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This week the next installment of the Harry Potter story is coming to a theater near you: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One.  (Mad clapping!)ĚýĚýIn honor of that, let's pay attention to what JK Rowling told the graduates of Harvard University in her commencement speech to them on June 5, 2008.  Whether you're a writer who's experienced rejection or anyone who's fallen short of a goal, remember what Rowling said here about failure: there is a silver lining.

Enjoy!

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I am so proud to announce that my rollicking debut Regency romance, WHEN HARRY MET MOLLY, hit #71 on the USA Today Top 150 Bestsellers list!

To every single one of my readers, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You took the time to go out to the bookstore to buy the book, or went on Amazon to pre-order it, or downloaded it onto an e-reader! And you told your friends and family about it, and maybe they told someone else, and�

I'm just really grateful for your support.

I hope you like DUKES TO THE LEFT OF ME, PRINCES TO THE RIGHT, too. It's the next installment in The Impossible Bachelors series and tells the adventurous love story of Nicholas and Poppy. Its release day is just around the corner: Nov. 30th. I hope you'll see the cheerful yellow cover of WHEN HARRY MET MOLLY sitting next to the gorgeous purple cover of DUKES TO THE LEFT OF ME, PRINCES TO THE RIGHT on the shelves of your nearest bookstore, Wal-Mart, Target, Harris-Teeter, or wherever it is you like to shop.

Thanks again, so very much, for your generous attention to The Impossible Bachelors series.

Happy reading!

Kieran :>)

Wow, I am incredibly thrilled and honored to have a romance writing legend here today to help me celebrate When Harry Met Molly's release…the incomparable Debbie Macomber. I can safely say that Debbie is a major reason why I can call myself a published writer these days. She's one of the most selfless people I know, freely sharing with everyone her pearls of wisdom about the writing business. But she goes a step further–through her gracious example, she's taught innumerable people that we can face life's challenges with fortitude and good cheer.

And now let's hear about�

When Debbie met Wayne:

Following my high school graduation, I moved to Seattle and lived in a huge house in West Seattle, sharing it with seven other girls. One Saturday night I had a date with Gunther, my boyfriend at that time. I was dressed and ready to go out, but at the last minute he phoned and had to cancel. All seven of my roommates had dates that night as well, so I was home alone when . . . the phone rang. It was Wayne, who asked for Neater. (We called her that because she was neater than everyone else!) When I explained that Neater was out for the evening, in a suave, debonair fashion Wayne asked, "Are you doing anything?" We went to the movie, To Sir With Love, and were married a year later �

Readers, I am SO glad Neater wasn't there!  And that Gunther cancelled!  Aren't you?  :>)

I've heard Debbie tell the truly touching story about how supportive Wayne was when she was at her lowest ebb as a writer. She felt she needed to go out and get a job to make ends meet–which meant her writing dreams would have been put on hold indefinitely–but Wayne told her to keep going, to keep writing!

Thank you, Wayne, from millions of Debbie's readers.  

And now one lucky visitor to the blog today will win a copy of Debbie's Christmas charmer Call Me Mrs. Miracle and a DVD of the movie Mrs. Miracle. Yay! Talk about good cheer! All you have to do to win is leave a comment. Either tell us your own When _____ Met _____ story (put your name in the first blank and the name of someone you love in the second blank) OR simply stop by to tell Debbie hello. I'm sure she'd love to hear what her stories have meant to you!

Let's start off this post by celebrating Sarah's great news:  Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord hit the NYT bestseller list its first week on the shelves! Way to go, Sarah! Well-deserved! :>)

Feisty Isabel and gorgeous antiquarian Nick might not have realized it at first, but they made the perfect couple, didn't they? It was so very much fun following along with them on their journey to love! And now you get to read Sarah's own truly romantic story, "When Sarah Met Eric":

Sarah started pining for Eric in 1997. She was a Sophomore at Smith College and her friend Cat, who was dating Eric's roommate, Jake, called the boys' apartment phone on speakerphone. Eric's voice was on the answering machine, and Sarah leaned forward, nearly tipping out of the Pier I papasan chair to hear it, deep and rumbly and lovely. She had to meet him. And remains unclear why this was such a difficult thing to do. But it was. So difficult. Cat and Sarah were in Western Massachusetts; Jake and Eric were in Boston. There is no good reason why the two never met…but they didn't. And ultimately, he moved to California and she moved to New York and that was that. 

But in August of 1999, Cat & Jake got married. And there was a chance, FINALLY, for Sarah to meet THE VOICE. She had plans. She was going to get cuted up, and work out and woo him away from whatever horrid female Eric was planning to bring to the wedding. She honed her feminine wiles and donned her bridesmaid-dress (thank you to Cat for not choosing a hideous bridesmaid dress), and as she stood in line, waiting to enter the reception, she saw him. 6�4� and blonde, standing across the room. 

"Cat," she whispered, pointing, "Who is that?" (because, at this point, it's totally not about the bride–she's already found her guy.) 
Cat smiled, and said "That's Eric." 

And Sarah was certain. The Voice was The One. 

Wow, wasn't that awesome? I got chills–she heard his voice, and she knew. Sigh. That was so romantic! In fact, I really want to hear more–it sounds like Sarah and Eric's story would make a great chick flick!

And now one lucky North American reader will win a copy of Ten Ways To Be Adored When Landing a Lord by entering a comment below. Tell us about your own When ____ Met ____ story, or just stop by and say hello.

It's Friday–have fun! And thanks so much for sharing your personal love story with us, Sarah!

My family had moved to the town I live in now when I was ten. The thought of starting yet another new school terrified me, and worse, I had to ride a bus. I was so nervous I'd miss it, I hurried to the bus stop early that first morning, long before any of the other kids were there. I was running as fast as my ten-year-old feet would carry me when I saw the most stunning being I'd ever seen. It was a teenage boy with wavy blond hair, crystal blue eyes and a black a leather jacket. I screeched to a halt in the middle of the road and stared at him as he washed his muscle car. He offered me an annoyed glare, and I fell in love. I met him for real eight years later and we recently celebrated our 27th anniversary. Bliss is a strong word, but our marriage is about as close as it gets.

That was a great story, Darynda! Thank you so much for being here and for sharing a picture of you and Danny.

And now one lucky reader will receive an ARC of Darynda's debut novel FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT, coming out from St. Martin's Press in January 2011:

And yes, that IS a quote from J.R. Ward on the cover: "Best debut novel I've read in years! Hilarious and heartfelt, sexy and surprising…I'm begging for the next one!!"

Wow, Darynda. I can't wait, and I know you've already got a ton of fans who are chomping at the bit to get to this book, too!

Okay, North American readers, all you have to do to win that copy of Darynda's ARC is to leave a comment and an email address. We'd love to hear your own When ___ Met ____ story, or you can simply stop by and say hello!  Thanks for visiting. :>)

Wow, yesterday was quite the whirlwind. First, I did a radio interview in the morning, and then I had some blogs to tend to, and then I had a flurry of emails and calls--and just general mayhem! And the day was made even better when I heard that When Harry Met Molly is a finalist in the Best First Historical category at the RT Reviewers' Choice Awards.

Yippee!!!!

So I had some cake. Goooood cake!!!!

Have a great day, everyone!

When Vicky met Buttercup, it was not love at first sight. The 8 week old rabbit looked terribly fragile when my daughter and I brought her home. Neither of use really knew how to take care of her. She wasn't eating and didn't seem to know how to drink out of the special bottle connected to the wire-bottom cage.
Within a week, she got sick â€� very sick. I immediately started calling local vets and discovered they wouldn't treat her. I had to take her to an "exotic vet" who naturally charged "exotic prices." It was during that first vet visit that I learned the wire cage would cause sore hocks, that her primary diet should be hay, and that she needed toys to keep her happy and freedom to roam. When my friends and colleagues found out what I'd spent on a new cage, special food, hay, and the veterinary bills, they thought I was nuts. Buttercup became known as the $1000 rabbit.ĚýĚýBut by then, our little lop-eared bunny had stolen my heart.


Buttercup is seven years old now and rules her part of the house. She has her very own bedroom with a babygate she scratches on when she wants to come out and play. Our bunny also has a cardboard cottage (check out her window renovations), a cardboard maze, and various tunnels to hide in.  So yes, I'm crazy � crazy in love with our little furbaby.

And now one lucky North American reader will win an ARC of Vicky's debut Regency-set historical romance and read it long before it hits the shelves in January! All you have to do to win is enter a comment below. Just say hello–or tell us your own When ____ Met ____ story. Don't forget to add your email address so we can contact you if you win!

We're so lucky to have the fabulous Jane Porter with us this week to celebrate When Harry Met Molly's release. Not only is she an incredibly talented writer of fun, poignant books for women, she's an inspiring teacher and speaker, devoted mom to three energetic boys, and wife to a super special guy, Ty Gurney. Read what she wrote about her man:

"He was hot. Smoking hot. And sexy and young and rather dangerous with his tan and muscles and tattoos. I was fascinated right away and even more so after I interviewed Ty for my manuscript, Flirting with Forty. Not only did he shape the surfer character, Kai, but he inspired me. Meeting Ty changed my life and nearly eight years after meeting I love this crazy life of ours, as well as our gorgeous little surfer baby. Thank goodness Jane met Ty!"

Awww! That was so sweet! And that photo of Jane and Ty is gorgeous. Thanks for sharing, Jane.

And now for THREE lucky readers in North America, Jane will give away a copy of her latest book SHE'S GONE COUNTRY!  To be eligible to win, please go to the comments section and fill in the phrase, "When _____  Met ______," putting your name in the first blank and a person you care about in the second. Then tell us briefly why you chose that special person.

OR…Tell us about your favorite Jane Porter book! Make sure you leave your email address, too, so we can contact you if you win.

I'd love to see you over at Book Lovers Inc today, where I'm giving away a copy of When Harry Met Molly, my debut book from St. Martin's Press coming out Nov. 2nd!



Thanks~

Kieran :>)

Thanks so much to RT Book Reviews magazine for its flattering review of Dukes to the Left of Me, Princes to the Right. It means the world to me that Kathe Robin enjoyed Poppy and Nicholas so much.

This is the part of being a writer that you just can't measure, the joy you get from knowing that readers are getting a kick out of your stories. It's what it's all about! Thank you to my publisher, agent, and readers for allowing me to enjoy that incredible privilege. 

XO Kieran