Tuesday News

I’m still working on my next Harlequin American Romance, Halfway to the Stars. That’s the working title, which is almost certain to change, and it’s set in the beautiful city of San Francisco. Now that it’s so close to being finished, I’m starting to get excited about writing the sequel, Gateway to her Heart. And yes, that's also a working title. I can't imagine my editor wanting to keep either title, and I'm not all that crazy about them myself.

Arrgh! Why is so difficult to come up with great titles?

On the personal front, in June my son completed a BFA in Jazz Music. This week he received a letter from the university, congratulating him on making The Dean’s Honor List! Needless to say, I’m as proud as a mom could possibly be!

That’s it for this week's news.

Until next time,
Lee

Tuesday News

April is TV Month! It’s been a long time since we’ve seen new episodes of our favorite shows, so April is feeling like fall premiere season all over again. Here’s what I’ll be watching:

Men in Trees — Wednesdays (currently airing new episodes)

NUMB3RS — Friday,April 4 (6 new episodes)

Samantha Who? — Monday, April 7 (6 new episodes)

30 Rock — Thursday, April 10 (5 new episodes)

The Office — Thursday,April 10 (6 new episodes)

Brothers and Sisters — Sunday, April 20 (possibly 6 new episodes)

Gossip Girl — Monday, April 21 (5 or 6 new episodes; note the new night)

Grey's Anatomy — Thursday, April 24 (not sure, but there should be 4 or 5 new episodes)

For the writers out there, April is conflict month with The Wet Noodle Posse. On April 8 I'll be blogging about characters' goals, motivation and conflict, and about writing GMC statements for our characters. But it gets better!

"Along with the award-winning Wet Noodle Posse authors, we have a star-studded
line-up of guest bloggers, including bestselling authors Jo Beverley (whose new
book, A Lady's Secret, is out today!), Susan Gable, Anna Campbell, Tawny Weber,
and Christie Kelley. You won't want to miss a single day! We will be giving away
a signed copy of a Jo Beverley novel on the 24th to a lucky participant, but you
must comment to enter. So please plan to join us all month long and bring your
questions and comments to our knowledgeable group of writers."

The Posse hopes you'll join us and our guests this month for lively discussions about conflict and the chance to win some great prizes!

Talk to you later.
Lee

Tuesday News—GH and Rita Finalists

Today's the day that RWA notifies finalists in its 2008 Rita and Golden Heart contests. Congratulations to all of this year's finalists!

I'm sending extra special congratulations to fellow Noodler, Theresa Ragan! Theresa is a double finalist in the romantic suspense and single title categories of the Golden Heart Contest. These are Theresa’s fifth and sixth GH finals and it seems her first sale is long overdue. Here’s hoping she gets the call soon!

And this just in—two more Noodlers strike gold! Priscilla Kissinger is a GH finalist in the contemporary series romance category, and Stephanie Rowe’s He Loves Me, He Loves Me Hot is a Rita finalist in the paranormal category. Pris is a GH finalist for the second time. In 2006, Stephanie was a double Rita finalist for two YA novels, written as Stephie Davis.

The Wet Noodle Posse rides again!

Lee

Tuesday News—Back to Blogging

I have been neglecting this blog lately, partly because I haven’t had much to blog about and partly because I haven’t been up to blogging. In early January I had major surgery and most of my energy has gone into recuperating. According to my doctors, I should start to feel like my old self by the end of March. It’s been a long haul and I can hardly wait to get back to normal, but I think it’s time to start blogging again, at least occasionally.

While I was recovering it would have been great to be watching my favorite TV shows. That wasn’t to be but, now that the strike is over, some shows are back in production and we’ll be seeing new episodes by early April. Here’s what I’m looking forward to:

30 Rock - back April 10 with five episodes
Brothers and Sisters - five more episodes
Gossip Girl - five or six more episodes; should begin airing in April
Grey’s Anatomy - back in mid April with four or five new episodes
Men in Trees - eleven unaired episodes; begins February 27
NUMB3RS - back on April 4 with six episodes
October Road - two episodes left
Samantha Who? - not sure, but possibly six more episodes to air
The Office - back in production; six new episodes will begin April 10

I'll be back soon. I promise!

Lee

Tuesday News—We Have A Winner!

What a great week this has been. With This Ring—my latest Harlequin American Romance—was released last Tuesday and what a thrill it was to see it on bookstore shelves!

But before I get into that, Max and I are delighted to announce the winner of our contest. Hornblower will receive the DVD version of Disney’s 1959 classic, The Shaggy Dog. Congratulations, Hornblower! Please contact us through my website and we’ll get the DVD in the mail to you.

On Saturday I took part in a multi-author booksigning event at Chapters in Victoria, BC, and I’m excited to tell you that the store sold out its copies of With This Ring! Thanks to everyone who came out to supporte this event.

I hope you’ve been enjoying Max’s guest blogs. He’ll be joining me again on Thursday!

Till then,

Lee

Tuesday News—RT’s Review of With This Ring

Waiting for reviews is beyond nerve-wracking, but the Romantic Times 4-star review of With This Ring (Harlequin American Romance, December 2007) is fabulous! Here it is:

“With This Ring (4), by Lee McKenzie, puts a new spin on the holiday romance—it takes place in the middle of the summer! Brent has been not-so-secretly in love with Leslie since high school. But.his mother hates her, he comes from the wrong side of the tracks and Leslie has never believed his attentions are genuine. Nonetheless, Brent gets his chance to shine when Leslie is caught in a surprise rainstorm as she's running away from her society wedding. Brent and Leslie's story is a treat for anyone who has ever loved someone so much that they won't accept halfway for an answer.” ~ Whitney Kate Sullivan

Am I right? Fabulous!

The official release date is December 4th—two weeks from today! To celebrate I’m planning lots of fun stuff here on the blog, including a couple of contests with some fun giveaways, and a surprise guest blogger every Thursday starting November 29. I hope you’ll visit often!

Back tomorrow.
Lee
www.leemckenzie.com

Tuesday News—Trish Milburn, American Title IV Finalist

Congratulations to Trish Milburn, finalist in the American Title IV Contest!

Back on October 15 I told you all about the contest and Trish’s manuscript, OUT OF SIGHT, being a finalist. Now I’m thrilled to announce that she’s moved on to the next round of judging—best hero and heroine. You can read all about them, as well as all the wonderfully positive things the judges had to say, on the Romantic Times website.

So please vote and ask all your friends to vote, too. It’s easy. Simply send a blank email to votes@romantictimes.com with OUT OF SIGHT in the subject header.

The results of this round of voting will be posted on the RT website on December 17. Good luck, Trish!

More later,
Lee