The weather was perfect and the resort, Melia Caribe Tropical, was quite beautiful. The lobby areas and restaurant areas are about the size of four football fields with a few dozen exquisite restaurants to choose from. And the best part is that it's all-inclusive!! So drinks and food are all included with the hotel bill. Anyone interested in going should check out Cheapcaribbean.com for rates and deals.

Now back to reality and the very sad news we received last month that our friend and colleague Kate Duffy passed away on September 27.

Kate worked in publishing for more than 30 years. Few know that she began her career in the trenches, as an assistant at Warner's Popular Library imprint and then quickly advanced her editorial career at Simon & Schuster as the founding editor of Silhouette Books, which later became part of Harlequin.

After a stint at Pinnacle Books, Kate moved to Pocket Books, where she discovered Judith McNaught's classic Whitney, My Love and worked with many of today's bestselling authors, including Heather Graham, Julie Garwood, Jude Deveraux and Mary Jo Putney. After Pocket she moved to London, where she joined Paddington Press as a senior editor. Returning to New York, she signed on as editor-in-chief of two startups: Meteor Publishing and Tudor Publishing, founded by Ron Busch (formerly of Simon & Schuster). She was instrumental in getting both companies off the ground and edited many diamonds in the rough, including Marilyn Campbell, Sharon Sala, Lacey Dancer (aka Sara Chance, Sherry Carr and Sydney Ann Clary) and Patricia Hagan, to name a few.

For the past 10 years, Kate was an editorial director at Kensington Publishing, where she established the Brava imprint. She was much loved by company founder Walter Zacharius and the entire Kensington family.

She had an illustrious professional career to be sure, but what Kate will always be remembered for is her sharp wit, dry sense of humor, her huge heart and her genuine love for the books and authors.

We will have a special tribute to Kate from friends and colleagues in the next issue of RT. Those of you who would like to share your thoughts and memories about Kate can send them to me at CStacy@RTBookReviews.com. Tributes will appear in the magazine or on the website.

The new issue has just shipped and we are already getting responses to our giveaways and contests so we know some of you have already received your copy. It is full of great articles despite the fact that December is a slow publishing month with fewer new books on the shelves.

Our cover story is inspiring. It's on Valerie Hoffman, a very determined woman who at the age of 19 lost her sight and went on to receive a doctorate degree and become a licensed psychotherapist. She followed her dream of becoming a published author and, in December, her latest novel, BLOOD HEIRESS, will hit shelves. It's the fifth book in the Vampire Royalty series and received four stars from our reviewer. Book six is already in the works.

Our features this month are many and the one we had the most fun with is titled "Your Cheatin' Heart," where we explore infidelity in fiction and why we forgive some characters who cheat and not others. You'll hear from some of the authors who've use this plot device and learn why they tackle this sensitive topic in their books. You will also hear from several "fictional characters" who have cheated (or have been cheated on) in a Dear Abby-type column hosted by RT's own Flavia Knightsbridge - who is never short on advice and always entertains.

In another feature we pay tribute to a special group of historical romance authors whose books are as popular today as they were in the 1970s-80s when they first debuted. We are calling them "Living Legends of Historical Romance." Please note that we selected 10 authors based on two criteria: authors who began writing in the 1980s or before, and ones who are STILL consistently writing historical romance today. Based on these parameters some of your favorites may not have made the list. The idea was to honor those authors who helped launch the historical genre and stuck with it!

To get you into the holiday spirit we asked two authors to write original short stories with a holiday theme. Isabo Kelly gifts us with a sci-fi romance that has a magical ending and Debra Webb writes an original Colby Agency holiday short story exclusively for RT readers. Also a bevy of authors send holiday greeting your way and we have another slew of gift ideas especially for book lovers to help kick off your holiday shopping.

While you are looking for unique gift ideas for that special book lover in your life, check out the feature on illustrators Cherif Fortin and Lynn Saunders with a spotlight on three illustrated romance novels published by Medallion Press that would be perfect for any romantic fiction enthusiast. THERE BE DRAGONS is written by Heather Graham. All five of her children as well as other members of her family and some friends portray the characters in the illustrated book. ELLIE AND THE ELVEN KING is penned by Helen Rosburg and PASSION'S BLOOD is written and illustrated by Fortin and Saunders.

Our interviews this month are all about the boys! James Patterson talks about his latest, WITCH & WIZARD, which launches another YA series. Wally Lamb, one of Oprah's favorites, pens a new book set in the '60s and Joseph Wambaugh returns to fiction and the LAPD with HOLLYWOOD MOON - at the instigation of his good friend James Ellroy. Hear from this terrific trio and a bevy of other talented authors in the new issue.

It's hard to believe but we are in the throes of our first issue for 2010 - and a decade into the new millennium!!!

December's issue may be all about the boys, but January's is definitely all about the girls! Look for interviews with Tami Hoag, Jude Deveraux and Catherine Anderson, all of whom are starting the new year with new books! Our cover story is on a fast-rising star of paranormal romance, Anya Bast, who will be discussing her latest Berkley Sensation release, Wicked Enchantment.

With all the buzz about the upcoming movie 2012 and the end of the world predictions related to the end of the Mayan calendar, our feature for the January issue is on post-apocalyptic fiction and why it's catching on with readers. Authors like Eve Silver AKA Eve Kenin, Michelle Rowan AKA Michelle Maddox and Colleen Gleason AKA Joss Ware, to name a few, will contribute to the article. Should be very interesting to hear what the authors and editors of this subgenre have to say.

Our Trend Watch piece this month is on the return of the medieval historical romance written by medieval romance author Karin Tabke. There will also be a sidebar from the mistress of medieval romance, Roberta Gellis. If you haven't read The Roselynde Chronicles you are missing out on a classic Gellis series.

Our convention website is up and running with the complete agenda and more than 125 workshops for you to peruse. Our readers' program is bigger and better than ever and our author chats are filled with reader faves like Jennifer Crusie, Anne Stuart, Jim Butcher, Lisa Jackson, Charlaine Harris, MaryJanice Davidson, John Scalzi, Catherine Asaro, Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr and Ally Carter. The list of confirmed authors who will be signing at the giant book fair, Saturday May 1, is also on the convention website as well as the reader, writer and bookseller programs so be sure to visit!

I know you are all patiently awaiting the launch of our new website which will blow you away when you finally get to see it. I am told we will be doing a beta launch - only a select few can see it :( - in December to get out all the bugs and a live launch in mid-January. I promise you it will be worth the wait!!

We are getting real close to deciding which company we will go with for the digital version of RT so it will be available in January and our e-book store will be up and running for our website launch. All very exciting happenings for us at RT.

Have a very happy Halloween holiday and wishing you lots of treats for yourself and the kiddies!!!

Happy reading,

Carol Stacy Happy Reading,
Carol Stacy
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RT Book Reviews Magazine
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