I write in a room lined with beloved books – it’s like being with old friends. I know chunks of some of these keepers by heart. For some reason it’s usually dialogue I remember, some favorite exchange between the characters. I love the banter that takes place between a hero and heroine, particularly where they’re talking about one thing, but there’s a delicious sexual undercurrent underlying the whole conversation. I’m not talking about suggestiveness, but banter as a sexy duel, a form of courtship, a dance, a game that neither can lose. Good banter always makes me smile.Some books, some heroes, lend themselves to it more than others. For me, it’s usually the hero who starts it. For instance, here’s an example from my current book, THE STOLEN PRINCESS, where the Regency hero gets the heroine all hot and bothered with just a few teasing words. She gave him a severe look. “I told you, I have no desire to put myself under the thumb of any man, ever again.” “But it wasn’t my thumb I was thinking of.” He said it with such a— such a wicked, laughing look she was hard put to know what to say. So…

What is it about the tease that’s so hot? You know what I’m talking about. That tingle you get between your thighs when someone exciting catches your eye, or when you catch his. The lingering looks, the hair toss, the silent communication. That time when your blood heats up and your body awakens as you feel the magic of “what if?” It’s almost … intoxicating. I used to flirt a lot. Men used to flirt with me. Then I got married. I haven’t gained weight or let myself go, but somehow, I’ve changed. I know it, and they know it. I think it’s because the chase is over. The magic of flirting, the heightened awareness that arcs between two people, the building of anticipation… it’s gone. And I don’t know exactly when, or how, it disappeared.The sad thing is, it also seems to have disappeared between my husband and me. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love my husband. Grant is still very attractive in every way, and leaving him has never occurred to me. I’d never cheat on him, either. Yet, I can’t deny that a certain restlessness has been building in me for some time. That was the…

Win gifts and prizes picked to compliment the season from several fabulous authors, including: CARLY PHILLIPS, JILL MARIE LANDIS, KARYN WITMER, PAT WHITE, VICKI LEWIS THOMPSON, ROWENA CHERRY, JULIANNE MACLEAN, JANA DELEON, SANDRA HILL, SUSANNA CARR, SUSAN MALLERY, SUSAN STEPHENS, JANE PORTER, SUNNY, and more!!! Don’t miss out on the great opportunity to get gift cards, ornaments, fabulous packages, ALL BEFORE CHRISTMAS! Enter today and check your email on DECEMBER 15th to see if you won! Happy Holidays from Carly Phillips – A $15 Amazon Gift Card for you to use to buy books in time for the holidays along with Digger the Dog, the canine star of Cross My Heart, and your choice of a signed Carly Phillips book Enter Rowena Cherry’s TAKE AN ALIEN TO BED Contest for Godiva Chocolate! Win a SHOPPING SPREE from Vicki Lewis Thompson! Pat White wants to help you make your own holidays brighter — with a $20 gift card to Border Books and Music! Julianne MacLean is giving away a historical romance coffee mug PLUS a signed copy of SURRENDER TO A SCOUNDREL! A holiday bonanza! Five winners in all! Each gets a personalized autographed copy of Jana DeLeon’s RUMBLE ON THE…