey of sexual discovery when Josh, younger brother of her closest friend, expresses a decidedly carnal interest in her. The result is more than she imagined in her raunchiest fantasies.

Josh has had a crush on Haley since he was a kid, gangly and too damn tall for his weight. But he isn’t a kid anymore, and he grew into his six foot five inches, plus some. He’s come back home for one thing only—for a shot at the girl he fell for when he was too damn young to do much about it.

But Harry’s not done with his wife—not when he finds out that inside that prim, repressed shell, she’s been hiding the sexual temptress he’s always hungered for. Now all Haley has to do is ask, and two men are ready to give her everything she wants.

Thanks for looking!

Fran

It's that time again...

 It's time for another new release

Giveaway!

 

GIVEAWAY:

a : something given away free; specifically : premium 

b : the act of giving something away free (staging a promotional giveaway)

 

Rules?

To win, simply check out the Ellora's Cave page for the book and read the excerpt. Name the six people who appear in the excerpt in the body of your e-mail sent. In the subject line, show "Never Tempt Fate"!

Please be sure to give your REAL name and valid e-mail address for my records if you win!

Send your entry to me at:  fran.lee.romance@gmail.com

 There will be secondary prizes, as well, including SWAG items for this book. So have fun!

By the way...           >>>-----------------------------------------------[>

I am also asking those of you who have Facebook accounts to come over to my fan page there and "like" me.  Yes, this is a bald-faced, groveling plea for more fans on that page.  Just click on the Facebook button on the far right of my blog, sign in to your Facebook and click on "like". 

Thanks so much!

Hugs!

Fran

http://www.franleeromance.com

 

I am getting geared up for Romanticon...

And even though I am not at all thinking about seeing the Ellora's Cavemen again this year...

(Truly!)

I am eager to see all of my wonderful friends again.  I don't go to other conventions because I can't afford to, so I must pick and choose the things I spend money on. And when you go to a convention, you have to do the SWAG (stuff we all get) thingy.  You want convention-goers to remember you...so you get stuff that advertises your web pages and your latest books.  Book marks are great, but they don't seem to excite the readers like cute, neat, expensive stuff does. Trading cards are great as collectibles, but no way can I afford to spend $700 on 250 professionally-made trading cards for each of my 20 books. And when I checked out all the cute, neat advertising stuff online this year, I sighed and shuddered to find out that I had to pay for 500 to 1,000 of each item in order to get such neat, cute stuff.  (Even at $.65 a piece, 1,000 items can get pretty costly...and that doesn't even include the S&H or setup fees.)

Most of the authors do some pretty fabulous promo giveaways there...they bring hundreds of things, and readers grab those neat things up as fast as they put them on the tables.  In fact, some folks grab more than one of everything (to take home to sis and mom, etc)...so you have to bring literally tons!  One of the most popular items last year were the wonderfully cute rubber duckies that someone brought...and the nifty shot glasses and bandaid covers and then there were the lip glosses and the letter openers and the great little plastic cases to hold everyone else's trading cards!  Some authors brought literally thousands of dollars worth of SWAG stuff, and I felt like sorta hiding my little stash of stuff under a basket so no one would see what I brought.  Um...not that I felt like a cheapskate or anything...much.

Things haven't changed much this year, so I decided to be very creative.  They said to bring enough stuff for about 300 convention-goers, so I am doubling that.  But I have scrambled to find the cutest things I could find that were UACC:

1.)  USEFUL

2.)  ATTRACTIVE

3.)  CREATIVE

4.)  CHEAP

Um...I admit it...I can only stretch my promo dollars so far before the tightwad in me snaps. So if you find my tiny little display on one of those long, heavily-laden tables, please don't laugh too loud.  I worked very hard on my offering.  (Besides, I am bringing a raffle basket as well, with some bigger stuff in it.) 

To be brutally honest, I probably would never have managed to even get to Romanticon this year if not for some wonderful friends, so I am just thrilled to be going.  

If you see me there this year, it might well be the last time we get together in person, unless one of my books takes off like a shot and hits all the best seller lists.  If that happens, you can bet your booty that I'll be there next year, if I am still alive and kicking.  

Now, with four new releases in four months, that just might happen...(not the best seller thingy)...but I might be able to stash enough cash away to pay my higher income taxes, my house taxes, and still have money left for Romanticon. And even though my inner tightwad will protest heartily, I may do something really fabulous next year.  

So if you are going, please look me up.  I'll be the fat old lady gimping through the halls and NOT dancing her fanny off every night.  :)

Hugs to all, and to all a good night!

Fran

http://www.franleeromance.com

I have cover art...

And it's YUMMY!

I love my favorite cover goddess, Syneca...I give details on my books, and she comes up with the most amazing covers!  In case you weren't aware, Licking Her Wounds is the sequel to Hallie's Cats. I got some wildly mixed responses to that book...but the one thing that stood out was that readers and reviewers wanted to read Cal's story.  I made a book trailer for Licking Her Wounds, if you are interested in checking it out.

I don't have a release date yet. Check back and I'll put it up when I know.  Now, the cover to Licking Her Wounds is golden and sexy as opposed to the cover for Hallie's Cats, which is dark and sexy.  I asked for similar intensity...you tell me if you like the covers...

Leave a comment and tell me what you think...and you could win a copy of Hallie's Cats.  I'll choose a random comment and if you leave your name and e-mail addy in the comment that will help a lot. 

Have a marvelous week!

Fran