Win 5 Melody Thomas books

Hi, it’s LeeB. again. Happy Monday! Today we have another AAR After Hours trivia contest and an interview with Melody Thomas:

Ms. Thomas:  As a matter of fact I have considered doing just that. I love romantic suspense. I guess you can tell that by the suspense elements I put into my books. I love a happening story so there is always a mystery or suspense or action/adventure element running through each of my books that I think could translate well into that genre. Maybe my love for action reflects on my boring life as a writer cooped up in my attic all day. Who knows? If I can't go out and save the world myself then I will have my characters do it for me. LOL I also have a ghost story in mind for an upcoming book, but right now my editor wants me to stick with historicals, so we'll see where my career goes after this next series is finished.

Your books have won many, many awards. Is there one award in particular that means the most to you?

Ms. Thomas:  All of the awards mean a lot, but the HOLT Medallion was the first award I ever received back in 2001 and so it will always be special. I was so honored last year when Angel in My Bed one the HOLT for best historical. I like it when a book of mine can fare well in a huge category. Now if only that could translate into sells.

Why did you change pen names from Laura Renken to Melody Thomas? I confess that I hadn't realized you had assumed a new pseudonym several years ago after reading and enjoying your Laura Renken books.

Ms. Thomas:  Changing names was a career decision when I moved from Berkley to Avon back in 2003. Now that I have been Melody Thomas for four years, I really don't want to go back or change my name again. I like the name and wish my parents had thought of it first.

You were a former president of The Windy City RWA Chapter. Tell us a little bit about your duties in that position.

Ms. Thomas:  Windy City RWA is one of the very best chapters in RWA if I can say so myself. Being president of any chapter entails having a certain degree of passion and devotion to the organization, which is why I ran for the position in the first place. I owe my publishing start to Windy City and to RWA. I've never known an organization that has so many members that give so much to its other membership. I attended my first conference in '98, was a golden Heart finalist in '99, and my first book came out in 2000. I wanted to do something to give back. As president one of my most favorite duties was to recognize first sales in our chapter, secondly a chapter board is responsible for keeping a chapter motivated and constantly learning.

How important are covers in promoting your books? Is there a certain process what happens when choosing these covers? Which cover is your favorite out of all your books?

Ms. Thomas:  Clearly covers are important to the marketing of any book. Authors don't have a choice on their covers. But I can tell you my particular publisher puts a lot of work into the covers they put on their books. I receive a drawing first, then the after a drawing is chosen an artist paints the picture. I happen to have been in New York one day last March and actually got to visit the art department at Harper Collins and viewed some of the artwork for various books. Sin and Scandal in England was one oil painting I got to view. The art work was so beautiful, I purchased the oil painting from the artist. I hope she paints my next few books. She is awesome. As for the cover issue itself, there is a broad spectrum of opinions about which covers work and which ones don't. Personally, I'm a fan of people covers. I love the visual. I use pictures for my characters when I write. At the same time, a lot of people take covers too literally. My last book, Sin and Scandal in England had a couple half undressed outside in the snow. I think what people forget is that covers are art. Most of the time they are even metaphors for the story. The couple says to the reader this book is a romance. The snow represented the season the book takes place. I'd hate to think someone wouldn't buy one of my books because of the cover.

You live near Chicago, one of my favorite cities. What's a favorite day out for you and your family?

Ms. Thomas:  When I had kids living at home I ventured into Chicago quite a bit. We loved the museums. Chicago has an awesome science museum and aquarium. For New Years Eve this year, I'm taking my mother into Chicago to see Phantom of the Opera (my absolute fave show ever) and then we're going to watch the fireworks at Navy Pier. I think that evening will probably win the my-favorite-day-out award.

This week, we have five books (Angel in My Bed, A Match Made in Scandal, In My Heart [not pictured], Must Have Been the Moonlight and Wild and Wicked in Scotland) by Melody Thomas to give away. All you need to do is answer this question correctly: Who is Melody Thomas's critique partner?

Send your answers to aarblog@gmail.com. One winner will be chosen at random from all correct entries submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Thursday night, January 10, 2008. (Unfortunately because of high postal rates, we can only ship to US addresses.) The winner will be announced here and notified by email on Friday, January 11, 2008. Good luck!

LeeB.

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