My author website should go live this week. However, I have a dilemma. I’m trying to come up with some FAQ, but I haven’t come up with many questions. What questions would you want answered on a FAQ page for an unpublished author?

Here’s where your help comes in. All you have to do is post a question in the comments. If I use it on the site, you’ll be entered in a drawing. Three people will receive a set of three votive candles and a candle holder.

Update: I’m extending this contest through March 7. I’ll draw three winners then. Until then, ask away!

One Last Look is the final book in a trilogy by Linda Lael Miller. I liked the first two books, but I think this one is my favorite: 4.5 out of 5.

Clare Westbrook is a survivor who built her new law practice from sheer determination–and an unexpected inheritance. Now Clare, carrying her lover Tony Sonterra’s child, has taken the biggest risk of all: saying “yes” to his marriage proposal and finally burying her lifelong commitment phobia. So why is fear running through her veins and haunting her dreams? Sonterra is fired up to leave Pheonix for small-town Arizona, to replace the town’s missing police chief and target a lethal desert crime ring. Clare’s willing to stand by her man, but her fiance won’t be the only one flirting with danger on the job: as a special investigator for the D.A.’s office, Clare is plunged into a race to find a missing child whose mother was murdered–a hot case that puts Clare’s safety, and that of her unborn child, on the edge. For in a place where secrets have nowhere to hide, the promise of Clare’s bright future could vanish in the blink of an eye . . .

Tony and Clare were the focus of the previous two in the series: Don’t Look Now and Never Look Back. One Last Look puts Clare in danger once again. This time, though, her relationship with Tony is solid. Yes, Clare has commitment issues, but her love for Tony is never in question, nor is his for her.

I fell in love with Tony in the first book, and I still think he’s a wonderful hero. He and Clare butt heads just enough to keep him from slipping into too-good-to-be-true territory. I like that he is both protective and sensible. For example, he knows that Clare needs her own car, so after hers is totalled, he buys her a Hummer. I couldn’t help but smile at the image of Clare driving a red Hummer.

As in the other books, Clare finds herself in dangerous situations. There were a couple of times when I wanted her to contact Tony sooner than she did, but in general I enjoyed the suspense aspect of the story.

One Last Look was an even better conclusion to the trilogy than I hoped it would be. I’m going to miss Clare and Tony.

Sorry I haven’t posted much lately. I’ve been working on my Romancing the Blog column, reviews for The Romance Reader, and my fiction. I’ve also been reading, though, so when I have a minute in the next few days, I’ll post a blog entry or two.

From Laurie’s blog.

It looks like I’ve discovered another auto-buy author. I read and enjoyed Shelby Reed’s A Fine Work of Art over the weekend: 4.5 out of 5.

At thirty-six, university art professor Elizabeth Gilstrom finds herself facing a bleak, lonely future when her husband leaves her for his young medical assistant. After giving up her own career as an artist a decade before, Elizabeth has nothing to show for their ten-year marriage . . . only the faded memory of a paintbrush’s weight in her hand, an empty bed, and an empty heart.

She’s still reeling from shock and devastation when graduate student Boone McCrea walks into her office . . . and into her bed. Boone might only be twenty-four, but he is, quite simply, one of the most attractive men Elizabeth has ever seen, a work of art that stirs wild sensations she has long repressed.

I love the older woman/younger man scenario, and the fact that they are teacher/student adds an interesting dynamic to the plot. It did cause some niggling in the back of my head–I kept thinking that Elizabeth was headed for trouble by getting involved with a student. Still, I liked both Boone and Elizabeth enough that I kept reading. I think Reed resolves the issue in a way that makes sense for the characters.

A Fine Work of Art is very much Elizabeth’s story. It’s told in third person strictly from her point of view. I usually prefer books that include both the hero and heroine’s point of view, but in this case, I felt like I got to know Boone quite well through Elizabeth’s perspective. In fact, I think it made the story more interesting to learn about Boone this way.

Elizabeth’s journey from grief to moving on seems very realistic. She makes progress, backslides, and doubts herself much like anyone else would in her situation. Although Boone is part of her journey, I never felt like he was the sole reason for it. Their scenes together were very hot, though.

Reed is just a terrific writer. I love the vivid characters she creates as well as the unique stories she tells.

A side note: the cover of this e-book is rather startling, partly because it’s different from the one shown on the Ellora’s Cave website. Don’t open this one at work or with kids around.

I was in a chat room, minding my own business, when Nicole cornered me and said I needed to read the anthology Playing Hard to Get. (OK, she didn’t really corner me; she just mentioned it.) So I read the book this week and would describe it as pretty average: 3.5 out of 5.

From New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon comes “Turn Up the Heat,” the story of an average woman who wins the vacation of a lifetime–a trip to Sex Camp. But what Allison George gets is a race for her life with none other than an ex-Mafia hit man who is now being sought by his prior employer. Vince Cappelleti knew the island was a risky proposition, but he’d run out of options. Now the only thing he wants in his sights is Allison, but in order to have a future with her, he must first deal with his past.

Jaid Black’s sizzling hot “Hunter’s Oath” sends grief-striken Sofia Rowley to the Arctic Circle, where her brother, a U.S. Army officer, was lost in a deadly helicopter crash. She’s about to take a shocking journey into a secret underground world where Viking bride-hunters auction off their bounty . . . and where a strapping warrior vows to make this beautiful Outsider his.

Possession and passion entwine in Kresley Cole’s sultry story, “The Warlord Wants Forever.” Nikolai Wroth, a ruthless vampire warlord, searches for his Bride–the one woman who can render him truly alive. When his fevered chase leads to Myst the Coveted, a Valkyrie seductress who craves only freedom, a battle of domination and desire begins. Will the power of her seductive wiles overcome his strength? Or will she surrender and experience the deliciously agonizing lust that Nikolai has endured waiting for his one and only Bride?

“Turn Up the Heat” starts with an appealing fantasy–leaving an oppressive place of work to have your fantasies fulfilled on a private island. But the characters don’t quite engage me. The story is just too short to create a solid connection with Allison and Vince. The pacing was good, and I wanted to know what would happen, but the story didn’t quite cross the line from good to great: 3 out of 5.

I had a similar issue with the length of “Hunter’s Oath.” I was definitely intrigued by the story, although the Viking society is ruled by a bit too much testosterone. There’s also a woman I wanted to bash over the head. (You’ll know the part I mean when you read it.) There is a clash of ideologies as well. I thought it was resolved a bit too easily with only one conversation. Again, this is where another 20 pages would have helped: 3 out of 5.

It probably won’t surprise you to know that the longest story is the one I enjoyed most. This is the first time I’ve read anything by Kresley Cole, and the world she creates in “The Warlord Wants Forever” is a compelling one. Neither Myst nor Nikolai are perfect characters, which is something I appreciate. In this case, I found my sympathy going back and forth between them: 4 out of 5.

I finally sent my choices to AAR’s 2005 poll. I tried to vary my responses so that I did not list the same thing every time.

Best Romance
Origin in Death, J.D. Robb

Favorite Funny
The Pregnancy Test, Erin McCarthy

Most Hanky Read
Hot Rod Heaven, Melani Blazer

Most Lucious Love Story
Passion, Lisa Valdez

Most Tortured Hero
Hari, Tiger Eye, Marjorie M. Liu

Strongest Heroine
Faith, Contact, Evelyn Vaughn

Best Hero
Roarke, Origin in Death, J.D. Robb

Best Heroine
Eve Dallas, Origin in Death, J.D. Robb

Best Couple
Nick and Steph, “Wish List,” Sylvia Day

Best Villain
Tiger Eye, Marjorie M. Liu

Best Author Who Debuted in 2005
Marjorie M. Liu

Best Buried Treasure
Through a Crimson Veil, Patti O’Shea

Guiltiest Pleasure
Pregnant by the Greek Tycoon, Kim Lawrence

Author Most Glommed in 2005
Jill Shalvis

Best Cabin Romance
Murder in the Hamptons, Amy Garvey

Best Medieval/Renaissance
My Shadow Warrior, Jen Holling

Best European Historical
The Veil of Night, Lydia Joyce

Best Traditional Regency
A Singular Lady, Megan Frampton

Best American Historical
Ride the Fire, Pamela Clare

Best Contemporary
Get a Clue, Jill Shalvis

Best Series
Contact, Evelyn Vaughn

Best Romantic Suspense
To Die For, Linda Howard

Best Alternate Reality
Awaken Me Darkly, Gena Showalter

Best Chick Lit
The Givenchy Code, Julie Kenner

Best Short Story
“Fuzzy Logic,” Erin McCarthy, Bad Bays Over Easy

Authors Others Love That You Don’t
Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Most Disappointing
Only for a Knight, Sue-Ellen Welfonder

Worst
X-treme Dating, Cathy McDavid

I didn’t answer the Author I Gave Up On in 2005 or the Most Annoying Lead Character categories. I scrolled through the list of books I read, but nothing jumped out at me.

There were a few categories that were extremely difficult to answer. For Best Debut Author, I could easily have gone with Marjorie M. Liu, Amy Garvey, or Lydia Joyce. They are all quite good. I decided to put Sylvia Day in the running for Debut Author in 2006, since her first print book has a 2006 copyright.

There were a number of options for Best Short Story. I ultimately went with “Fuzzy Logic,” but Angela Knight’s “Galahad” and Meljean Brook’s “Falling for Anthony” were also excellent.

Then there was the series category. Contact ultimately got it because it was the one that received a 5. But I also enjoyed Marie Donovan’s Her Body of Work and Can’t Get Enough by Sarah Mayberry.

So there were definitely some tough decisions. But I’m just glad I managed to put my ballot together before the deadline.

It’s been a weird week, but I think it might be returning to normal. I will post a review or two in the next few days. I know Nicole wants me to review Playing Easy to Get, and I might decide to accomodate her.

I’m still reading She Wanted It All, and I’ve got some books I’m reading for The Romance Reader. Speaking of which, here are links to my December and January reviews.

Bride Needs Groom
The Dark Horse
The Pregnancy Test
Surrender to a Wicked Spy
Temperature’s Rising

On Saturday, the hot water quit working. So today, I called a plumber to have him take a look. I figured it was frozen water pipes, but it turns out that a water heater from 1979 is destined to give up the ghost at some point. In addition to replacing the water heater, I had them fix the garbage disposal and take care of a few other things. Here I am with water that will be hot within half an hour (they tell me). I’m also $900 poorer. Ouch.

I’m debating about whether I am going to remain a Northern Lights at Home presenter. They’ve raised the minimum to $300/quarter, so I have to decide if I would sell that many candles. Six months ago, I wouldn’t have hesitated, but time demands are at the breaking point as it is, let alone trying to add a part-time business.

On a related-to-money note, I’ve invested in an author website. Just got the first spec, and I have to decide if I like it. And do I want my picture to be a key element of the design?

OK, here’s the truth. I’m feeling very, very discouraged about writing at the moment and that’s affecting everything. I got some feedback on a chapter today. The good news is that I know what I need to work on, as she’s the second reader to make this comment. The bad news is that it’s not an issue that comes naturally, and now I’m overanalyzing. I think it’s an occupational hazard. So I’m taking the night off when it comes to writing and will come back fresh tomorrow.

I think I’ll be a lot better after a good night’s sleep.

P.S. I’m now reading She Wanted It All by Kathryn Casey. My mood demanded true crime.

BLUES are motivated by INTIMACY, seek opportunities
to genuinely connect with others, and need to
be appreciated. They do everything with
quality and are devoted and loyal friends and
employers/employees. Whatever or whomever
they commit to are their sole (and soul)
focus. They love to serve and will give
freely of themselves in order to nurture
others lives.

BLUES, however, do need to be understood. They have
distinct preferences and occasionally the
somewhat controlling (but always fair)
personality of a confident leader. Their code
of ethics is remarkably strong and they
expect others to live honest, committed lives
as well. They enjoy sharing meaningful
moments in conversation as well as
remembering special life events (i.e.,
birthdays and anniversaries). BLUES are
dependable, thoughtful, nurturing, and can
also be self-righteous, a bit worry-prone,
and emotionally intense. They are like
sainted pit-bulls who never let go of
something once they are committed. When you
deal with a BLUE, be sincere, make an effort
to truly understand them, and truly
appreciate them.

What Color Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla