Okay, one review anyway. Booklist sent my editor an advance review of my August book, The Black Sheep & The Princess, which made my day — woo hoo! — so I thought I would shamelessly share it with my fellow Blog Babes.

From Booklist….

Advanced Review
Issue: July 1, 2007
The Black Sheep and the Princess.
Kauffman, Donna (Author)
Aug 2007. 352 p. Kensington/Brava, paperback, $14.00. (0758217250).

Bad boy Donovan MacLeod, illegitimate son of the drunken handyman, returns to the Catskills camp where he was scorned as a teenager to find out why Kate Sutherland is giving up her mother’s inheritance to turn the place into a camp for disabled children. Kate is getting the cold shoulder in town when she seeks workers to rehab the camp and law enforcement officials to find out who is vandalizing it. Donovan once lusted after Kate, and she after him, but neither acknowledged their feelings. Now he volunteers himself and his organization, Trinity, to help her, knowing that his NYPD experience is more than adequate preparation for the job. Kauffman provides such clever red herrings that the solution to the mystery is a real surprise, as well as funny, but it is watching good sex turn into love that makes this such a winner. And Trinity is shorthand for the “unholy trinity,” referring to Donovan and two friends who were the hellions of their long-ago camp days. Readers will be happy to know that his cohorts’ tales will follow.
— Mary K. Chelton

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And here is the back cover copy from that book, just to whet your appetite a teeny, tiny bit.

They’re the black sheep—the bad boys every good girl wants to have hold her, touch her, take her, love her. But being bad never felt so good…

“I have some spare beer, if you’re interested…”

I’d know that voice anywhere, and every time I hear it, it makes me sweat. Not that well-bred heiresses are supposed to sweat, but if you saw Donovan MacLeod, trust me, you’d need a change of clothes, too. It’s been eighteen years, but he’s got the same cocky swagger, silver-gray eyes, shaggy hair, and that sexy smile that promises a whole lot of trouble. Not that I’ll ever find out because he loathes me—thinks I’m some spoiled princess. So, there’s something I’ve just got to ask…

“Why are you here, Donovan?”

The lady asked a question, she deserves an answer. Well, Kate Sutherland, how about, I’ve fantasized about you for eighteen years? Or, I wanted to remember how it feels to need a cold shower every time you flick that perfect blonde hair out of your blue eyes? Or, why don’t you come over here and let me show you, baby? Yeah, good answers, but I’ll stick with this one—I came back to help, because I think you’re in for some trouble. My bad boy gut says you’re gonna need me—in more ways than one…

Visit us at www.kensingtonbooks.com

Don’t forget to enter this week’s SHaQ Attack contest. Details in Tuesday’s blog post! (And yes, the above book is on my website bookshelf, so the winner can claim it as their prize….if they’re willing to wait until my author copies arrive in a few weeks, that is. )

Tonight it’s Dancing with Dirty Uncle Nigel and Crack Mary! Finally,the real show begins. Can’t wait!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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Here is this week’s SHaQ Attack contest question:

Who is Josie Griffin’s hero?

(Hey, it’s supposed to be a Scavenger Hunt, right?)

I’ll draw one winner from all the correct entries and announce the lucky Blog Babe on Friday. Winner gets his/her choice from my website bookshelf.

Send entries to donna@donnakauffman.com with “Her Man Is… ” in the subject line.

Good luck…and happy Tuesday!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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With final exams looming for my youngest, my household is all about D-Day thesis paper presentations, Langston Hughes, and Spanish oral exams.

So, for today, I am cheating and giving you a bit of a sneak peek into my latest release, Perfectly Plum, a collection of essays about Janet Evanovich’s wildly popular Stephanie Plum series. Lucky me, I got to write about Ranger. Here are the opening few pages for your morning enjoyment…

A Little Less Conversation: A Babe’s View
(Or Why I’m a Whumpa Whumpa Girl…and Stephanie is, too.)

“Babe,” he says.
Until Twelve Sharp, that pretty much summed up Ranger’s entire vocabulary. And even though he got a bit chattier there for a moment, that one word, uttered as only Ranger can utter it and Stephanie still wants to immediately get naked. In fact, he can have that affect with no language at all. Just a look will do. Hell, just standing there, breathing, really.

I don’t even know the guy, and I want to get naked. Not while Stephanie is naked with him, of course. I mean, I admire the hell out of her spunk, her determination, her bravery, not to mention her willingness to risk the ultimate act of sacrifice every time she gets behind the wheel of a car, any car. But I don’t want to get naked with her. I’m assuming the feeling would be mutual. After all, if Stephanie gets cold at night, she has Joe Morelli. And Bob the dog, for that matter. If I were her, I’d choose the dog over me. And not just because that leaves more naked Ranger for me. Okay, mostly that’s exactly what that means. But I’d go to greater lengths than pawning off a smelly dog to secure my naked future with that man.

Ah, that man. That elusive, shrouded in mystery and black cammies Ranger. Just Ranger. One name. Okay, so we know his whole name now. Ricardo Carlos Manoso. But no one is going call this guy Little Ricky anytime soon. He’ll always be just Ranger to us. That’s all we need. And when I say we, I mean the hoards of women who would leave their husbands, (boyfriends, significant others, country of origin, planet earth…) tonight if they thought it would buy them five minutes of naked time with Ranger in his highly secure, seriously decadent penthouse suite. Or the heated seats of his black Mercedes sedan. Or up against the nearest fence post.

What is it about this mostly monosyllabic male that makes our pulse pick up, our heart go pitty-pat…or whumpa whumpa, as the case may be? I’m a whumpa whumpa girl myself. In fact, Stephanie and I share that particular heart condition. Stephanie might be hard up for a car that remains in one piece, not to mention decent insurance rates, but she’s not hard up for a man in her life. Ranger and Joe both want Stephanie. And, because she’s not dead, blind, or stupid—although Joe might occasionally argue about the latter—Stephanie wants both of them right back.

The thing is, she’s had them both. She’s even lived with them both, (the wench,) at one point simultaneously, in her own apartment. And she’s still torn.

In her defense, it would be a tough spot to find yourself in. (Not that I would know personally, but a girl can dream.) In my vivid and highly detailed imagination, I think about what it would be like to have, say, both Matthew McConaughy and Clive Owen pursuing me. Naturally, both would take me to bed and want to keep me there. And, being alpha males, they wouldn’t take kindly to me dragging out my decision by continuing my liaisons with both of them. Like Stephanie, I’d eventually be forced to make The Choice. What to do? Or, more to the point, who to do? It’s a decision I know I’d be struggling with it. Okay, maybe struggle isn’t the word. Ponder deliciously over a prolonged period of time and deep, up close and personal evaluation. But I could pretend to struggle. Especially if Clive was holding me down and taking his sweet time while doing the most incredible things to me with his—um, sorry, I digress.

Where was I? Oh yeah. Stephanie’s Choice. Not tragic, like, say, Sophie’s, but a major dilemma in the World of Plum. Stephanie isn’t the only one struggling with this problem. We readers struggle with her choice, too. (Like we have nothing better to worry about. Like we all wouldn’t like to have that problem.) I mean, I could do without homicidal boxers stalking me, mysterious bookies taking up sudden residence in my apartment, or having to ever apprehend a naked man coated in butter. But having to make The Choice? That I could stand. And I’m far from alone. Stephanie’s Choice has led to the birth of The Debate. A sometimes heated, often animated global discourse held on internet bulletin boards, in myriad chatrooms, analyzed in blogs, via cell phones, through reams of text messages, and probably smoke signals somewhere, the discussion continues unabated.

Joe vs Ranger. Who should Stephanie choose?

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Hope you enjoyed your sneak peek! Tune in tomorrow for the next SHaQ Attack contest!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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Okay, I tried. No, really. I did. But even with all the cheesy goodness, I can’t get into it. Pirate Master, you were supposed to save me from the Reality Show desert of summer. But no… It just can’t make up its mind what it wants to be when it grows up. I expected better from the Survivor crew.

However! So You Think You Can Dance, with Crack Mary and Dirty Uncle Nigel? Oh yeah. THAT one, I’ll recap.

So, we start with the Atlanta auditions that I missed last week. (Thank you, SYTYCD producers.) It’s enjoyable, but what mostly sticks out in my mind now, several days later, was the guy with scoliosis. I adored him. I agree this show is too far afield for him, but was thrilled that Shane wanted to put him in his next movie. I hope that came to pass.

Then we head to Vegas, where I was exhausted just watching what those poor dancers had to go through. I liked the ruthless cutting down right from the start. Better to cull the herd early, then let them all go through that grueling week thinking they have a shot. Plus, how can you focus on anyone with 200 dancers out there?

I will say, each season, the talent is growing by insane leaps and bounds. This season was pretty brutal, making the top 20. But we benefit with an embarrassment of talent to keep us entertained over the next few months.

So, Vegas Week. And can I say, I hate it that her mom has cancer, and I admire that she got back into dance to support her mother’s dream for her, but oh my god was I glad when she got cut. What a drama queen - can you imagine dealing with that all summer? Ack. All in all, there weren’t too many cuts that bothered me. Of the Lindy Hop couple, I actually was more hoping the guy would go through as I liked his personality, but they definitely weren’t really up to snuff. The only cut that really bothered me was the girl with the prosthetic arm. I wanted her to go on and thought she had the talent. I also thought the really young girl should have made it. But she has plenty of time to come back, so I suspect we’ll see her again.

I think it’s very interesting that we have Benji’s sister, Stanislav’s sister, and Travis’s adopted brother on the show this year. I was sort of glad all three made it. Since only one dancer can win, this lessens the whole preferential treatment thing. I wish we’d seen more of some of the dancers who made the top twenty who are complete strangers to us. Just like on American Idol, I think these dancers start off at a distinct disadvantage due to lack of airplay. Other dancers already have a fan base building and these guys are total strangers. Sabra and Drew? Who are these people?

On the other hand, I was thrilled to see more beat/street dancers make it through, mostly because I got such a kick out of watching previous hip hop dancers expand their horizons and grow into other genres. I was especially thrilled to see that Hok got through. He’s an early favorite for me.

I’m definitely looking forward to next week, when we can start to see what these guys have, and how they’re going to run the competition this year, as to pairing them up. So far, no one really turns me off and it looks like a stellar cast of talent. Yay! Should make for a fun summer!

Okay, now it’s time for the SHaQ Attack winner! I asked you to name the book in which I get to talk about Ranger. Mmmmmm, Ranger. But I digress. The correct answer is Perfectly Plum!! Woo hoo! It just hit the shelves and I’m so tickled it’s finally out. Janet’s latest Stephanie Plum book, Lean Mean Thirteen, is out next week, so it’s all perfectly plummy. For those of you who pick up a copy, I hope you enjoy it. All the essays are wonderful.

This week’s winning blog babe is…..Joyce M!! Wooooot!

I hope you all have a great weekend. See you Monday.

Tags: Writing by Donna
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My TiFaux actually worked! But so, unfortunately, did I. My day just ended and, as you can see by the time stamp, it’s too late in TooVille for me to start watching anything tonight (pout!) but I will do Mondo MAC tomorrow (Friday) with all the Dance Recap you can stand, as well as some Pirate Lore. Har.

In the meantime, this is your last chance to enter this week’s SHaQ contest. See Tuesday’s post for all the details. Winner announced tomorrow after MAC Daddy Time.

Enjoy your Thursday everyone!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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So, the Dancing is tonight, not last night. I was so bummed to come home and no Dirty Uncle Nigel to greet me. Ah well. At least they are repeating the Atlanta auditions before the new hour of Vegas Week, so I’ll be all caught up!

In the meantime, I have an assignment. I have to watch the second Pirates of the Caribbean in preparation for seeing #3 in the theaters. (Yes, it really sucks to be me.) I’m getting a lot of mixed reviews, but pretty much, if it has Johnny Depp, I’m going to be happy. And Keith Richards as Dear Old Pirate Dad is just too good, really. I look at it this way, a three hour movie is just that much longer of an excuse to indulge in popcorn and peanut m&m’s. Yes, I’m all about the snacks. I know this comes as such a shock to you.

Speaking of Pirates…did anyone else have the same reaction as me to Pirate Master? Check Tuesday’s post for MAC details. I just think it’s the oddest show. Which, of course, means I’ll be watching again tomorrow.

Have a great Wednesday, all!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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This week the SHaQ Attack contest, she is easy. Honestly, at some point I’m going to make you guys really have to hunt for it, but I just turned in revisions and am quite suddenly up for a promotion at my “play” job, so it’s been a cah-razy week or two. (Which, I know, how does one distinguish that from a normal week for me. Ha ha. Very amusing. True. But, don’t be cute about it.) So, with the two remaining brain cells that I have left to rub together (which will likely just make them smaller, rather than have that genie-lamp effect) I am tossing this one out there. An easy lob, so to speak. (Speaking of lobs, how cute is our little Bagh-daddy, Marcos? What a great smile. His forehand isn’t too shabby, either. And yet, another of my faves bites the red dust of Roland Garros. Pout.)

And….I digress. So. Contest. The question is: Name the book where I get to talk about Ranger. Yes, blog babes, it’s shameless plug week, but I’m ridiculously excited this release. Send your answers to donna@donnakauffman.com with “Ranger…yum!” in the subject line (or “well, duh” because….yeah, it’s that easy.)

So…yesterday I was supposed to blog about Pirate Master. And, in fact, I did blog about Pirate Master….then forgot to actually, you know, post the blog. When I went to finally do it, I managed to somehow delete the whole thing. Now, not that the show was all that bad, but I wasn’t as upset about the loss as, say, if I had deleted an entire Amazing Race recap.

Anyhow….here is a recap of the recap. First, our host, some Aussie who is Less Phil-ing but kinda cute, gets all entirely serious about these wannabe pirates climbing aboard a Pirates of the Caribbean set ship. Now, one thing I don’t get. Are they wearing costumes…or not? Because it seems rather random, the “outfits” they’re wearing. The women especially. It’s a corset - it’s a sports bra! Wha? Then there are the players/contestants/pirates/actors… Are they making this stuff up as they go along, or is it scripted? Or are they just talking like they think Pirates in a bad high school play would talk? Seriously. I’m not really getting the vibe of this.

However, I did like the treasure hunt. I didn’t like the Chippendale Bill Nye with a Six Pack Pirate. Way to shoot yourself completely in both feet, John. Sheesh. I thought Puking Pirate was going home, and should have, but nooooooo. Of course no one thought that Rupert 2.0 was going anywhere. And the Pirate Master dude…wow, does he think he’s in a movie? All serious as hell about playing his role, you know? Because, if that’s how he is in real life….yikes.

Honestly. I couldn’t decide whether to care, or laugh hysterically watching this show. I did love it when they all picked Serious Pirate Master Dude, then Les Phil-ing announces he gets half of the gold they all just killed themselves to win. A hahahahaha.

So…I will keep watching. For now. But it’s like some huge cosmic reality joke is being played on us. Like they’re testing us to see just how far they can go into weirdsville and we’ll keep watching. It’s like a play about a reality program. Or something. I really wish it was a musical. I would dearly love it if they all, suddenly, were to break out into song and cool pirate choreography.

Hey, a girl can dream. It’s summer. And all I’ve got other than this is Dirty Uncle Nigel. So go with me on this.

Which…Dancing tonight! Yay! Is it Vegas Week this time? Since I missed the last round of auditions and Fox refuses to play like the Big Boys and have full length episodes on their website, I have no idea where we go tonight, but I’m game to find out.

More MAC in the morning!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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I got home from work to discover that my TiFaux was full (I am SO bad at deleting old stuff…) so it didn’t tape Pirate Master or Dirty Uncle Nigel. Boo! Hiss! Pout!

Hopefully CBS will have Pirate Master on their website for viewing over the weekend. I can live with missing more auditions. I’ll MAC what I can next week. Did you watch either one? Give me the scoop!

So, all that’s left is announcing this week’s SHaQ Attack winner. In honor of the French Open being played this week, I asked you to name the book in which I featured a grand slam event, and which event it was. You got it right if you said Not So Snow White, and Wimbledon. Put your ice cream scoops together for this weeks’ winning Blog Babe…..Alicia S! Woooooot!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. This is my off year between my sons graduations, but I will be listening to commencement speakers for the graduating members of my extended family. Wish me luck (and interesting speakers!)

See you Monday!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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