Gay Pride

Back in 2004 The Boyfriend moved to California to find a job (it's best not to talk about the Michigan economy around us - we get bitter). Anyway, while he did this - I stayed behind in Michigan to work my cushy job that wasn't going anywhere until we knew for sure California was going to pan out (it did). Which meant I was once again living alone.

My best friend must have taken pity on me (although I totally dig "alone time") and one night we hit her favorite bar. We ran into a friend of hers - who happened to be drinking with her Fabulous Gay Best Friend. We latched onto FGBF because not only was he incredibly cute (::snort:: aren't they always?) he was also buying us a lot of alcohol.

Sometime after the third or fourth shot of whatever (who the heck remembers? Those brain cells are long dead) I was three sheets to the wind and we found ourselves at the gay bar.

Me and the best friend were the only two women in the place, which would normally feel decidedly unsafe - but hey, none of those guys were interested in us - so it's not like we had to worry about the date rape drug or anything!

It actually ended up being a totally fabulous time since all the guys were telling us how fabulous we were - how fabulous our hair was (they loved the hair) - and how we were like totally cool chicks.

Talk about a major ego boost. Seriously, if you're a woman skip the shrink - just go the gay bar! It's way cheaper and you'll immediately feel better.

Which is why it makes me so sad when I see something like this subjected onto the gay reading population -

And here I thought only romances got crappy covers.

I came across this gem when one of the libraries informed me they needed more LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) fiction. This is book 11 in the Tom & Scott mystery series about a gay couple (a teacher and a pro-baseball player) who keep running into mysteries that need solving. Sort of like Scooby Doo! Sounds kinda neat-o actually (see, I will read just about anything).

But honestly - what the H is up with this cover? It's like they pumped J-Lo full of steroids and testosterone. Seriously, I wouldn't be "beggin' for a piece of that bubble" more like running away from it. I can see it now -

Coming This July (deep movie trailer voice): You can run, but you cannot hide from The Ass That Ate San Francisco!

It's just wrong. Really, really wrong. I'm sorry my gay brothers. Profoundly and deeply sorry. Romance reading wenches everywhere feel your sorrow and pain. I suggest margaritas. I'd get about 3 blenders going at once, just to make sure you have plenty in reserve.

Down And Dirty

Since Memorial Day is often seen as the "unofficial" first day of summer, I thought I'd take a break from review books and read something truly trashy. Since the last erotically-bent (that sounds a bit kinky) book I read was a disappointment - I thought I'd dive into a Black Lace novel - Queen Of The Road by Lois Phoenix.

Now, everybody's idea of "erotic" is different - but frankly, I have yet to read anything in erotic romance that makes me go "ewwww." To get on my true smutty fix, I always go to Black Lace. I can relay on their authors to push the envelope, and often times I find a good trashy plot to go along with all the naughty reindeer games.

Queen Of The Road is currently holding the distinction of being the filthiest (and I mean this in a good way) erotic novel I've ever read. I mean, there were a couple of scenes that had me going "ewwww" and trust me when I say not a whole lot presses my ick buttons. Truly. I've long adopted the belief that as long as it involves consenting adults, no one comes to harm, and it's done in the privacy of their own home - well have at it!

Which I guess puts me in the running for the World's Most Open-Minded Librarian.

Anyway - the story. Toni Marconi is a Los Angeles private eye who has been hired to find a runaway heiress. That seems simple enough, except the heiress seems to have fallen in with an outlaw biker gang (only in a Black Lace novel). Toni believes in mixing business with pleasure, and the chance to infiltrate a biker gang is just too naughty and dirty for our girl to pass up.

What I liked a lot here is that Toni is dominant to the point of being a bitch. Some readers are likely to be extremely turned off by this as Toni doesn't have sex for lurve. She has sex as a way to quench her throbbing libido and to take control over men. Toni likes to control men a lot in this book. Of course, further on in the novel, Toni finds herself in a position where she must surrender - but she's still a gal who calls the shots at the close of the last chapter.

OK, the sex. Um, Toni likes multiple partners - a lot! I don't think she has sex with just one person at a time in the whole story. She enjoys lots of men, one woman and is pretty much game for anything as long as she's the one running the show.

The "ewwww" moments both involved bodily fluids - one of which Toni witnesses but doesn't take part in. And frankly, it could have been a whole lot nastier, so I tended to read right over these moments.

Still, this is one filthy book. And I mean that in a good way. I would recommend this only to readers who enjoy a truly trashy, smutty story. Those of you who read Black Lace fairly religiously. Those who go for the more "romantic" take on erotica? Um, this one might kill you.

And yes, this is currently out of print. That's what happens when Wendy leaves books she bought new in her TBR for too long. And note to my younger sister - yeah Sheri, I'm sending this one to you.

Returning To Form

I just finished the other launch title in the Avon Red erotica line this afternoon. Seriously, I really liked If This Bed Could Talk - but this one? Parlor Games? The historical anthology? I was about to slit my wrists until I read the Julia Templeton story. Incidentally, it's the last one!

Fallen Angel by Jess Michaels features a madam who insists she isn't a madam. Oh sure, she runs a club catering in sexual delights where the members must pay a fee - but that does not make her a madam and the girls who work for her aren't whores. Um, sure it doesn't sweetheart. Anyway someone is trying to kill her, so she hires the hero, a former Bow Street Runner who was betrayed by a woman (naturally). Heroine has secrets. Hero has secrets. Both are intent on not relinquishing control and dominating each other.

My eyes were crossed by the end of the first chapter.

Next up is Parlor Games by Leda Swann which features a heroine who accepts employment in a whorehouse but she isn't a whore! (Oh God, not again). Her job is to tease and play with the clients, and if she decides to bed them she has to give a cut of her profits to the madam. Hero is a journalist looking to get dirt on a politician who frequents the brothel, he meets heroine, is enchanted, buys her company for a month. Except the girl is a tease, insists she isn't his whore and won't have sex with him.

Shoot me. Shoot me now!

Last we have Border Lord by Julia Templeton which is a very good story trapped in a crappy anthology. Heroine travels back in time to 1294 Scotland, is mistaken for the daughter of hero's enemy and naughty shenanigans ensue. Hot, sexy and a great resolution to the time travel angle.

Which leaves us with what? Well grading the stories individually I'd say D+, F, B - so maybe a C- for the whole? My advice - wait and see if it turns up at the used bookstore, quickly read through the Templeton story and put it back on the shelf.

Amazon Boxes From Heaven

I came home from work today to find a small box from Amazon.com on my doorstep.

Me: "What the heck is this? I didn't order anything!"

Nestled inside were two Silhouette Bombshell books - Strong Medicine (#63) and Radical Cure (#80) by Olivia Gates. Heck, I must have won a contest I didn't remember entering!

Turns out Gates picks contest winners from her mailing list, which I joined about a year ago. In fact, I've won a contest from her before - which included a variety of promotional do-dads. Coincidently, I was using one of her bookmarks quite recently. Maybe some mojo rubbed off.

And neither here nor there - Gates lives oversees. So big kissies for shipping books to me!

Why I Can't Be Bothered With Respect

One of the other librarians in my department just sent me this link to a NY Times article on the best work of American fiction in the last 25 years (you may have to register to see the article - but it's free!)

Big surprise here - it's all literary fiction and the panel of judges (outside of Stephen King - I can't believe those hoity-toity types invited him!) are all writers with a serious literary bent. Not that King doesn't deserve literary accolades, but he's still carrying the stink of a "genre fiction" hack to many in the literary community. Personally I hope he's rolling around naked in all his money - but that's just me.

Anyway, I had a point...

I'm not going to dispute any title on this list - mainly because I tend to avoid literary fiction like the plague. Why? Because I had to read this kind of crap for a very long time thanks to the current educational requirements it takes to become a librarian.

That would be - high school graduate, 4-year undergraduate degree (mine is in history) and a master's degree in library science (I got mine in a year and a half).

I had to say, do and read a lot of stuff against my own free will during this time period. Think of it as academic whoring.

All I could think about while I was in college was getting out. The sooner, the faster, the better.

So it goes without saying that now that I'm free (FREE!), the last thing I want to do is force myself to read something that makes me think.

Contrary to that last statement - I am not a complete dumb ass. No, somewhere down the line (Mom maybe?) I equated reading with fun. Reading = Fun. I still think that today. Reading shouldn't be a chore. Reading shouldn't be hard. It should be pleasurable. In the right circumstances it can even be orgasmic.

That's not to say that genre fiction hasn't "taught" me anything. I can remember turns of phrase and passages from genre fiction books I read years ago. I can recall why a book moved me. Especially romances where the author has to write a deep, emotional connection between her characters in order for the story to work.

The literary community has always felt that genre fiction has no value because it's fluff. It's written by hacks only out to make a buck. And ::shudder:: the common man reads genre fiction. The horror!

I argue that anything that requires your mind to work can't be all bad. Leisure activities that cause one to "zone out" do not actively keep you engaged. Reading anything keeps you engaged. You cannot "zone out" and still read a book. Not possible! Cannot happen!

So why not read something fun? Something engaging? A page turner? Something that keeps you up all night? Hey, as great of a writer as I'm sure Philip Roth is - how many people has he kept up at night? Now ask yourself - how many people have lost sleep thanks to Stephen King?

Probably a few more.

Yet who is considered the "better" writer?

Cuteness Overload

In honor of my older sister finally joining the 21st century again (new computer for Mother's Day!), I thought we'd slide into Monday with a cute picture of my niece and nephew.

Take a gander and overload on the cuteness.

Treasure Hunting

I just got back from a used bookstore I never go to. I've lived in Southern California for 2 years and I think I've been to this bookstore 3 times. I'm not sure why, since the very first time I ever set foot in the place I found a copy of Stolen Charms by Adele Ashworth that looked so new that I went outside to make sure I hadn't wandered into Barnes and Noble.

This trip netted me The Ladies' Man by Lorraine Heath. Outside of the front cover being bent at the spine, and the pages starting to yellow - this copy looks fantastic. Hell, I didn't have this one on my wish list but I bought it just on principal.

So that makes two very hard to find books I've discovered in this store just blithely sitting on the shelves.

I'm trying to remember now exactly why I don't go to this store more often.

So This Is What The Apocalypse Is Like

Since Romance BlogLand is currently featuring a bunch of back-biting bitching that I'm not in the mood for at the moment (plenty of other blogs are covering it all - check out the blog roll if you care) I thought I'd talk about something really important (how's that for a run-on sentence?)

The Detroit Tigers are 27-13. This means they have the best record in all of Major League Baseball. Yes, better than the dreaded Skankies and the Red Sox. They're in first place in the American League Central Division for the first time in -

God, who the hell knows. It's been so long.

It's like I'm in Bizarro Land.

Do I think this will last? Assuming our pitching doesn't meltdown, yes. In the meantime I'm sacrificing small animals to every deity I can think of.

(OK not really).

Varmit

The Boyfriend just called me at work.

TB: I have a mouse in my car.

Me: You have a what in your where?!

TB: I got in my car this morning and noticed pellets on my dashboard. I immediately knew "something" had gotten in.

(Note: The Boyfriend is a country boy - hence knowing that "something" had left the pellets)

TB: I cleaned out the car, vacuumed it and the little bastard is still there.

Me: Still? He didn't vacate after you started the car?

TB: Nope, I thought the vacuuming would have done the trick. I was driving down the road afterwards when a speedy ball of brown fluff flew out from under the passenger seat. Ralph is sneaky.

Me: Ralph? As in The Mouse And The Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary?

TB: Yeah.

Me: Oh honey! A literary allusion! I'm so proud ::wiping tears::

TB: I thought you'd like that.

(Note: The Boyfriend doesn't read. Oh he can read, he just doesn't. Much to my dismay.)

Me: So what now?

TB: I've laid traps. Assuming I catch him, I'll take my car in to get detailed and the carpets shampooed. Oh, and I'll keep my car a lot cleaner from now on.

Me: Good idea.

Update: Ralph has passed on to the Great Car Condo in the sky. The Boyfriend bated a trap with what attracted him in the first place - granola bars. Also, while I was impressed with his allusion to Ralph - since our mouse was in a car and not on a motorcycle, we figured Stuart Little would have been a more apt name. But as the The Boyfriend told me, "I read The Mouse and the Motorcycle as a kid and loved it."

Ooooh, Pretty!

Well after the complaints about "Wendy ordering too much romance" I did warn my boss that I have been ordering a butt-load of inspirational fiction. Why? We had holes. Big, gaping ones. I suspect because, like romance, a lot of inspirational fiction doesn't land in review journals and the people who had this job before me didn't go out looking for it. That, and I'd say about 50% of the patron requests I've had so far have been for inspirational titles (titles we should have had on the shelf somewhere but didn't).

No complaints from the branch managers yet - but I suspect I won't get too many. Why? Because patrons do ask for it. While a lot of romance readers merely scuttle off into the corner if they can't find the book they want, inspirational readers ask. Why? I don't know. I mean, I know why romance readers don't ask (the whole "avoiding ridicule" thing). Maybe inspirational readers have thicker skins? Who knows.

There's no doubt that inspirational fiction has increased in popularity over the years - and while there are scores of reasons why, I'll illustrate (no pun intended) one. The covers. Oh man, have the covers gotten loads better over the years. Take a look at these examples and then tell me that the romance publishers couldn't learn a thing or two.

This cover appeals to the historical slut in me. I know many readers hate the "headless" people covers, but they've always been some of my favorites. It allows me to "imagine" the characters as I "think" they are. Also, I just plain love this dress - and while you probably can't tell from this image - the colors are fantastic.









With Freefall - again I love the colors. Also, the way the woman's hair is blowing across her face - it just does something for me. Also, this image doesn't do them justice, but the cover model has arresting green eyes.




Best for last. I love this cover. Doesn't it just scream World War II homefront? Those dresses! That hair! Those great shoes! And the backdrop is fantastic. When I see this cover, I want to pick up the book. Why? Because I suspect I'll know what it will be about! Four women, keeping the home fires burning, the challenges the war has brought to them. Really, really great.

Coincidentally, I notice a lot more WWII books in the inspirational market than anywhere else. I am completely puzzled by the fact that the romance genre has completely ignored this time period. For me it screams romance. Also, I would think it would be a gold mine for authors who wanted to explore womens' changing roles in the work force and at home.

But what do I know?

That's Much Better

A couple of weeks ago I e-mailed TRR's editor begging for a break. It's not entirely her fault, but she kept sending me gawd-ass awful books to read for review.

But she lured me back in (like she always does) with promises of a goodie bag from Avon Red. This would be yet another erotica line from a big NY publishing house. I have to wonder what Tina Engler over at Ellora's Cave thinks of this latest trend. I mean really, NY is essentially jumping on her bandwagon. Gee, who would have thought that women are sexual beings and want read about their own fantasies and desires? Well duh.

Anyway, I went into If This Bed Could Talk by Liz Maverick, Kimberly Dean and Lynn LaFleur rather skeptically. I mean, Avon is currently screwing up historical romance - so what's to say they won't ruin erotica for me too.

Yeah, I went there.

But this was a very pleasant surprise. Coincidently, two of the authors write for EC as well.

Maverick's story is a futuristic with very light world-building and some unsavory plot devices - but the author saves it all by writing sexual tension that could peel wallpaper. Heroine is about to be executed for gunrunning when hero "buys" her at auction. He wants her to seduce the villain and get back something he stole from his brother. So we have slavery and a revenge plot here. Oh boy, this could be a mess - except the sexual tension (and naturally the sex) is hot, hot stuff. Whoa doggie. Someone get me some ice water. A bucket full of it will do.

Kimberly Dean's story has a nice unrequited love theme. Heroine has been divorced for 8 months and gets pushed back into dating scene. Her date inadvertently takes her out to dinner at a sports bar, where her ex-brother-in-law happens to be unwinding after a long day at work. He's immediately jealous. He's been in love with the heroine forever, but never did anything about it out of respect for his spoiled younger brother. Now she's free, and apparently on the market. A very nice love story with some very steamy sex. I loved the ending when the heroine realizes that the hero is the man for her.

Lynn LaFleur's story is certainly different. Heroine inherits a Victorian house, and she plans to move in while renovations are underway. Hero is a treasure hunter who broke heroine's heart - but has to get into her house because he suspects it contains a very old, very valuable bearer bond. But she hates his guts. He'll just have to use his connections to get on the work crew that's all. Also, the house happens to be haunted by the heroine's great-great-grandparents who are stuck in limbo thanks to a witch. They suspect the heroine is the key to setting them free and to do so, they must reunite her with the hero. This story takes a bit longer to get moving, but I liked the haunted house angle, and the sex is hot stuff. Kinky (with some um, back door shenanigans), but hot stuff nonetheless.

A very good erotica anthology, and all stories feature happy endings. I really enjoyed it. I'd rate this one a solid B+.

Record Time

Well that didn't take long.

Yes, it's true gentle blog readers. There have already been complaints about me regarding my new job. My crime? Apparently I've been buying too many romance novels.

RWA should be showing up any moment to give me my medal....

I'm waiting....

The grand irony of this is that I've been very conscious of not buying too many romance novels. I got two remarks when I took this job:

• OMG Wendy! You'll be great!
• Don't just buy romance novels

I bit my tongue. I know, I feel dirty. I should have let Bitchy Wendy out of the trunk of my car to say, "Yeah. I'm only going to buy romance novels. I want to see how long it takes before my boss fires me. That's my idea of a good time."

The other irony is that these librarians have yet to give my boss examples of offending titles. Thus making it impossible for us to track down the order number. Thus making it equally impossible to see if I'm the one who actually ordered them! I've only been at this for two months - shit half of my very first order still hasn't come in yet.

I was told to not take this personally. But I am. Why? Besides middle child syndrome of course. These are librarians I know. I've worked with them. We've had meetings together. That, and they all know I like romance. So basically I have a glaring red target pinned to my back. It's one thing for them to say, "Wendy is buying too much science fiction." Did they say that? No. They immediately went for romance. I suspect because they knew it would piss me off.

The other thing that yanks my chain is when librarians make sweeping statements like, "Don't buy me romance because it doesn't circulate at my branch." Um, have you ever wondered why? Maybe because you have nothing new and patrons don't want to read romances from the 1980s. Or maybe because you've shoved them in a back corner and nobody can 1) find them or 2) even know they're there. Or maybe they know your branch isn't romance friendly so they avoid you like the plague. In fact, sweeping statements like that do nothing but insure I'm going to buy you stuff you don't want just out of spite. Why? Because I'll want to prove you wrong.

My motto? Everyone should have a little bit of everything whether they want it or not.

What we have here is the Us Vs. Them mentality. Administration doesn't understand what it's like at the branches (um, hello?! I do! I was doing their job 2 weeks ago!) and branches don't understand administration. Blah, blah, blah.

Frankly this kind of bullshit just irritates me. It's so counterproductive, and I suspect it's been simmering because 1) we have people on staff who have been here since The Dark Ages and 2) we've had an inadequate materials budget for the last 10 years.

So here's little ole' Wendy trying to be all "Rah, Rah! Go Team!" and instead getting smacked on the hand for buying too much romance - which I haven't. Please just shoot me now and put me out of my misery.

Blurring The Lines

First - I have news. We just ordered a new home computer from Dell this afternoon. I'm so excited I could plotz. Seriously. You have no idea the hunk of junk we're using right now.

Also, I'm about three sheets to the wind. Wow - I forgot how different a $10 bottle of wine was from a $4 one! So I'm blogging tipsy. Probably not a good thing. In fact, I'm guaranteed to mouth off - but at least I can blame it on alcohol consumption. Consider that my warning.

I wrapped up Tease by Suzanne Forster this past week. Review posted - and I think it's one of my better ones if I do say so myself. This is of course one of the launch books for the Harlequin Spice line, and I've already seen bitching (um, concerns) online about how, "OMG - NOT ROMANCES!!!! THE HORROR, THE HORROR!"

Whew.

OK, let's state the obvious here. Harlequin isn't marketing these books as romances. Tease says right on the front cover "an erotic novel." The word romance was nowhere to be found anywhere on the ARC I had - so I'm going to go out on a limb here and say, "Gee, it must not be a romance." Nobody pitches a fit about Luna titles not being romances or Red Dress Ink not being romances - but something about the Spice line has everybody's panties in a wad.

Let's be frank here - romance as we traditionally know it has become stagnant. Exhibit A - I stood in Borders yesterday tearing my hair out to find something to buy with my $15 in gift certificates. In the old days this wouldn't have been an issue. But given my current reading slump, and my disillusionment with my favorite sub genre (historical) - pickins were mighty slim.

The rebirth of paranormal and erotica hitting mainstream has blurred the lines considerably. Paranormals are bringing in a new group of readers (the non-romance reader) and erotica....well, I think there is a lot of confusion on what erotica is.

Erotica is not the same thing as erotic romance/romantica. Erotica does not require a happy ending. In fact, the only things I expect from erotica are:

• lots o' naughty bits
• a heroine who changes/grows/awakens over the course of the story
• a heroine who is "better off" at the end of the story

A happy ending is a bonus - but not required. Actually, I tend to prefer erotica where the heroine doesn't get the guy in the end, but is instead strong, assertive and an all around with-it chick. I actually like it when the heroine realizes, "Gee I don't need a man after all! I'm pretty damn awesome all on my own."

But I suspect I'm a freak. I also suspect I'm this way because I've only been reading romance since 1999 and didn't cut my teeth on it. Blurring lines is alright by me. Blur away.

But a lot of romance readers tend to freak out when the lines get blurred. It goes outside their comfort level. It sends them into a tail-spin if it's too different. Which is why we're stuck with the crud that is being passed off as historical romance these days. Take a look at the June RT if you don't believe me. How many times can a girl be expected to read the words "Regency England" before she runs out in the middle of traffic?

So we have one camp digging in their heels resisting change and the other camp (OK, me) ramming their heads into the wall.

And for the record - I bought the My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys anthology because I like Teresa and Heath has finally written another western. Also The I Hate To Date Club a May Harlequin Next title by Elda Minger.

Author Interview: Tess Gerritsen

Tess Gerritsen is the author of 9 romantic suspense novels, 4 medical thrillers and 5 suspense novels in her current Jane Rizzoli (cop) and Maura Isles (medical examiner) series.

Book 6 in the Rizzoli/Isles series, The Mephisto Club, is due out in September. I recently asked Gerritsen to chat with me about her career and the new book, and she graciously agreed.

Enjoy!

Wendy: Most writers have a rich job history, and at one point you were a practicing physician. What led you to write fiction? And when did you make the conscious decision to “quit your day job?”

Tess Gerritsen: Even though I went to medical school, I’ve always thought of myself as a writer. I wrote my first book when I was seven years old. Through medical school and residency, I continued to write short stories and dream up plots, and always expected that one day, I would write a novel. I just didn’t realize I could make a career of it.The reason I finally quit my day job was purely practical. I had two young sons and I found that motherhood and doctoring was a difficult combination, especially since my husband’s also a doc. There were nights when we’d both be called into the hospital, and would have to haul our sleeping toddlers along with us. That was no fun. Plus, since our kids were in day care, they were getting frequent colds, which meant that either I or my husband would have to cancel our patient appointments for the day and stay home with them. So I decided to leave medicine and stay home with the kids for a few years.

That’s how I finally wrote the novel I’d been dreaming about. That’s when my new career as a writer was born.

Wendy: I think many people are surprised when they learn your writing career began in romance. You published several books for Harlequin early in your career (and better still, aren’t “ashamed” of them). What do you enjoy about the romance genre, and what led you to write in it?

TG: I loved reading romance, so it was natural that when I wrote my first novel, it’d have strong romance elements in it. CALL AFTER MIDNIGHT (my first book published by Harlequin Intrigue) was also a thriller, so already I was leaning toward suspense as well. I love the romance genre simply because it’s so focused on emotions and characters, the very elements that make any book especially compelling. I think learning to write romance first has enriched my thriller writing.

Wendy: Harvest was the book that really launched your career. Was writing in a different genre (in this case, medical thriller) a conscious decision or did it just sort of happen?

TG: HARVEST came about because the premise practically landed in my lap. I’d heard rumors of orphans kidnapped in Moscow, and sent abroad as organ donors. I was so gripped by the idea that I wanted to turn it into a novel. But I knew it would be a novel unlike any I’d written before. This one was going to include strong medical elements that very few non-physicians can write about with any accuracy. It was going to show the operating room and the autopsy room and reveal what it’s like to watch transplant surgery. I didn’t think of it as launching a new career for me — rather, it was just a story I wanted to write. As it turned out, it was also a very commercial idea, and my being a physician was what gave it a special value.

Wendy: Your first few suspense novels were stand-alone books, then The Surgeon launched your current series that follows detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles. When you were writing The Surgeon did you know it was going to be a series, and how did that decision come about?

TG: I had no idea THE SURGEON was the start of a series. In fact, I had another completely different book planned out after I finished writing THE SURGEON. But the villain (who survived THE SURGEON) kept talking to me, telling me his story wasn’t finished yet. And I wanted to write more about Jane Rizzoli, who actually started as a doomed character who was supposed to die, but didn’t. I suggested to my editor that there be a sequel, and she was enthusiastic about it.

That’s why I wrote THE APPRENTICE. And suddenly I had a series, because readers kept asking for more stories about Jane.

Wendy: I feel that the large appeal in mystery series is that readers can watch the same character(s) change and grow over the course of many novels. That has certainly been the case with Rizzoli! What do you think it is about her that appeals to so many readers?

TG: She’s a survivor. She’s not particularly attractive or likable, and in fact, she was never meant to be a continuing character. She was supposed to die in THE SURGEON! But there’s something about an ugly duckling that appeals to us, and Jane is certainly an ugly duckling.

Wendy: Tell us a little bit about your new book, The Mephisto Club, due out in September 2006.

TG: It’s the sixth in the Jane Rizzoli series. Jane (and medical examiner Maura Isles) walk into a murder scene where ancient symbols and Latin words are scrawled on the walls. Before long, they’re chasing down legends of Nephilim — an ancient race of fallen angels, whom some people believe are still living among us as killers. I’ve always been interested in mythology and biblical history, and this allowed me to explore the history of Satan and evil.

Wendy: And finally, the ultimate librarian question, what does a Big Time NY Times Bestselling Author like to read?

TG: I love to read history! Anything to do with Egypt and archaeology.

Thanks so much Tess for taking the time to chat with us.

Reader Advisory Notes: Gerritsen’s suspense novels (especially the Rizzoli/Isles series) are not for the faint of heart. The violence level is on par with other big name suspense writers (think Patricia Cornwell), and Gerritsen writes some particularly nasty villains. My experience with this author’s work (the Rizzoli/Isles series) has taught me that she writes her suspense lean. There’s not a lot of extraneous “stuff” mucking up the works, and there is nothing to distract (or bore) the reader from the main plot point at hand. That said, she allows time to delve into her characters a bit more than your run-of-the-mill potboiler. In particular, Jane Rizzoli has truly grown over the course of the series.

You can learn more about Gerritsen’s books, read her blog, and check out some creepy biological facts at her website.

Note From Wendy: This interview originally ran on my work blog - which is "in-house" and cannot be viewed by the public. I thought it was of interest to the greater blogosphere though, and decided to re-run it here for that reason.

The Finish Line

Yes, it's over. The whole Wendy-working-two-jobs-nightmare is over. I woke up. Or more precisely, I passed off the keys to the building to The New Guy.

Everyone has been asking me what I plan to do now that life is back to normal. I'm thinking of slipping into a coma for a couple of weeks and soaking up the general boredom. Pure bliss.

So now that I'm concentrating on The New Job - what does Wendy have up her sleeve? Another blog actually. I'm starting one to cover my department. The grand idea being that it will be a good way to keep staff in the loop on the latest and greatest. This is something I would have found beneficial when I was out on "the front lines" given that I had no time to read any review publications, let alone have time to browse Amazon.

The plan is to highlight upcoming books of interest, plus toss in some author interviews. My first interview being with a Big Name New York Times Bestseller.

The bad news is that none of you will get to see this blog. The Powers That Be felt this should be kept "in house" and so it is. However, that author interview? I'll also run it here - since it might be of interest to you all. And no, I'm not telling you who it is. Yet anyway. Stay tuned.