Ahhh, May.  Yes, a time when the days are cooler Down Under and when Mother’s Day is upon us.  But did you also know May is National Family Reading Month, Autism Awareness and Jelly Baby Month?  In the northern hemisphere, the end of winter is celebrated with May Day and a traditional dance around the maypole.

And now onto those clues for that gorgeous diamond pendant valued at US$350 in our Diamonds Down Under treasure hunt:

Clue 1: What career did Holly originally want to pursue in Boardrooms & A Billionaire Heir? 

Clue 2: What is the English translation of Paula’s first German book? (Hint: you’ll find the answer on Paula’s website)

DON’T POST THE ANSWERS HERE. Collect them, save them, and when you have the answers to all twelve questions in June/July, send them to the contest email address. More details can be found on the Diamonds Down Under contest page. If you missed the other clues, you’ll find them all sorted under the Categories link on the right.   GOOD LUCK!

Only six?   errr… okay.  Not one to turn up my nose at a challenge, here goes!

1. Jake Vance - I based Jake, my hero, on David Boreanaz’s character Seeley Booth in Bones (any excuse to drool and overdose on Series 2 :)  Same broody stare, same high intelligence, same deep-set convictions.  To get more into Jake’s character, I also read The Modern Machiavelli by Ian Demack and took copious notes. 

When his long fingers wrapped around hers, Holly’s skin heated with the contact. It wasn’t power he so clearly exuded. It was something much more seductive. Confidence? Control?

Intimacy.

The way his sharp green gaze swept her from head to toe, taking in her hair, her face, her business suit. The way those eyes probed hers until they finally came to rest on the small diamond solitaire at her throat.

It was exciting coming up with Jake’s backstory.  I was thrilled to get everyone’s “yay!” when I suggested the kidnapped baby scenario.  It gave me lots of wonderful conflict for Jake, complete with a chequered youth and that whole “I’ll never be like my father” thing, too.  

2. Holly McLeod - The picture inspiration for Holly came from an unnamed model on the Ezibuy site.  Holly was a tough one, because I obviously needed someone attractive (especially to Jake!) but not too attractive.

Jake snapped his eyes up to meet hers and it hit him again. It wasn’t the curve of her lips, nor the way her blue eyes tilted up at the corners. It was the tiny birthmark on the left side of her mouth, like some artist had painted it on to tease and tempt. To focus a man’s attention.

A prime kissing target.

My 7 yo son gave me the name of Holly’s home town - Kissy Oak. It’s his mispronunciation of the word ‘kiosk’. After we laughed ourselves silly, I told him I had to use it in a book some time.  And boy, was he tickled to see that in print!

And without Holly, there wouldn’t be Max Carlton, a guy I modeled on the gorgeous Jude Law. Same golden face, same charming smile.  But still a bastard ;) 

It was those innocent choirboy looks, complete with a mop of golden curls that made Max Carlton such a hit. The men liked him for his after-hours drinks and blokey talk about football and women. The women were flattered by his charm and good looks. And to her surprise, there’d been a spark of interest despite the unofficial gossip. He was an attractive smooth-talker and everyone knew it, especially Max Carlton.

I had a lot of fun writing Max’s scenes with Holly - I love writing dialog and the conflict it causes. And it was great to have a villian who was actually on the page and not dead LOL.

3. Nip, tuck.. cut! - BOARDROOMS was originally called Return of the Bad Boy Billionaire. In fact, every DDU story was called something different. But when Senior Editor Melissa Jeglinksi brainstormed, she came up with six gorgeous titles that tied in with the themes perfectly.

Speaking of cutting… I have a tendency to write looong, so it came as no surprise I had to cut a few things My story originally started with an editorial-style article that appeared in a daily newspaper:

The Blackstone Baby: will we ever really know? - editorial comment by Dash Morgan

With only three months to go before Howard Blackstone’s six-month will stipulation expires, we are no closer to discovering the identity of the missing Blackstone heir.

For those who’ve been living under a rock, heir-to-be James Hammond Blackstone was just two years old when he went missing from his multi-million dollar Vaucluse home in November 1976. After both parents were cleared of foul play, the police investigation focused on their housekeeper. Of course, after the ransom note, nothing more was heard until the discovery five days later, when two bodies in a car at the bottom of Lindon River, five kilometres north of Newcastle were identified as the missing housekeeper and her convicted criminal boyfriend. The police concluded that James Blackstone’s body had floated out to sea, a finding that Howard Blackstone refused to acknowledge: after his plane crash and subsequent will reading this past February, it was revealed that the billion dollar gemstone king had been funding a thirty-two year private investigation to recover his son’s whereabouts.

Now, with MacNamara Investigations – the PI group who have apparently discovered a “promising lead” – remaining tight-lipped on the topic, I have to wonder… we will ever know what happened to the Blackstone baby?

The last tragedy to grip and polarize public opinion this tightly was Azaria Chamberlain. And we know how that ended up. Like the Chamberlains, the Blackstones have been tried by public opinion and are either baby killers or victims of tragic circumstance. It’s hard to argue what we already know – suicide, family infighting, mistresses, vendettas and boardroom battles are just another day in the life of a Blackstone. But is it a family blessed by extraordinary wealth… or cursed by it?

Either way, like Azaria, too much time’s passed and the story has moved into urban legend folklore. And of course, it’s brought out the pond scum, those claiming to know the whereabouts of James Blackstone, demanding their fifteen minutes and payment before their hoax is revealed.

Let’s not forget a baby disappeared. It’s a tragedy for any parent to live through. But I’m betting that after August, the Blackstone Baby will be chalked up in Australia’s history under the heading “We’ll Just Never Know.”

I managed to do the rest of the cutting (all 30 pages of it!), keeping the important bits and sprinkling them into the rest of the story. Strangely, I have a love-hate relationship for the story at this stage Michelangelo puts it best when he said “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”

4.  The Dresses - Ahhh, dresses!  I took guilty pleasure in researching the gowns everyone wears to the Blackstone Charity Ball.  Holly’s dress is based on the glamorous print ad for Givenchy’s Organza parfum.  I’ve had the picture for years and was excited I could finally use it in a book! 

He was staring out the kitchen window, at a glittery cruise ship in the harbour when he sensed Holly behind him. Then he turned and all brooding thoughts fizzled from his brain.She was dressed in a white clingy creation, the vertical pleats emphasizing the gentle curves of her body. With her hair pulled high and back, curls cascading over her shoulders, she looked like some Egyptian goddess. The gauzy material draped across her breasts almost lovingly, and it was held up by small shoestring straps, leaving her arms bare. Beneath his unabashed staring, goosebumps spread over her skin.

“Is my dress okay?” She nervously tugged at the neckline, tweaking the fabric into place. 

“You’re more than okay.”  Amazingly, after everything they’d done together, after every body part he’d teased, kissed and caressed, she blushed. He’d never get tired of seeing her blush.

Of course, I consulted Bronwyn, Tessa, Yvonne and Maxine to find out what the other women (and men!) would wear.  Briana was sexy in red (picture found at a prom dress site), Kim elegant in a strapless black creation (this photo is from a vintage site), and Jessica pregnant and glowing in a silver halterneck.

 5. Blackstone’s Head Office - Research (aka surfing the ‘net) is the best part of a story! I used my artistic license and removed the Sydney Hilton from it’s George/Pitt Street location and plonked Blackstone’s right there in the center instead. The location is prime real estate with a squillion shops - from the Pitt Street Mall, Centrepoint Tower and Queen Victoria Building - just a stone’s throw away. My favorite is the beautiful historic Strand Arcade. Opened in 1891, it was the last Sydney arcade to open and the only one to still remain in original form. It’s full of elegant jewellery stores, milliners, one-off designer gear and coffee shops ::::sigh:::

Okay, back to Blackstone’s! Here’s a shot of the interior:

Originally, I had an interior description when Jake first fronts up in the foyer, but that was eventually cut. Here’s what didn’t make it into the book:

Jake strode across the foyer of Blackstones Diamonds, ignoring the lush, expensive fittings. He barely glanced at the Tom Bass bronze sculpture that took center place on the polished marble floor, the smooth dip and flow of modern lines doing nothing to calm his tightly wound tension.

The security desk lay dead ahead, but it wasn’t the young guy behind it who captured his attention. It was the woman.

6. Holly and Jake’s apartments - I studiously trolled many real estate sites, imagining the kind of places Holly and Jake would live.  I even went into the city and took a walk around, picturing myself in Holly’s shoes. For Jake’s place, there was no contest - Sydney Wharf is a brand-new harbourside development and an obvious choice for a man who has it all. Here’s a shot (left) of what I imagined Jake’s apartment looks like inside…

Holly is fortunate enough to have a room mate (the mysteriously exotic Miko Tarasai… I get the feeling she’ll want her own story one day!) whose parents own the apartment she lives in.  Like many people in real life (myself included!) Holly started off with one career in mind, but instead just ‘fell’ into another - in her case, she wanted to study interior design but ended up at Blackstone’s.  However, she still gets to call on her creative energies - here’s what she did with her apartment.

The whole concept of DIAMONDS DOWN UNDER was as thrilling as it was scary. But having five other authors I personally know and (still!) love working with me, the whole writing process was a lot less insular and a heap more fun. Truly, I have the best job in the world!

Boardrooms & A Billionaire Heir is now available at Amazon and as an e-book from eHarlequin.  Check out Paula’s website for more behind-the-scenes info.  And remember to post a message if you want to be in the running for a gorgeous diamond keyring!

What are the six things that make Desire so desirable to readers? Is it the men? Is it the setting? Is it the seduction of the reader’s senses? Is it the conflict between the characters and what they need to overcome to find that true happy ending? Or maybe it’s the romance - that slow, beguiling dance that woos your mind? Or even how it pulls on your emotions. Here’s our take on what makes a Desire so desirable and why we love to write them.

is for DANGEROUS.  Yvonne says: He’s dangerous and he’s dramatic. He’s the Desire alpha male. Not one to simply sit back and observe, he’s the take-charge kind of man- and when it comes to our heroine you can rest assured he’ll be taking charge of her. Powerful and wealthy, the Desire hero is a man of conviction with the drive and means to make things happen yet, despite all that he has his own vulnerabilities, his softer side. He does nothing without good reason and is man enough to admit when he’s made a mistake. Lana Turner once said “A gentleman is a patient wolf” and this encapsulates the Desire hero perfectly. He’s strong, intelligent, eminently desirable and dangerous to the heart, and it takes a special kind of woman to tame the wolf inside the man.

is for EXOTIC. Bronwyn says: One of the most fun things about Desire is the EXOTIC world created within the 180 pages. Whether a book is set in outback Australia, on a Caribbean island, beside the Mediterranean, or in a Park Avenue penthouse, it is a world apart from real life for most (dare I say all?) readers.  The settings and all the trappings that go with - the fabulous homes, beautiful clothes, stunning jewels, the parties, the champagne, the starred restaurants - are foreign, lavish, sophisticated, and help create a fantasy world where anything is possible. The Cinderella housekeeper will win her prince. The Plain Jane secretary will have her tycoon boss. The everyday woman will triumph over the beautiful sophisticate. The deserving heroine can have anything and everything her heart desires, although she (and we, the readers) know that what matters isn’t the window-dressing but what’s inside. 

is for SEDUCTIVE.  Maxine says: The hallmark of a Silhouette Desire is the promise of passion and sensuality. From the moment the Desire hero and heroine lay eyes on each other their seduction of the senses begin. A look… a touch… the very scent of the other person… their voice… seeps through every pore and makes their hearts beat faster. They may fight their emotions but they can’t fight their intense attraction. Desires are provocative and passionate, seducing not only the hero and heroine but the reader as well. Dare to be seduced.

is for INTENSE. Paula says: Amongst other things, Merriam Websters dictionary defines intense as “exhibiting strong feeling” and “deeply felt”.  In Desire, the ride is emotional, fast-paced, intense.  In particular, intensity comes from the situation the hero/heroine find themselves in: two people thrown together, each wanting something but with one major problem standing in the way.  Intensity reveals through their emotions, their struggles and how they deal with those conflicts. The best part about writing a Desire is the characters, especially the conflict that makes them multi-faceted people who jump out on the page. Because for me, it’s that push-pull factor happening to your hero and heroine that keeps me reading.   Deeply felt?  For Desire, nothing could be closer to the truth. 

is for ROMANTIC. Jan says: A Silhouette Desire engages all of our senses. Romantic love is a blend of courtly love – the idealistic, chivalrous relationship between a feudal knight and his liege-lord’s lady – and urgent, mutual physical desire. Our Senior Editor, Melissa Jeglinski, likens it to a guilty pleasure. You know you shouldn’t, you try your best not to, but something compels you to take that enormous risk. It’s a recipe for disaster, but when you get it right and overcome the obstacles, it’s the most fulfilling meal you can eat. Take one dangerous alpha male, add a pinch of glamour, a large scoop of desire, sprinkle in some conflict and knead with emotion. Mix together the mind, the body, the soul and the heart, and there you have it. In Desire, there is no doubt that the two characters you read about should back off quick before they perish in an inferno. But no one else in the world can give them what this one person can, no matter how hard they try to block them. Remember, you may be only one person to the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

is for EMOTIONAL. Tessa says: One of the best things about reading romance is that emotional hit that comes when a story REALLY twists your heart. Know that feeling? It’s that magic moment when everything in the book comes together and you’re left reeling by the sheer power of the story…of the romance…of the emotions that the characters are experiencing. You become the heroine, you feel her pain, you see the beauty, you enter her world…you experience everything she does. You fall in love…with her world, with the hero, her emotions become yours. That intertwining of the hero and the heroine, of the reader and the story, reaches a moment of perfect emotional pitch. And that exquisite instant of emotional impact is the reason I’ve always read Desire…and romance. It’s something very special.

As a special prize this week we have a copy of Robyn Grady’s The Magnate’s Marriage Demand and as a little something extra, a copy of Anne Gracie’s A Perfect Rake. Both very desirable books to have in your collection!

Please accept my apologies for posting late, but I’m sure you are all going to love hearing what this lady has to say. We are so excited to bring you the following Q&A by Diana Ventimiglia, Associate Editor for Silhouette Desire. Many published and aspiring authors already know Diana as Melissa Jeglinski’s Editorial Assistant until her promotion last year. Diana kindly agreed to answer the questions we dreamed up for her, but even more fantastic, she has offered to critique a full or partial manuscript from a randomly-chosen winner who comments on this week’s blog. If you are not in a position to take advantage of this prize there will be a parcel of books from our Downunder authors. Feel free to comment on the blog anyway, just stipulate whether or not you want to go in the draw for Diana’s critique or the book prize. We will draw the winner on Sunday 27th April.

Don’t be confused with the critique offered by Melissa Jeglinski, which will be drawn in June and is still open for comments. Check out Melissa’s Q&A in December to enter. 

1/ The Desire line is home to many different voices, settings and tones - perhaps now more than ever! What do think epitomizes a great Desire?

I think a great Desire is sexy and packed with lots of conflict. If an author can give me passion, scandal, and an alpha hero I’d love to date myself I think they’ve nailed Desire. I also think Desire has very strong heroines. They are nurturing and sensitive, yet can stand up for themselves.

2/ Your podcast with MJ last month on eHarlequin generated a lot of interest. I was interested to hear you would like authors to push the envelope, go deeper or more over the top. Can you expand on that a little?

By pushing the envelope I mean moving out of ones comfort zone. If an author had an idea and thought, ‘hmm this might be a little too dramatic’; I say go for it. Don’t be afraid to add different elements. For example, the hero gets into a car accident and is left with amnesia. He returns home and marries the wrong twin sister he slept with months ago. Then it turns out she’s pregnant with his brother’s child. OK maybe not exactly the above, but just that idea of not being afraid to be a little too dramatic. It’s always easier to cut down than to tack on at the end.

3/Can you give us your take on the differences between the Presents and the Desire Alpha Hero?

I think the biggest difference between the Presents hero and the Desire hero is that the Desire hero shows his feelings more. The readers have a better idea of where he came from and his transformation in the end.  For example, although he is out for revenge, readers still see his sensitive side as he feels for the heroine throughout the manuscript. 

4/Can you give us a brief idea of the path of a contracted manuscript after it lands on your desk?

Once a contracted manuscript lands on my desk, I first give it a read through to make sure it follows the proposal and has all the elements of a Desire. Once I complete this, I then begin the line edit. After this stage, the manuscript is sent out for copyediting, and I contact my authors with any important questions the copy editors may have. The author also receives a copy of the line edit, so she can get back to me with any changes she may have

5/What’s your personal favourite storyline - MOC, secret baby, seductive revenge etc? And do you have an all-time favourite romance?

I love secret baby stories. I just think they can be so juicy. I also think it makes for a great connection between the hero and heroine. I love seeing the hero taking on a more fatherly role. He really appeals to me in those scenes. So I’m very excited about the Billionaires & Babies series that starts in August 2008 with Maureen Child’s Baby Bonanza.

My all time favorite romance is when Harry Met Sally. I could watch that movie everyday for the rest of the year and be just as sappy.

6/I think you have a couple of Downunderers  in your growing stable of authors. Is it a hassle dealing with time differences, international postage, contracts whizzing here, there and everywhere, or not much different to dealing with American authors?

Well I love my down under authors and dealing with them is never a hassle. Really, it’s pretty much the same with American authors. The only difference being the time delay via telephone. I feel like those cell phone commercials where someone says something and the other responds but doesn’t hear anything and then thinks they said something horrible!  J Haha so this sometimes can be tough, but other than that proposals and other materials are sent just as regularly as the American authors

7/Did you collaborate on the Diamonds Downunder series at all or was that down to MJ and the continuity editors?

Yes, that was all MJ.

There you have it. I will attempt to load the gorgeous pic Diana sent me but as my technical ability is now legendary on this blog, don’t hold your breath. Sorry again about the delay. What an interesting lady Diana is. Get polishing those secret baby stories, I say! And don’t forget, the winner for her critique or the books prize - you stipulate which when you post - will be drawn on Sunday 27th April. Best of luck, everyone!

Diamonds in the rough may appear dull and lifeless. But once cut they come alive and scintillate. In so many ways they characterise the Desire world and the characters that people it: brilliance, constancy, dominancy, excellence, indestructibility, love, glamour, wealth and immortality.

1. The Fascination of Pinks - Pink diamonds might not be a myth. But they are rare. What I didn’t know when we started writing is that Australia is the only place on earth that produces pink diamonds in any significant number. The Argyle mine in Western Australia’s Kimberley region produces over 90% of the world’s pink diamonds. For some idea of how rare these stones are, pink diamonds make up less than 1% of the diamonds mined at the Argyle mine. 

All of the Diamonds Down Under authors were fascinated by these rare and valuable stones. We even became absorbed in the precise shade of pink that coloured the Heart of the Outback. If you’ve read Mistress & A Million Dollars you’ll know that pink diamonds cause Briana quite a lot of grief.

2. Ancient Gems - The Argyle diamonds are ancient stones—over a billion years old. That fact nearly blew me away!

3. A Diamond is Forever - So we’re romance readers…and writers. We believe in finding that special unique love that endures forever. So it’s hardly surprising that the De Beer’s slogan A Diamond Is Forever works for me. What I didn’t know before writing Pride & A Pregnancy Secret was the tale behind the story which, like so many diamond stories, is utterly fascinating!

After surveying more than 5 000 young adult Americans in about 1946 from the target consumer group, De Beers must have been horrified to learn that there was little association between diamonds and engagement rings. Instead, after lean war years, people wanted the best and brightest in life. Cars. Holidays. Homes. Luxurious fashion. And brightly coloured jewellery.

So De Beers retained N.W. Ayer, a New York advertising agency, to put together an advertising campaign around copy that reflected magic moments a woman would want to remember her whole life…against a background of French paintings of romantic settings. But the campaign didn’t take off until 1947. The story goes that copywriter Frances Gerety, desperately tired late one April evening, was searching for that perfect combination of words that writers so often find elusive. Frustrated, she put her head down and prayed, “Please God, send me a line”.

Frances was blessed. It came. A Diamond is Forever. Four words conveying eternity, keepsakes, a legacy of love that would last into immortality. The link between diamonds and love had been made forever.

4. How Hard is a Diamond? - Unlike other stones, diamonds are not formed at the earth’s crust. They are created deep underground in a volcanic crucible of heat and pressure. So it shouldn’t surprise that diamonds emerge a “perfect 10″ on the Mohs scale - defining the top of the hardness scale.

It’s the hardest substance found in nature making it as highly desirable to industry as it is to women. Diamonds are four times harder than the next hardest natural mineral corundum - yes, those pretty blue sapphires and red rubies. Being so superior means that diamonds are of course going to be compared to our alpha heroes who can have diamantine qualities - a hard diamond-like stare that glitters with menace!

Queen Elizabeth I was rumoured to have been used the hardness of diamond rings for scribbling messages to her favoured crushes on glass window panes. In ancient Rome Pliny was disturbed by the notion of the time that diamonds were so hard that they could be melted only by the blood of a newborn lamb.

But while diamonds are hard, they can be brittle. Hitting a diamond with a hammer is no test to discover whether it is real-or not. Those shattered shards might well have belonged to a flawless diamond. A diamond has perfect cleavage in four directions. Hit it along one of those and it will split. It’s this that gives me so much admiration for diamond cutters - not only do those guys have skill, they must have nerves of steel too. True hero material.

5. Diamonds in a Pack - Diamonds are the only gem that have a shape of the same name.

In a pack of playing cards diamonds represent the merchant classes, diamonds being significant coinage in commerce. Practical spades are for peasants, clubs, being blunt fighting weapons, are for warriors soldiers while romantic hearts are for the upper classes who had the means and . The King of Diamonds is supposed to represent Julius Caesar and the Knave of Diamonds is heroic Hector.

6. Diamond Anniversaries - On a list created in 1927 by American etiquette writer Emily Post, diamonds were deemed a suitable gift for that 60th or 75th anniversary. But a more up-to-date suggests that the 10th wedding anniversary is a good time to bestow a diamond on a loved one.

It’s not unheard of for the eternity ring to be presented on the first anniversary. Full eternity rings (where diamonds fill the entire circumference) are expensive and usually custom made. More popular are designs with a half arch of diamonds in a channel.

Eternity rings have become a popular way to celebrate the birth of a first child (a reward for childbirth? ) and are often worn on the same finger as the engagement ring and wedding ring - in any order that the wearer finds most comfortable. I love the trend that is growing where Eternity rings are becoming popular for renewals of vows ceremonies too - a reminder of that forever pledge. Love - and diamonds - are forever.

I’ve spent months reading about diamonds - and some of the above was simply absorbed in the jump from website to website. Some fragment would catch my fancy…then Google would do the rest… but Buried Treasure by Victoria Finlay  is a fascinating source of facts and legends about diamonds—the source of some of the above tales.

Share your most fascinating or unusual fact about diamond and win a copy of Tessa’s first Desire, BLACK WIDOW BRIDE and a copy of TYCOON’S VALENTINE VENDETTA, Yvonne’s February release.

Hi! It’s time for the Diamonds Down Under Treasure Hunt again. Each month, to coincide with the release of each book, two clues will be posted here at the DDU blog. Collect all the clues, submit your entry per the instructions on our website contest page, and some lucky, lucky person will win this stunning diamond-set pendant valued at US$350.

April Clues:
1/What annual event was the Australian Governor General in Port Douglas to commemorate? (From Satin and a Scandalous Affair by Jan Colley.)
2/What is the name of Jan’s favorite team of alpha heroes? (Hint - look on her website, hint hint: they play rugby!)

Remember, don’t post the answers here. Save all twelve answers and then at the conclusion of the contest in July, email your answers to the contest email address on our contest page.
Good luck, everyone!

The Hero: Quinn Everard

I originally thought of Quinn as Irish American, mainly because I thought we might like an American Hero amongst the Aussies and Kiwis to appease our beloved American readers. But he got lost somewhere along the way. As soon as I saw this guy’s face with his dark eyes and broken nose, I was on my way to falling in love. The juxtaposition of ruggedness versus his suave, man-of-the-world mannerisms excited me, although ‘my’ Quinn is a few years younger and has dark hair.

“Dani stared boldly back, seeing in her mind’s eye his tall broad form as he’d scrutinized her display window. How she’d admired what looked like an Armani suit – a rarity in the tropics – and his smooth, rolling gait as he’d straightened and moved inside. He moved like a fighter, and who’s to say he wasn’t? There was a definite break in his nose, the telltale bump high on the bridge, and a scar, smooth and pale, traced the corner of his mouth.”

The Heroine: Dani Hammond

I wanted someone younger than Quinn, the complete opposite of his cool sophistication. I loved this lady’s hair! I wanted her to have a colourful, zany sense of fashion, a breath of fresh air to cultured Quinn Everard. His cool against her flamboyance…

“She’d attempted to tame her wildfire hair with a scarf, but still, dark red curls sprang up in interesting dimensions. Her colour sense was outrageous, combining a red-and-pink-striped top with a captivatingly short floral skirt. She was exotic, unconventional, bubbling over with life and energy. He knew more beautiful women but none so colourful, so vibrantly original.”

The Setting: Four Mile Beach

I have visited Port Douglas five times! My very favourite part of each day is to beat DH out of bed and walk into town along this beautiful, almost deserted beach. It takes me about fifty minutes to walk into the township but I would never stay anywhere but Four Mile. Sometimes, I’ll catch the shuttle back after raisin toast and a lime thickshake. If I’m not too tired or it’s not too hot, I’ll kick off the walking shoes and splish splash back along the beach, from the view shown above right around the corner to where the white beach runs out.

The Finished Product:

This is the setting I imagined Dani came up with for the massive fancy intense yellow diamond Quinn commissioned her to design. Only you have to imagine the platinum cage is more delicate, and that there is a humungous yellow diamond in there! (I didn’t have any problems imagining that!)

“He looked first for impact, and got it in spades. A diamond inside a diamond. Mere filaments of platinum, like the gossamer wings of a dragonfly, held the huge trilliant-cut stone suspended inside a web cage.”

Nautilus Restaurant

Cemented in the history of Nautilus is the US presidential visit of Bill & Hillary Clinton in October 1996. One night at around 8:40 pm, with no prior reservation, and two small tables of “minders” already dining in the restaurant, two of the Clintons’ senior security officers entered the restaurant and spoke with Carmel. She was asked if all the guests had arrived, they had. The secret service men then proceeded to advise her that all of the restaurant’s telephones had been disconnected and that the President and First Lady would be arriving to dine in around 10 minutes. None of the other diners then present in the restaurant were allowed to leave.

Hillary had seen a feature on Nautilus in the New York Times and she had included a romantic anniversary dinner at Nautilus in their holiday plans. The restaurant was sealed off, Murphy Street was blocked at both ends and officers were stationed at all points including the kitchen. The Clintons dined alone, and enjoyed their own intimate “Nautilus Experience”. There was a small wedding party in the restaurant and Bill signed their wedding certificate and the bride presented her bouquet to Hillary for her wedding anniversary.  (from the Nautilus Restaurant’s website)

In five visits to Port, I have eaten here once as it’s pretty expensive. It was unique with the tables set amongst the trees so you hardly even realised there were other diners present. The food was beautiful and they served a very nice Nautilus wine – all the way from Marlborough, New Zealand! Quinn, Dani and Matt dined here in Satin & a Scandalous Affair.

The Dress:

Last year I was invited to my friend Deb’s wedding. She was stunning in a dress she designed herself, with a little help. It was exactly the sort of dress that Dani would wear to a posh, tropical wedding. The beautiful bride drove herself to the wedding (not by helicopter!) …

and I wish that was me with her but sadly, it was her best friend, bridesmaid, and this year’s winner of the Arnold Amateur Bodybuilding Champs in Ohio, gorgeous Jo Stewart.

“Dani expected a few raised eyebrows about her dress, especially from her mother. Strapless and backless, the fabric was hummer orange but the chiffon overskirt was made up of thousands of tiny overlapping patches of deep pink blush and vivid orange. When she moved, the patches rippled with the richness of the sunset.”

Rings, necklaces, pendants…pearls, platinum, diamonds…if you could be a jewellery designer for a day and the sky was the limit, what would you create? Comments to this week’s blog go in the draw to win a copy of my first book, Trophy Wives, and a little bling – can’t say too much, but it will have a pink ‘diamond’ in it!

Researching this series was fun, exhaustive and exhausting, but always interesting. We’ve come up with 6 fun or interesting things we discovered while researching Diamonds Down Under.

Bronwyn: You know the hardest part about this blog piece? Deciding on one fun or interesting thing from all the cool research for this series. I started a list: conflict diamonds, Argyle pinks, uber-rare greens, diamond cutting in India, famous diamond houses, the ice roads to Canada’s mines, choosing a private jet, the rate of body decomposition in warm water.  Loads and loads of fascinating stuff, so my list grew and grew and still I couldn’t decide.  In the end I decided to go for fun and to choose a simple piece of trivia, and not only so I could use this picture. 

Did you know that the best way to preserve your diamond’s sparkle is to soak it in vodka? 

Tessa: Okay. I admit it, I like graveyards, particularly old graveyards. In the daytime they can be beautiful, peaceful places. At night the same spot might be lonely…ghostly…spooky. But every cemetery has its own atmosphere and character. I love reading the old, leaning headstones and trying to figure the stories behind the engraved words.

I’d never been to Rookwood Cemetery in Sydney where Maxine suggested Howard Blackstone’s funeral would take place, but I knew that it would have its own character. Dating back to 1868 it’s one of the largest Victorian era cemeteries in the world. I found a map online, discovered the winding roads, the old section of the cemetery, and saw that there was a large section with war graves—something I always find heart-wrenching. I contacted Friends of Rookwood who advised that the war graves would be visible to Jessica and Ryan on entering the gates.

One photo of Rookwood with a stretch of curving road with the palms in the distance and rows of agapanthus along the Serpentine Canal caught my eye—so that went into PRIDE & A PREGNANCY SECRET too. I learned that magpies, ravens, white crested cockatoos and my personal favourite, kookaburras, live in the trees—I love their distinctive slightly insane giggle so felt quite comfortable describing it. Rookwood is also home to many varieties of trees among them Norfolk Island Pines, Canary Island Palms, Eucalyptus and Cedars of Lebanon.

And I even learned that the Aussie slang expression ‘crook as Rookwood’ to describe feeling ill came from the name of the cemetery. That’s one of my best parts of writing—all the new weird (mostly weird this time!) and wonderful things you discover!

Maxine: While it was great fun researching the likes of diamonds, settings, family dynamics, I find it fascinating to look back and see exactly how much research went into this series. And it was a LOT. Thanks to the Yahoo Group that Yvonne set up for the 6 of us back in March 2006, it’s easy to see that in the intervening two years we’ve populated it with approximately 5,900 messages. Like the ebbing of the tide, there were some months that were quieter than others, other months where we stormed our brains out. There were brief emails asking just a question, and lengthy emails with suggestions and opinions attached to the original message until it turned into a game of who said what.

And try to remember that when you’re in the middle of writing another book, or a couple of months have passed before you need that information again, it got pretty crazy at times. Then there were the messages celebrating good news like the senior editor had approved someone’s synopsis, and the messages commiserating the not-so-good when one of us had revisions to do. At the most, in one month we managed 721 messages. Not bad for just six of us. All in all, it was definitely a unique experience that showed me one thing in particular. Putting a story together was hard work, but putting six of them together was a miracle.

Jan: The most fun and hands-on research for me was a visit to a local manufacturing jeweller who specialises in diamonds. I sat across from Richard as he idly toyed with tweezers and a pile of diamonds on his desk, and gave me all sorts of fascinating facts about sourcing, designing and cutting – and the cleaning of his office when he drops a diamond on the floor and can’t find it! Then he invited me to peek over the shoulders of his three jewellers as they fashioned some lovely diamond rings. I took notes on the tools and technology used and the impressive security measures necessary for an operation like this.

I also got my old solitaire cleaned for the first time in forever and was told it was ‘disgustingly’ dirty! It was a fun day. What was meant to be an hour turned into four and I got caught up in their enthusiasm and passion for jewellery. I brought them some wine and muffins, but writing this article has just reminded me that I promised them a couple of books when it finally came out.

Paula: A few interesting facts spring to mind about the research I did for the series - and the first two relate directly to my writer’s brain :)  The first is that diamonds can actually come from outer space (imagine the stories you could tell - precious stones, warring worlds, greedy kings and noble warriors…)  The other is that missing diamond from the bonnet of Klien’s car in the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix. 

This picture, courtesy of Jaguar racing, says: Gentlemen, if you would please empty your pockets… Christian Klien in the wall and missing a precious diamond!  Paula says: Ahh, I think I’m going to have to tell the “real” story about that missing diamond sometime in the future…!

And lastly, thanks to the wonderful Andrew Burden from Canberra’s Aviation Search and Rescue Centre who answered all my questions about planes crashing into the coastal waters of Australia (did you know there’s a trench a couple of miles off the coast and if you crash in there, there’s no hope of recovery?), how long it would take for someone to respond, who could survive, how long government departments would search before giving up etc etc. 

Yvonne: What I enjoyed the most about researching for the continuity was discovering how many experts in their field are incredibly forthcoming with information when they realise you genuinely are researching for a book and are not just yanking their chain. I admit I was at the receiving end of a bit of scepticism from the Co-ordinator of the Diving Unit, Marine Area Command NSW Police, but once he was assured of our intention to find out what was realistically involved in the recovery of bodies that had been trapped in a wreck in the sea for some time he was a fount of information.

Also, too, the Crim Trac scientist, who gave me amazing detail as to the identification process required for those fictional bodies, which obviously wouldn’t have a visibly identifiable characteristic left. It was heartening to hear her enthusiasm for our scenario, and to get scientific verification that our original timelines would work. Honestly, the back story research was worth a book in itself!

Lets talk about all the fun and interesting and diverse knowledge we pick up between the covers of romance novels. What have you learned recently while reading? One winner will be drawn from the comments on April 5. The prize: a Desire Duo from the UK pairing of Bronwyn Jameson’s THE RUTHLESS GROOM and Jan Colley’s TROPHY WIVES.

I’ve often kidded people that I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up until I became a romance writer, but when I think back, I’ve always been the type to day dream and scribble stories for all sorts of things. English was one of my favourite, and best, subjects at school (horrors!) and even now there’s nothing I like more than getting lost in a well written story. So why romance? Let me tell you: 

1.    Because no matter how awful the situation you’re always guaranteed a happy ending. Where else in life can you be assured of that. I felt positively cheated when I watched the movie Message in a Bottle through to the end. After all, how hard would it have been to give the poor guy a happy ending? Argh!  I love knowing that no matter how hard the trials that I put my characters through they’re going to win through in the end. 

2.    You get to visit all parts of the world through another’s eyes. In the books I’ve read I’ve learned a great deal about American cities, American towns, life in Australia, Europe, the UK, you name it. There’s been a book set there and that special flavour that is imparted by the author for the place she’s writing about gives the book another character in the setting.  For me, I get to write about the country I love and the places I’ve been to and have enjoyed. In fact everywhere we go, whether on holiday or simply for a day’s drive out of the city, I’m looking at setting to see how I can incorporate it into my next manuscript. 

3.    Being “The Boss”. Basically I’m my own boss. I call the shots as to when I’m working and what I’ll deliver to my editor (who is probably my other boss but she’s too lovely to be mean J) and I love it! If I get myself all stressed out over deadlines and things I only have myself to blame and only I can get it right. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not a control freak, but there’s a lot to be said for being in charge…of yourself. 

4.    The hours. Because my man about the house is a shift worker we get to spend plenty of time together on his days off while I still manage to meet my deadlines. Plus, I’m always home if one of the progeny aren’t well and need a tender hand to their brow. Okay, maybe I’m going a bit overboard here. So I select a stack of DVDs, give them a bottle of water and some snacks and park them in front of the DVD player with their blanket and pillow. The important thing is I’m home and able to do that without having to ask anyone else to either  (a) let me have time off work, or (b) look after them for me, both of which I’ve done plenty of in the years preceding my life as it is now.  

5.    You get to fall in love with a new guy in every book. Not only do you get to write about whatever kind of guy takes your fancy, you get to go deep inside his head and his heart and find out exactly what makes him tick. And you get to give him his heart’s desire—the woman he’s going to love for all time and who will love him in return.   

6.    This is the most important reason of all—because it makes me happy. It makes me happy to write stories that have happy endings. It makes me happy to find out new things about my characters and their worlds. It makes me happy to be my own boss and work my own hours and to fall in love every time I start a new book. And it makes me even more happy to know that those books resonate with my readers and in turn make them happy too. How can you argue with that? 

What about you? If you’re a romance writer, what do you love the most about writing romance? And if you’re a reader, what is it that you love the most about the books you choose?

From your comments I will draw a random winner to receive an Australian/New Zealand edition of my TYCOON’S VALENTINE VENDETTA!

When it comes to writing romance, we Aussies are blessed for choice. Not only do we have a wealth of hero potential in Hugh and Eric and Julian and co., but there’s also those gorgeous, smart, deprecatingly-witty Aussie girls as heroine fodder and some of the most vivid settings in which to place our pair of potential lovers. Here are my top six settings for Australian romance.

1. BEACH: with over 36,000km of coastline (that’s further than the flying distance from New York to Sydney to London and back to New York!) Australia boasts A LOT of beaches, from tourist favourites such as Sydney’s Bondi and Queenland’s Gold Coast to pristine stretches of sand in remote wilderness locations. If size really does matter, how about Eighty Mile Beach (WA) and Ninety Mile Beach (Vic)? There is something elemental and evocative about an isolated beach, the sound of waves crashing against rock, the sight of two pairs of footprints meandering along the water’s edge. It really sets you in mind of THAT scene in From Here to Eternity, doesn’t it?
Try: Robyn Grady’s For Blackmail…or Pleasure. (How hot is that cover?)

2. SYDNEY: our most famous and populous city (4.28 million) is always a high rater in the world’s most livable city survey. If I could afford to live there, quite possibly I would. Sydney is reknowned for the world’s most beautiful* harbour and beaches and the iconic Opera House, which is more than a landmark. It’s also a symbol of the sophisticated side of a city better known for the laidback lifestyle represented by the building’s white sails. (*According to the Bron Not-Very-Scientific Survey of harbours and beaches.)
Try: Vows & A Vengeful Groom, Pride & A Pregnancy Secret, Boardrooms & A Billionaire Heir.

3. OUTBACK: the sheer scale of our country’s interior is awe-inspiring, as is the harsh beauty that awaits after the long journey to get there. As a setting for romance, there is much to be made of the isolation, the city-country disparity, the fish-out-of-water story trope, and the parallel of a strong, rugged Aussie bloke and the land that is his. As for romance itself, how about you, Mr Tall Dark and Enigmatic, and the clarity of diamond bright stars against a velvet dark night sky?
Try: my Rugged Loner or any outback title by Barbara Hannay.

4. THE TROPICAL NORTH: Is it just me or has there not been enough made of the sumptuous beauty of Australia’s tropical north? Think about the prospects of an island paradise set amidst lush rainforest, the scent of frangipani on the evening breeze and the white sand of a private beach dazzling in its purity. Imagine lazing beside a horizon pool sipping cocktails–the kind with tiny umbrellas and a fruity kick and colours as vivid as the coral and fish in the reef lagoon. Or if that’s too laidback for your kind of romance, how about the wild energy of a tropical storm unleashed after a sultry day’s brewing….
Try: Jan Colley’s Satin & A Scandalous Affair.

5. MELBOURNE: our second largest city (3.74 million) much loved as the sporting and events capital of Australia. Home of the F1 Grand Prix (today, as it happens!), the Australian Open tennis, our biggest horseracing carnival The Melbourne Cup, and site of Australia’s first Summer Olympics (1956.) But we love it for the shopping, the cafes, the footie, the trams, the blending of many cultures. As for romance, there is plenty of scope in the lux hotels and the glamourous suburbs and in the beauty of the nearby Dandenongs, the Yarra Valley, and the Bellerine and Mornington Peninsulas where the wealthy like to unwind.
Try: Maxine Sullivan’s Mistress & A Million Dollars.

6. WILDERNESS: there is something primal, majestic, magical about the mountains and forests, and I love romances set in a remote area where the couple are stranded by harsh weather. Often they are pitted against the environment in a battle for survival; always they battle the tension of forced proximity and survival becomes more about protecting a closely guarded heart.
Try: my Tycoon’s One-Night Revenge, which is set at a fictional Tasmanian wilderness resort.

Tell me which of these settings most appeal to you as a reader and/or which books/authors have sold you on a particular setting. I will be drawing one winner from the comments on Saturday March 22. The prize: my out-of-print outback romance, RITA-finalist The Rugged Loner, a signed copy of my April release Tycoon’s One-Night Revenge, plus a Colours of Australia address book.