Winner of Fabulous Fall Freebie Friday

Happy Saturday All!

Thanks so much for playing yesterday. Everyone mentioned some great villains and I picked up a couple of book, movie and television series recommendations too!

Congrats to Linda, the winner of the 'grab-bag' prize package! Linda, email your mailing address to Christy@ChristyReece.com and be sure to let me know which LCR book you'd like to have included in the package.

I hope everyone has a safe, wonderful and spooktacular Halloween weekend!

See you back here on Monday for Recommend Monday!

Fabulous Fall Freebie Friday

Good Fabulous Friday Everyone!

Hope you've had a good, productive week. My week has been busy but oh so very good. The first draft of SWEET JUSTICE is almost finished. Once that's done, it's time for major revisions and edits, but then it'll be headed to my editor. Yayayayay!

Today, in honor of Halloween this weekend, we're talking favorite fictional villains. You know those really, really bad people we love to hate. Even though we despise these people and what they stand for, they are an important and integral part of the story. Not only do they give the story conflict and excitement, villains also make the hero look even more heroic. What would Superman be without Lex Luthor? Sure, he's strong, got some great super powers and is a genuinely nice guy, but how would we know just how heroic and strong he is if he didn't have to battle Lex and his evil minions? Villains bring the excitement and angst. They give you someone to hate and as a result, provide you with someone to root for--the hero.

Over the centuries, fiction has brought us some evil, devious and just plain mean villains. Usually when I think of memorable fictional villains, I don't think of those evil soulless characters who kill people willy-nilly--Halloween's Michael Myers, Jason in the Friday the 13th movies or even the demons or the devil in the Exorcist. To me those people or entities aren't as much villains as they are simplistic killing machines, without conscience or the ability to reason. The villains I love to hate and find much more memorable are those who can reason. They know the difference between good and bad and for whatever reason, choose to be bad. Those kinds of villains I find fascinating. I love to know what makes them tick or what made them into the evil, twisted people they've become.

We won't limit the list to just books. There have been some uber creepy villains in movies and television that are just as memorable. Who are your top five favorite fictional villains? Do you have five that you can remember hating so strongly that you couldn't wait until they got their comeuppance?

Not in any particular order, here are my top five:

Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs (Yes, I know he's a serial killer and a cannibal, however, he's a psychiatrist who knows the difference between right and wrong and man oh man, he doesn't just choose to be bad, he chooses to be very bad!)

Jim Beckett from Lisa Gardner's The Perfect Husband (He's a cop--supposed to be one of the good guys, one of the guys you root for, not a mean, sadistic killer. Creepy, scary guy!)

George Foyette aka The Boston Reaper from Criminal Minds (Cunning, devious and so very creepy. He outsmarted and out-manipulated so many, and in the end, did something so dastardly evil that when he got his just deserts, I was standing the middle of the room, my hands fisted and wanting to get in a couple of punches myself.)

The villain from Karen Rose's Have You Seen Her (Mentioning the name would be a spoiler, but I love the surprise and sheer audacity of who this villain is and how Rose keeps you guessing. By the way, if you haven't read Karen Rose, I highly recommend her...she's absolutely incredible!)

Carol Janes, the villain in Linda Howard's Dream Man (I think the fact that he was so ordinary and unexpected, that when you see his evil, it's even more chilling.)

Okay, now it's your turn. And if you can't think of five, feel free to give fewer.

One random commenter will win a 'grab-bag' prize package filled with all sorts of goodies. I'll announce the winner tomorrow.

Hope everyone has a fabulously spook-tacular weekend! See you back here on Monday for Recommend Monday!

Recommend Monday!

Oh my, I'm up way too early this morning. Thunderstorms started around 3:00 AM. My girls can't sleep during a storm and are quite insistent that I shouldn't either. Hopefully we can all grab a nap later.

How was your weekend? Did you do anything fabulously fun? Any Halloween parties? If so, what was your costume?

Thanks to the great comfort reads you gave on Friday, I've now started a whole new list. In my mind, if it's a reread, then it's definitely a must read. Looking forward to delving into more great books!

This Friday, in honor of Halloween, we're going to be talking about favorite villains. Since most of us read romantic suspense, there's got to be some memorable bad guys and gals who've given you the creeps over the years. And we won't limit it to books. We'll talk villains in movies and television series too. So start putting your list together and we'll share our top five on Friday!

SWEET JUSTICE is racing toward the end. Seth and Honor are in the midst of a nightmare and none of us know how it's going to turn out. Very worried about these two! And with a deadline looming, it's getting even tenser!

Even though I was consumed with Honor and Seth's difficulties, I did manage to read a couple of great books. They've been recommended here many times. However, I wanted to give my own hearty recommendations to Pamela Clare's Surrender and Untamed. They were fabulous, and my oh my, those MacKinnon men! Whew! Looking forward to Connor' book!

So what about you? What great books did you read last week you're dying to tell us about? Tomorrow's a big release day. What books are you looking forward to going out and getting this week?

Don't forget to come back on Friday for a discussion of your favorite villains.

Have a great week all!

Winner of Fabulous Fall Freebie Friday

Happy Saturday all!

Thanks to everyone who posted yesterday. Wow, looks like there's a whole new list of books I'm going to be adding to my TBR pile. If it constitutes a reread, then it's definitely a must read!

Congrats to Jackie P. She is the winner of the 'grab-bag' prize package! Jackie, please email me at christy@christyreece.com with your mailing address, along with the LCR book you'd like to have.

Don't forget to come back on Monday for Recommend Monday. And I will have one. Yay!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Fabulous Fall Freebie Friday

Good day all! Hope your week has been wonderful. The trees here in Bama are peaking and are absolutely gorgeous. The brilliant colors, combined with the flawless sky, has a breathtaking radiance that brings tears to my eyes. Oh, I do love October!

Last week was so much fun, talking about our favorite fall foods. The recipes look out of this world. Today, we're going to talk about comfort reads. You know those few books that you have to read at least once a year.

If you've read my Dear Reader letter on my website or my biography, you know that I started reading at an early age. I still remember (and I've heard this from so many avid readers) taking a flashlight to bed with me and the instant the house settled down, I was clicking the flashlight on and reading well into the night. Reading has been my comforter and friend for years, taking me to far away places and easing my own worries. I would be desolate if I had to do without it.

What does this have to do with today's blog? A lot! Every year, often when the weather turns cool and I'm wanting to snuggle up with my girls and a good book, I will turn to a tried and true favorite. With my reading time so limited, why do I reach for a book I've read before, probably many times? For me, these kinds of reads are the literary equivalent of my mom's chicken and rice or my late mother-in-law's Swiss steak. Delicious and familiar, they comfort me and take me to a place I've been before and loved. (LOL, wouldn't you know I'd have to bring food back into the conversation?)

I have about five books that I read every year. Sometimes I'll read the entire book, other times just certain chapters or the ending. Usually, in reading a story, it's all about the journey. For me, a comfort read is all about the destination--getting to that place in my mind I like to go when I reread a certain book. It's all about the predictability. I know exactly what's going to happen and that brings me comfort.

Here's a list of my must reads each year. I'm just listing five. I have many more rereads in a year, however, these are the ones I will return to again and again.

1) Almost Heaven - Judith McNaught

2) It Had To Be You - Susan Elizabeth Phillips

3) I'm Watching You - Karen Rose

4) MacKenzie's Mountain - Linda Howard

5) The Bride - Julie Garwood

I know there are some people who refuse to reread a book. As soon as they finish, even if it's one they loved, they'll give it away or take it to a UBS and get another book. Are you one of those or are you like me and love those comfort rereads?

If you have rereads, list your top five. Remember, one random commenter will win a 'grab-bag' prize package. And be sure to come back on Monday for Recommend Monday. Who knows, we might see some of today's rereads on Monday's recommended reads. Wouldn't that be SWEET!

Happy Friday all!

Recommend Monday!

Good Monday All!

Hope you had a fabulous weekend and that you're ready to recommend some great reads to us.

I don't have anything current to suggest, however, I have another recommend from the past. Have you read Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers? I don't read a lot of inspirationals, however, this one caught my eye a year or two ago. I'd read about it online somewhere and was in the bookstore one day and saw it. I think it's been reissued several times, but this particular cover just caught my attention--absolutely beautiful. So I picked it up and quite frankly could not put it down. I ended up loving it so much, I bought three or four more copies and gave them as Christmas presents. It's a wonderful love story about redemption, marital devotion and faith and stuck with me long after I closed the book. Even if you don't normally read inspirational romances, give it a try!

Thanks to everyone who contributed such awesome recipes on Friday's blog. Wow! I can't wait to try some of these. They look incredible. And congrats again to Tigmode, who was the winner of the 'grab-bag' prize package. Tigmode, if you're reading this blog today, be sure to email your mailing address to christy@christyreece.com.

This week's Fabulous Fall Freebie Friday blog, we're going to be talking books. So get ready to share with us your top five favorite rereads. You know, those books that you have to read at least once a year. Heck, we may discover a few books that we find ourselves recommending next Monday!

Okay, I promised you some news on the SWEET trilogy and here it is. The new dates and order are:

SWEET JUSTICE - September 2011 (Honor Stone and Seth Cavanaugh)

SWEET REVENGE - November 2011 (Dylan Savage and Jamie Kendrick)

SWEET REWARD - January/February 2012 (Jared Livingston and Mia Ryker)

Not really that much of a change other than the first book will be released four months later than originally planned. There were a lot of different reasons for the calendar and order changes. However, I plan to make sure it was worth the wait. I'm about 3/4 finished with SWEET JUSTICE and am loving the story and characters. I really think you will too!

Okay, that's it for me until Friday. Going back into my writing cave and spending some quality time with the dark and dangerous Seth.

Now, it's your turn. Tell us what we should be reading this week!

Happy Monday all!

Winner of Fabulous Fall Freebie Friday

Wow, everyone! Thank you so much for the fun yesterday! What fabulous recipes you all shared! I am so impressed with everyone's talent and diversity of tastes. Some amazing selections! When you try some of these recipes, be sure to pop back on the blog and let us know how they turned out.

The winner of the 'grab-bag' full of prizes is TigMode! If you'll email your mailing address to christy@christyreece.com, I'll send your prizes out to you next week. Also, be sure to let me know which LCR book you'd like to have included in the prizes.

Next Friday, we're going to talk about favorite winter rereads, so start thinking of those special books that for some reason, you have to read at least once a year.

Be sure to stop by on Monday to give your recommendations of your great reads from last week. Also, I'll be sharing some news about the SWEET trilogy that I know you'll want to hear!

Have a great weekend everyone!