Friday, January 20, 2012

Author Spotlight - Redux

I don't often repost previous posts I do, but things have changed in the electronic world since I did this one back in 2009. More and more of her Ms. Weir's books are available as ebooks now so readily available. I've been getting them myself as I'm finding it very comforting to have my very favourite books so close all the time in case of a sudden urge to reread. They are also on for quite a good price. As it was back in 2009, she is still an author I highly recommend and am glad to do this rare repost.


*******



I’ve had all kinds of interesting ideas since I first started this blog. Unfortunately I’ve never got around to many of them. But one of the better ideas I had was an Author Spotlight feature. It’s been percolating around in my brain for a while – just waiting for the right author to pop into it. And finally one has. So here we go – Ramblings on Romance, etc.’s first Author Feature!!

The author I want to feature in this – the inaugural post………..


Theresa Weir



She first came to mind when I did a recent reread of her book Cool Shade (review here). I was reminded again of how unusual her books are. I like authors who write outside the box of romance ‘rules’; authors who take chances and take readers to places they’ve never been. I can’t think of a better author who does then Theresa Weir. Many reading this have probably never read a romance written by her. Her last published romance was back in 1999 before she switched to writing suspense as Anne Frasier/

Now she doesn’t not only write outside the box; with some of her books I don’t think there even is a box! Her stories are different and her heroes and heroines have problems and issues I’ve never seen before. And I can’t say enough about how refreshing I find that. I’ve been on a reading glom of her books ever since I finished Bad Karma – I’ve read two and I’m currently reading a third one. I sent for her entire back list once I finished Bad Karma although I did have a few of them already. Her writing is so vivid and so real and she writes such believable characters, it’s almost impossible to not be drawn into the world of each of her books.


The first one I read after Cool Shade was One Fine Day:

SHE THOUGHT SHE COULD ESCAPE THE PAST...
After too many years of heartache, Molly Bennet had packed her bags and run away ... from her memories, her husband, and the woman she had become. But just as she found herself on the brink of a brand-new life, an unexpected tragedy called her home. Now the man who had always been so much stronger than Molly needs her in a way she'd never thought possible....

BUT YOU CAN'T RUN AWAY FROM LOVE...,
No woman had ever appealed to Austin the way Molly did; from the day she left, all he knew was emptiness and the ache of losing her. He would have given anything to have her back—but not this way. He didn't want her pity. He couldn't expect her love. Yet as the walls of pride and fear come tumbling down, Austin and Molly will be given a second chance at happiness—if only they have the courage to take it.

This was the story of a marriage that had crumbled and fallen apart because neither Molly nor Austin were able to really ‘talk’ to each other. They both had barriers and walls up to keep the other out. Molly had finally left Austin the year before only to be drawn back when he suffers a stroke and needs, though not wants her help. This book deeply resonated in me as I too left my husband for a year to cliché as it sounds ‘find myself’. Molly returned a stronger person then when she left and Austin had become a much more vulnerable person due to his infirmity and they were finally able to really ‘see’ the other person. I was deeply moved by their story – to the point I found myself welling up in a number of places and that rarely happens.

I found the writing to be so realistic and moving, I felt that I really came to know these people.



Forever

This was the next one I read and I didn’t realize it at the time, but this book was written first and was about Sammy, Molly’s light hearted brother:

THEY SAID HE WAS A LOST CAUSE But from the moment Dr. Rachel Collins first saw her newest patient, she knew her colleagues were wrong. For beneath the pain and defiance in Sammy Thoreau's stormy black eyes she sensed a vulnerability that tore at her heart—and an amazing inner strength that made her all the more determined to help this bad-boy journalist learn to live again.

THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT LOVE COULD DO
She
couldn't know that Sammy, wit

h his sexy smile and biting humor, would reverse their roles with a vengeance... exposing the secret pain she'd tried so hard to hide... igniting emotions no doctor should ever feel for a patient. All she knew was that she had to win this man's trust, to heal his hurts. Only then could they face the promise of their love, forever.

But Sammy had been in a terrible accident and wasn’t the same person he was before. After Molly rescued him from a terrible mental institution, this is his story and his slow road to recovery. Rachel also had her own sorrows to overcome. Again I was very emotionally involved in their tale.



The book I’m

reading now is Long Night Moon:

To the world, Sara Ivy had it all: a handsome husband, a manicured estate, the kind of ethereal beauty that drew all eyes to her. So when hard-bitten reporter Nash Audubon crashed a party to get an interview, all he expected was another run-in with a bored socialite. Instead, he got the surprise of his life. For Sara Ivy possessed an innocence that had no place in the sophisticated world of Chicago high society. Tempted to learn her deepest secrets, he followed her into the night...and in one dangerous moment discovered the real Sara—sexy, brave, and heartbreakingly defiant. She was ready to end the charade of her marriage to a brutal man, and Nash would move heaven and earth to cherish and protect her—even if it cost him his life....

Again I’m in awe at how Ms. Weir is managing to bring me into the story. I’m not very far into it yet, but although hard to read; the subject is spousal abuse, it’s even harder to put down. It’s breaking my heart, but in a very good way.

The previous books of hers that I’ve read:


The above mentioned Cool Shade where the hero suffers from Agoraphobia. And as a note of interest, this book was a RITA winner in 1999 for Best Romantic Suspense.


Bad Karma

where the heroine is a true physic and suffers from a severe eating disorder

SHE HAD NOT IDEA WHAT SHE WAS LOOKING FOR…UNTIL SHE FOUND IT.

She's the most exotic thing Egypt, Missouri, has ever seen—and Daniel Sinclair mistrusts her instantly. A small-town cop with big-city suspicions, Daniel figures that Cleo Tyler, a psychic hired to locate the town's missing master key, is a fraud. He'd be surprised to discover, though, that Cleo wouldn't disagree. While she longs to believe psychic abilities don't really exist, she can't seem to explain those odd glimpses she gets into other people's lives, nor can she control the terrible flashbacks from her own past. All she wants is to put on a good show, collect the money, and hit t he road—and the sooner the better, for behind Egypt's quaint facade is a chill Cleo can't shake. She's not sure where it's coming from, only that it frightens her terribly … almost as much as her confused feelings for a certain skeptical cop she'd like to keep at arm's length, yet draw closer at the same time.



Last Summer

HE SPENT HIS LIFETIME RUNNING FROM HIS PAST Right from the start Maggie Mayfield knew Johnnie Irish was trouble. The sexy Hollywood star had returned to his home town of Hope, Texas, to a hero's welcome. But for Maggie the notorious bad boy was nothing but bad news - until she discovered the tragic secret behind his reckless ways, until she found the hidden sweetness in his cynical smile... SHE RISKED HER FUTURE ON THE PROMISE OF HIS LOVE Johnnie knew he shouldn't have come back, knew he could never forgive this stark desert town for turning its back on a boy just struggling to survive. But all thoughts of revenge faded when he met widowed schoolteacher Maggie Mayfield. Passionate and caring, she seemed to sense the yearning behind his cocky swagger, the pain and loneliness he had tried so hard to escape. Against all reason Maggie believed in him. And now he had to find the strength to confront his demons - or lose the only woman he could ever love...
Renee did a review for this one a couple of years ago. I know I have it somewhere and I’m going to do a concentrated search for it soon.


Some Kind of Magic

its been a while since I last read this one, but I’m really looking forward to reading it again after I finish reading the ones I haven’t read yet


BE CAREFUL
Not much is duller than winter in sleepy Fallon, Ida ho. So on her thirtieth birthday, Claire Maxfield wished for the one thing--well, one of the things--missing in her life: some excitement. Besides that voodoo doll from her best friend, she has no idea what she's about to get.

WHAT YOU WISH FOR…
That very night a mysterious injured man named Dylan carjacks Claire at gunpoint, ordering her to hide him. But once inside her secluded cabin, something strange occurs. Claire's powerfully attractive captor somehow becomes the captive--and Claire winds up taking care of him!

IT MIGHT COME TRUE
Just how did it happen, she wonders. Maybe that voodoo doll, now sporting one of Dylan's hairs, had something to do with it. Or maybe it was a different kind of magic, a spell that is mystifying, unbreakable, and absolutely irresistible.


Amazon Lily

This is probably her most well know book.


HE GUIDED HER THROUGH STEAMING AMAZON FORESTS...TO THE PARADISE OF LOVE!
On a mission to aid the native Indians, lovel
y Corey McKinney met up

with Asher Adams, the rugged and strikingly handsome pilot who would take her deep into the jungle...and to unknown dangers and desires. He was a man hardened by the wilderness and by life, drawn to protect the delicate Midwestern beauty, destined to love her with all his soul. But as proud Corey proved her daring, guts and strength, she fought her wild attraction to this powerful, sensuous man…and adventurer whose rough manner hid a gentle heart and a heroic mission...Far from civilization, his passion carried her to unknown lands of rapture, to adventures of ecstasy that left her thirsting for more. Then, in love and courage, she would risk her life for his...But only when fate threaten ed to part them forever would they face the greatest challenge of all...


And now I have a few more to read



American Dreamer



Loving Jenny










Iguana Bay







The Forever Man









Pictures of Emily


I hope anyone who has read and enjoyed any of her books will pop in and share which ones they have read and their thoughts on the book. I know she is a favourite with many of us ‘older romance readers’.

And now there is a whole new generation of romance readers who have probably never heard of her or never tried her.

If you are looking for an author who writes books where the characters come alive on the pages you must try her.

If you are looking for books where the hero and heroine are truly ‘broken’ and healed by the strength of love, you must try her.

If you are looking for books with stories way ‘outside the box’ of most romance you must try her.

If you are looking for books where each and every one is unique and heartbreaking you must try her.

I know I am so glad I have more of her books that I haven’t read yet – but even if I didn’t, I would have them to reread and reread again.


There are other favourable reviews of her books too. I'm not the only one who loves her. AAR gave Some Kind of Magic a B+. They gave Bad Karma a DIK grade. And they also rewarded Cool Shade with the same. If you check out the Amazon reviews (even though I don't always give much credence to them) all of her books have received high praise.




33 comments:

Wendy said...

I have a couple of her Anne Frasier books in the TBR - but nothing by Theresa Weir. I know, it's amazing isn't it? I guess I don't own every romance ever published. LOL

Kara said...

Sounds like a fantastic author!! I can't wait to get some of her books. I love "outside the box" stories.

Unknown said...

I always loved her books...I don't think I ever read any of her Silhoutte books...but I LOVED Bad Karma and Cool Shade. Her stuff always reminded me a bit of Dinah McCall/Sharon Sala. They both write stories that are VERY emotional. Anyhow...count me as another fan of hers.

Cindy W said...

Wonderful post!!! I love outside the box stories. Thanks for sharing.

nath said...

I definitively need to check this author out next time I go to the UBS... I've been wanting to read Cool Shade ever since you reviewed it for the Re-read challenge!

PeggyP said...

Hmmm, I have not read any of these and would love to try them...count me in! And I will also look at the USB, if I ever get there again (she keeps some weird hours)!

Kristie (J) said...

Peggy: Hopefully you can find some at the UBS - and lacking that, you are entered for a chance to get a couple here *g*. She really does write unique and different types of romance and as you can see :) I highly recommend her.

Nath: You do, you do. Too bad Ames scooped that copy of Cool Shade up when we were in the UBS's in TO *chuckle*. I haven't been to a UBS lately - but I should check some out to see if they have any around here I can give away. But alas the problem with many of the UBS's around here is they don't take them past a certain publishing date - and I've probably got all the ones that were already there.

CindyW: If you like outside the box - then she is definitely an author to try. And I would love to see her 'discovered' by a new group of readers.

Heather: They are both excellent books aren't they? I just reread Cool Shade not long ago and I plan on rereading all her other books too - once I finish reading the ones I haven't read yet. I'm one happy puppy let me tell you, that I have some in the second group!

Kara: They are excellent! Of the ones I've read - not one has gotten less then a 4.5 out of 5 from me. And they are outside the box!

Wendy: Well - now if you are the lucky winner - you will have a chance to try her!!

Anonymous said...

have noot read her books does sounds good i love contmeps

would love to win cool shade thanks
kh

Rosie said...

I have everyone of these books. Reading your synopsis brought many of them back. For a long time you couldn't find AMAZON LILY anywhere. I read the Anne Frasier books because it was her. Her writing is so poignant.

Since I haven't read her for quite a long time I don't know whether or not her contemps feel dated or not. What did you think Kristie?

Heidenkind said...

I love Theresa Weir! The first book I read by her was Bad Karma and it is really, really good--really odd, but also really romantic. Sort of a strange combination of plot lines going on, but somehow it all works. My second-fave book by her is Cool Shade. That's the kind of book that could go wrong on so many levels, but Weir makes it completely believable and romantic.

Great post!

Kristie (J) said...

Heidenkind: Her books are very romantic aren't they? She has a way of making the hero and heroine so broken and then having them heal each other. It's like they are just the person each other needs. And they are very quirky - but in a totally good way.

Rosie: good question! Because many of them were written in the 90's and technology and fashion have changed quite a bit since then, in some ways maybe. But they are really character based so there is a timelessness about them that isn't at all affected. Do they stand the test of time? Absolutely. In fact I'm appreciating them even more now then when I first started reading them. I think having read so many romances over the years in between, makes me appreciate how different her books are even more.

KH: Well, you are now entered so you have a chance for both Cool Shade and American Dreamer *g*

Unknown said...

Hi Kristie, just stopping by and checking out your site. LOVE the author spotlight. It takes so much time and effort to do one. You do yours so well. I love just a little taste to get me interested in reading. I'll have to check Theresa Weir out. I'll also check out her books under Anne Frasier. I love all genres, and with this author, I bet the suspense/mystery genre is just as good.

Dottie :)

Cheryl St.John said...

Long Night Moon is my favorite. I adore her Theresa Weir books, and I have them ALL. I have all of her Anne Frasier's as well, but haven't read the last one yet. I love the one where the heroine is doing the sleep/water experiment. Weird.

Anonymous said...

I *love* Teresa Weir's books. I don't think she wrote a bad one. My favorite is LONG NIGHT MOON followed by COOL SHADE, but I recommend them all.

orannia said...

Kristie, I just love the idea of an Author Spotlight. Theresa Weir isn't an author I've stumbled across, but I feel like I've only dipped my big toe in the water than is romance novels in the 3 years I've been reading (romance novels that is, not just reading full stop :)

And I love characters that are truly broken. And isn't it amazing when you read a book that really hits home?

Anonymous said...

Count me in my dear. I was looking for her website but I only found Ann Frasier. Is there a link or only the one site??

Lea said...

Hi Kristie:

I've not read Ms. Frasier's books, but her work sounds wonderful and expansive.

Great post! I will look her up.

Thank you so much.
L

Unknown said...

I'd like to be entered in the contest.

Kristie (J) said...

Dottie: Hi!! And thanks for stopping by. It was ever so much fun to put together. I was doing a bit of a panic since I couldn't find the duplicate books at first - but find them I did. And - even better - I found my copy of Last Summer. I believe I have her entire back list now - with two duplicates!

Cheryl: I'm reading Long Night Moon - and loving it. I'm finding it one of the tougher ones to read due to the subject matter - but it is so very real. You can really FEEL her characters can't you? And I have a couple Anne Frasier books - in the TBR pile - though come to think of it, I think I loaned one to my sister who is a great mystery reader.

KarenW: They are most excellent aren't they? I'm not sure what I'm going to read next - either a new one or a reread of one I've already read. Then of course I have a whole bunch more new books to read - so many books - so little time.

Orannia: That's why I want to start making this a regular feature - maybe once a month. I've been reading romance for so many years that there are a lot of authors I don't think new converts to romance would have read. And Theresa Weir is certainly one of the best of them!!

Barbara: I think she only has the sight of Anne Frasier now. She did have one under Theresa Weir, but I think it lapsed - maybe because it was so long since she's written as Theresa Weir. But here is an excellent site to find out more about her books - it's where I got most of the info for this post
http://www.fictiondb.com/author/theresa-weir~7707.htm

Lea: Oh they are wonderful - and all so different too. I really like that.

Bridget: Hello!!! And welcome!! And entered you are :-}

Caffey said...

I love getting recommendations from other readers. I hate to have missed something that I'd would of so enjoyed reading if I didn't go back to some authors that previously wrote romance. Reading the blurbs on Theresa Weir, alot sound so emotional and I'm one that cries easily reading these kinds of stories (thats ok!). I too shall be looking out for hers at the UBS.

Too great on the Author Spotlight! Glad to visit here and looking forward to visiting more!

Eva S said...

Thanks for this great Author Spotlight, I hope you will do many more!
I have one of her books in my keeper shelf, Amazon Lily, and I love it! I reread it now and then... My copy is in swedish, it's from the ancient time I read only books in swedish or finnish and I don't know if more of her books are translated... Now I have to go hunting for more of her books!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the link, Kristie.

Kristie (J) said...

Barbara: You're welcome! It's really a great site! And another thing I love about it is they have lists of upcoming books!

Eva S: Hi! And welcome to you too! I've read Amazon Lily a couple of times - though not for a couple of years now and it's also another good one.

Caffey: If you have leaky tear ducts syndrome when reading - they will get a good workout with her books. But since they are romance, there is of course the HEA - but the journey her characters take can be very emotional ones.

nath said...

Guess what I found, Kristie!!

Cool Shade and American Dreamer!! Woohooo! LOL :)

Fedora said...

Kristie, thanks for bringing Theresa/Anne's writing to light--I haven't read her writing before, but I'll be looking for it now!

Kristie (J) said...

Nath: Sweeeet. I know Ames has that one too - how about a duo review for Breezing Through? Heh Heh Heh!

Flchen! Hi! Welcome! And you are most welcome. It's been a while since she has come out with a romance and in the meantime there is a whole new generation of romance readers and I am ever so glad to share this great author with them!

anne frasier said...

kristie, you are all kinds of awesome! what an incredible honor it is to be your first spotlight author. (big hug!!) this has been a wonderful trip down memory lane. sorry for the cliche, but it's true!! i'm surprised and thrilled to find that people are still reading books written 20 years ago. that's mind-boggling, and it gives me such a good feeling to know that something i created so long ago is still being enjoyed today. it's even reawakened my interest in writing another romance novel. i forgot how much i loved writing them, and loved that period of my career. thanks so much kristie, and thanks for all of the lovely comments! XO XO

anne frasier said...

heh -- My daughter just mentioned the horrific Forever cover. It shouts don't buy me. That was my first book for Bantam. I don't think I've ever seen such an awful cover. It was unbelievable bad then, and just as bad today. so I guess you could say the cover holds up. :D

Kelly (Lynn) Parra said...

Wow, Anne, I'm so impressed!

I fell for Anne Frasier's thrillers and chillers and its so cool to see her earlier romance career!!

Great author spotlight!!

Anonymous said...

What a great blog you have here, Kristie!

Thank you for putting the spotlight on one of my favorite authors! I've read most of Anne's thrillers but haven't read her romance books...yet!

Kristie (J) said...

Pamela: Thank you!! And Hi I can't compare the two because although I have a couple Anne Frasier books in the TBR pile, I haven't read them yet - soon though, very soon. But I can say without hesitation - in fact I believe I did! *g* that her Theresa Weir books are beyond good!!

Kelly: Hello and welcome to you too :) As I said, I haven't read Anne Frasier - but good writing transcends genre's so I imagine they are equally excellent. And do try her romances. Although marketed as romance, they really are more. They are so rich and emotional.

Theresa: Um, I kind of like the cover of Forever although that odd square cover in the middle is a bit odd. And *laughing* I really like the cover of Iguana Bay. I think I'm one of the few people in existence who thinks the mullet got a bad rap. I mean when you think about it - I like long hair on guys but with a mullet they don't have to worry about hair falling into their eyes.
And *turning red* it was my honour that you are my author spotlight. I honestly and truly think there is an audience for your books - even 20 years later.

anne frasier said...

haha about the Forever cover! yeah, the square was definitely odd. and mullets! hehe! i have to agree about that cover. i always liked it. i was told that the model was fabio. strange for him to be on a contemporary.

anne frasier said...

my romances never found a broad audience, and my theory is (some plot-issues aside) that they were too realistic. i think most readers want a read that touches on real-life possibilities, but they also want the story to be a few steps back from reality. i think many want to know that this really isn't a real world even when it echoes some pieces of the world we know. i could never find that balance, or tap into the x factor that makes a good romance really work. On the reality scale, Amazon Lily and Cool Shade were two of the most unrealistic, and they were by far the most popular books.