Some heartfelt thanks

Thanks to fabulous-o blogger Rebecca at the Every Day Is The Same Blog, I have pictorial evidence of my latest Harlequin Presents Extra release, Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger on the shelves in New York City.... As I consider NYC one of the coolest cities on the planet, this photo brought a special little glow to my day yesterday. Gotta say, it never gets old seeing your book on the shelf. So muchas gracias for that, Rebecca!

And I also discovered this lovely review of my latest Riva book Cupcakes and Killer Heels on romance novelist Louise Rose-Innes's blog... She's turning into a bit of a Riva fan. Go Louise!

Here are a few snippets while I bask...

"I was surprised to discover that the main characters, the hero in particular, apart from being drop-dead gorgeous, are also fairly flawed, which adds a depth that is seldom found in category romance these days."

"The first chapter starts with a bang, quite literally, as the hero and heroine connect in a funny encounter that had me laughing out loud."

"Ultimately, the hero and the heroine reach a point in their emotional development where the crazy, all-consuming passion they feel for each other can evolve into a mature and rewarding relationship."


Wow! How cool is that? So thanks Louise for the review! It's always so great to hear that the effort we're all putting in to make Riva fresh and fun and flirty and something a little bit different for category romance readers is appreciated!

Vote for Me This Weekend, Cos I Wanna Win!!

Ok, so my book Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger is up for the coveted title of Book of the Week on the Long and Short Reviews Blog and I want you to go vote for it. And I think you have to do it this weekend... Because I really want to win. Why? Well there are two main reasons.

The First Reason is that they gave the book a magnificent 'Five Book' review last week... So surely it deserves a vote or two.

Here's some of the highlights from that review to prove my point:

'This story defines what I look for in a romance book and Ms. Rice delivers.'

'Maddy is the heroine and she’s such a warm and wonderful person it was a pleasure watching her deal with the cranky dude she saved from drowning.'

'Rye is a deliciously complicated man with a few defensive layers just begging to be unraveled. He’s rich, he’s commanding and boy, does he ever know his way around a woman’s body. There were quite a few times I really wished I was Maddy when he does what he does to her, more than once.'

'This story is chock full of clever writing and great descriptions. I don’t know how to express the extreme satisfaction that I got while reading this story.'

'Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger is a very emotional book despite the very cheery title. This book hit all my happy buttons and is the kind of book I would have no problem telling all my friends to read. There is so much to like and enjoy throughout the entire story, it’s actually hard to pick just one scene or moment that was better than another. They all contributed to my maximum enjoyment and I look forward to reading other books from Ms. Rice. If her sense of humor and interpretation of life’s quirky moments are typical for her style of writing then the author has found herself a new fan.'

Okay, enough with the quotes, you can read the whole wonderful review here, but you get the drift. They loved my book and my head is now so enormous I need a crane to keep it from lolling onto my computer.

But now here's the Second Reason:

I've been nominated for some pretty terrific prizes in my time (ooh goody, another opportunity to mention my RITA nomination in 2008!!) but the only thing I've ever won was a treasure hunt at a Wiltshire Country Fair in the 1970s and all I got was 50p. And folks, even in the inflation-proof 70s, 50p was a pretty crap prize. Somehow I had convinced myself I was going to win a new Chopper bike after they announced my name over the tannoy and as I raced across the fairground, dodging coconut shies and swinging boats with my brother. But when I got to the organisers tent and breathlessly announced who I was, the gruff carny counting up the days' takings tossed me a 50p coin and told me to get lost. Is anyone sobbing yet??


So you see, you have to vote for me, so I can finally prove to myself (and my brother) that that damn 50p isn't going to be the only thing I ever win!


Here's where to vote, if you loved the review (or even if you've just taken pity on my sad little sob story!)


Thanks Heidi x

PS: And I never did get that coveted chopper bike... I'm just saying!!

Sexy Lifeguard Alert at I Heart Presents

Am blogging over at I Heart Presents today about the inspiration for my April Presents Extra release Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger during a not-so-glam camping holiday in Cornwall two summers ago. And yes, as this blog title suggests some very tasty lifeguards were involved.

Amazing how a good-looking chap (or two) can make you forget about torrential rain, wasps and leaking airbeds isn't it. Or maybe that's just me!

Heidi breaks the Four Star barrier at RT!

Amazed to discover that my April release in the US of Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger has got a Four and a Half star review from the venerable Sandra Madan at RT Book Reviews! Cheers Sandra, never thought I'd manage it.

Here's the review:

SURF, SEA AND A SEXY STRANGER (4.5) by Heidi Rice: Lifeguard Maddy Westmore has had enough with fixing everyone else’s problems, though she can’t help but check on the “bad surfer” she rescued earlier in the day. For said surfer, entrepreneur Ryan King, his injured leg is the least of his concerns, as a previous accident has left him psychologically impotent. So when a solution to his most worrisome problem turns up in the form of storm-ravaged Maddy, he can’t resist. But when Maddy finds out Rye is actually her boss, he’ll have his work cut out for him if he wants their affair to continue. A steamy romance and interesting characters will leave readers smiling.

In other news, I'll be taking part in Brenda Novak's Diabetes Auction again this year and offering a critique of a first chapter and synopsis aimed at Harlequin Presents (or M&B Riva) with the promise of a follow-up breakfast meeting at the RWA Conference in NYC. Obviously, if you win it, and you're not going to RWA we can always have an email chat! Anyway, bidding is from 1st-31st May and there's tons of great lots on offer for readers and aspiring authors alike (Presents author Kate Hewitt is offering a critique of an entire manuscript), so definitely worth checking it out.

Just wanted to also add a quick word for the people of Christchurch, New Zealand. One of our lovely Riva authors Natalie Anderson lives in the city and as I'm sure you all know the earthquake there has been absolutely devastating. My thoughts are with them.

More Free Book News!

Okay, this is getting a bit silly now... Apparently a little bird has told me that if you are a UK resident and you pop on over to www.datemillsandboon.com M&B will post you a Riva copy of Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger for free! All you have to do is give them your name and address and it'll be on your doorstep. And you can also download a free ebook copy of The Walk of Fame....

And if you then go back to the site and rate your date with Riva you could win £500! And there's also £500 cash and a luxury spa day at Champneys up for grabs if you introduce a friend... Pretty cool.

Belated Merry Christmas...

Hi all

Just wanted to pop in and say Merry Christmas to all my favourite peeps!! Oh all right then, I'm several days late, I blame too much feasting and making merry, but that's always a very good excuse in my book.

Anyway, I come bearing tidings of great joy. Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger is sold out on the M&B site in the UK and has a brand new cover on the Oz site for it's release there as a Sexy in January.

Now as you all know I'm mighty partial to my stubbled hunk of a guy on the UK cover (as are a few other people I'm sure), but the old-style clinch cover in Oz is also mighty pretty. Of course the book is set in October and Christmas in North Cornwall, so if Rye and Maddy had really stripped off to have a clinch in the surf they probably would have died of hypothermia, but who cares for literary accuracy in a cover when the result is so pleasing on the eye? I certainly ain't complaining.

BTW, had a lovely drink with my Modern Heat mate Kim Lang, who battled her way over to the UK from Alabama and despite snow, freezing temperatures and many, many travel nightmares managed to raise a glass with me in Piccadilly. We had a good old gossip and both agreed that we're very excited about the launch of RIVA in January in the UK. Kim's book The Girls Guide to Flirting with Danger (which sounds like another cracker from the phenomenal Ms Lang) is one of the launch books, so will be buying that as a New Year pressie for myself. Here's the pictorial evidence to prove that this time I not only took my camera, I even got it out of the bag and used it... How cool is that!!

Anyway, in case I'm too busy feasting and making merry again and I don't pop back beforehand... Hope you all have a very happy - and for any aspiring authors out there - very publishable 2011!

And I'm including a lovely Christmassy picture of my road (avec beaucoup de neige!!) to get us all in the mood for January!! During which I have to write virtually a whole book in four weeks... Arghhh!

Anyone in Gant's Hill Tonight?

Hi All

Just a quick head's up to say I'm going to be at Gant's Hill Library tonight in the lovely borough of Redbridge as part of a panel event being chaired by the wonderful Jean Fullerton! I'll be joined by fellow authors Sue Moorcroft, Juliet Archer and Sheila Norton and we'll all be answering questions on writing women's fiction and romance. So if you're in the area and fancy a good ole chinwag come on down.

I'll also be bringing along some copies of my brand new Modern Heat, Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger.

Should be a hoot. We kick off at 7.30pm... And it would be seriously cool to see some familiar faces there!

And the Winner is...!!

Okay, so forced my sleepy 12-year-old to pick a winner for my book contest this morning while he was eating his cereal and, being as he was half asleep, he picked two names out!! We had a little debate and decided that it would be bad karma this close to Halloween to re-draw them so have decided to keep the good-luck gremlins happy and offer two books! And the names picked out were:

RACHAEL BLAIR and JAYNE HALL

So Rach and Jayne, congratulations... Email me your details and I'll post off your brand spanking new copy of Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger asap.

Thanks everyone else for entering, it's always nice to know there's a lot of people out there wanna win my books. Rye and Maddy's story is actually on sale from November 19th in the UK and Ireland, as it's in the first cycle of December releases.. And details will be up on the M&B site on 1st November.  I've also got word that it will be going into Presents Extra in the North America in April 2011!! Yippee...

I'm gonna post a sneak peek on my site today, so watch this space.

In other news, Cal and Ruby's story has just got the green light from my editor, after some frantic last-minute revisions... This is my delicious barrister and my flirty cupcake entrepreneur. It's currently slated for release in May 2011 in the UK as a brand spanking new RIVA. The title they're toying with made me grin from ear to ear. No blackmail, no billionaires, no mistresses... Just Cupcakes and Killer Heels. How cool is that? It's not definite yet mind you, but I like it. Am really excited about the way this line is going... And am thinking there's a lot they can do with cupcakes and dishy guys on the cover!!

Anyway, was a bit gutted to hear that neither of my mentees got through to the Final Four on New Voices, but just wanted to say it was a pleasure working with both Kat and Kara and hope they enjoyed the experience as much as I did. They're both talented writers and I'm sure we haven't heard the last from either one of them.

So onwards with a new story idea, am currently thinking about making my next heroine a freelance heirhunter and my hero the illegitimate heir to an Italian Dukedom.. With locations in San Francisco and Lake Como... Which gives me a great excuse to spend the rest of the day googling piccies of George Clooney in his Italian home! Jeeze this is such a hard job sometimes.

See what I mean!!

Book Comp, First Kisses and Robert Redford in Navy Whites

I'm over at the PHS today, getting all goose-pimplely about the classic weepie The Way We Were... Does anyone look better in Navy Whites than Robert Redford in that movie? I guess Richard Gere in An Officer and a Gentlemen gives him some serious competition... You decide.

Now, you can pop over and comment there to win a copy of my new Modern Heat novel, Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger, which isn't actually due out until November 17th in the UK... But as I've just received a whole box of them, and I'm super proud of this book, and the gorgeous new cover design for Modern Heat - plus as this is going to be my last Modern Heat book (little sniff of sadness here), with the line morphing into Riva in January - I've decided to give away a copy here too. Simultaneously. How cool and astrologically aligned of me is that!!

All you have to do is email the answer to this simple question to heidi@heidi-rice.com! You may have to scroll back through this blog to get the answer as the details of this book won't be on the M&B website till November 1st. I'll also be posting a sneak peek on my website this weekend so watch out for that. I'll pick the lucky winner next Friday.

Q: In which British coastal county does Maddy rescue Rye from the waves.

Now in other news, I send thru the revisions on Cal and Ruby's story on Tuesday night.... Late on Tuesday night, and am currently keeping my fingers crossed that my ed likes them. I've also been super-busy mentoring my two fab entries in the New Voices competition. So if you want to check out any of the top ten second chapters which are now up, you can here.

And I'm over on I Heart Presents today talking about First Kisses, Second Chances and Unfinished Business with the Duke... Accompanied by this photo of me as a scruffy tomboy (I take no responsibility for that mess of a hairdo, my mother didn't believe in hairbrushes and came from the just-lop-off-the-fringe school of haircuts).

So if you have a great first kiss story - either good, bad or ugly - then come share.

New book, new cover... Hot HERO!!

So am just back from Ireland where I did a day's work on the new Sean Penn movie as an extra... Yes, really. How glamorous am I?? Actually it wasn't that glamorous at all, it was exceptionally hard work, getting up at the crack of dawn, filming in a crowded shopping centre and spending large amounts of time sitting around waiting to be used. But still, I can't wait to see the movie now which looks like another Sean corker....

but now to the real reason I have slipped out of the cave, was just flicking thru Amazon and spotted the cover for my new book... The one about the surfer and the beach lifeguard, you remember. All very exciting this and long awaited as it's one of the brand new, no more embarassment reading it on the tube covers from M&B.... So, drum roll please. Here it is.

Love the dramatic, windswept Cornish coastline and Rye, my windswept hero, fits the description perfectly. Moody and magnificent. Love it. Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger is listed as a December release, but for any eager beavers it's actually hitting shelves on November 17th as part of cycle one (whatever the heck that means, still haven't got my head around this new way of doing things. Anyway, will be giving away copies left, right and centre on my blog, at the PHS, etc and doing a sneak peak on my website very shortly.

Right, back to the cave to bash Cal and Ruby's story into shape. Deadline is looming and my hero and heroine are not cooperating (with me that is, they're cooperating rather too much with each other).