I am absolutely thrilled! For a second time, Amazon.com has named one of my books a “Greatest Romance!”

All the Right Reasons gets the spotlight this time. That book will always stand out to me as one of my favorites because I had a few important reasons for writing it. First, I wanted to give my thanks to all my former students who have chosen to serve their country in the military. Second, I was able to do quite a bit of research into my Hungarian heritage. And finally, I got to revisit all my old “friends” from Murphy’s Law.

This book has probably been the best received by reviewers. It was named a Blue Ribbon Favorite by Pamela Denise at Romance Junkies. Tina at Two Lips Reviews awarded it with a Reviewers Recommended Read. And Matilda at CoffeeTime Romance gave it a CoffeeTime Reviewers Recommended honor.

I wanted to share some pictures from my trip to West Baden.

I watched the news when the community of West Baden was trying to get help in restoring their hotel. It was built in 1904 and had changed hands several times. At one point, it was sold for $1 to the Jesuits to be a monastery. After that, it fell in disrepair. The pictures I saw on the news stories broke my heart. You all know how I feel about preserving history, and this important piece of Indiana history was slowly dying. When the town of French Lick was finally allowed to build a casino, the restoration began. And the West Baden hotel is back in business. (As always, click on the thumbnail photo to enlarge.)

When we first walked into the common area, my sister and I were both breathless. (As always, Susan was my traveling companion. I love getting to spend time with her!) Several stories high with a dome, the area is stunning. The original mosaic tiled floor were partially restored, and I couldn’t help but think about how much work went into creating those gorgeous patterns.

Some of the rooms on the upper floors have terraces that open into the common area. It was probably a good thing we didn’t have one, because I probably would have stayed on the terrace just taking the place in instead of going to my authors’ roundtable. At night, the lights are dimmed so the enormous chandelier can be seen. The color of the lights in the chandelier change over time.

Susan had to make a comment that haunted me the whole time. She pointed out that this hotel could have easily been the Overlook from Stephen King’s The Shining. Way to ruin my trip, Suz! Actually, she was dead on. I got so spooked, I expected to walk into the bathroom and see “redrum” on the mirror.

Speaking of the bathroom, it was a religious experience. Just take a took at the vanity.

We walked around the grounds. As beautiful as the landscaping was, there was an overwhelming stench that we finally figured out came from the holly shrubs. Ugh. Major turn off. My favorite thing was the huge wrap-around porch, again with that gorgeous mosaic tile.

The entire hotel is filled with pictures from eras long gone. I really enjoyed learning the history of West Baden, and when I saw the display of how the place looked before renovations, I wanted to cry. How wonderful this place is back in its prime. Here’s the gorgeous stained glass in the lobby.

Our room was perfect. Pillowtop mattresses. Silk bedspreads. Beautiful view from the three windows we had. And all of the rooms have space between them, so you can’t hear any of the people around you.

The food was sublime. If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, it would be the breakfast potato casserole. The tomato bisque soup was the best soup I’ve ever tasted.

My thanks to Jim Whitesell and ICLEF for inviting me to speak to the conference participants. I appreciate the opportunity to get to see this hotel up close and personal. I truly enjoyed myself, as did my sister.

I’m at a conference in West Baden, so I don’t have time to post a long blog entry. I will tomorrow with tons of pictures of the gorgeous hotel we’re staying in. (The bathroom is so beautiful, it’s a religious experience.) BUT… I did want to post a quick piece of news. Turning Thirty-Twelve won the best contemporary in the Aspen Gold Readers Choice contest. I was thrilled!

Pamela Denise gave me another beautiful five ribbon review for Romance Junkies! This time she took a turn with Faith of the Heart, the fourth book in the Damaged Heroes series. My thanks to Pamela!!

Here’s what she had to say:

Damaged Heroes, Book 4 – Faith of the Heart
Author: Sandy James
Publisher: Siren-Bookstrand Publishing
Release Date: June 2009

Blue Ribbon Rating: 5

Pulitzer Prize nominated reporter Joshua Miller lost his wife to ovarian cancer a year ago, and with her, his faith and the belief that he’d ever allow himself to love again. Watching her fade away and left to raise their thirteen year old daughter, Libby, has hardened Joshua’s heart against miracles. Once a great famed writer, he hasn’t been able to focus on putting together another story since his wife’s passing. Then he gets a call from Ross Kennedy, his cousin’s husband, who is worried about his sister who has stopped taking her lupus medicine, claiming she has been cured after visiting a faith healer. After experiencing his wife being taken advantage of by a faith healer, this hits to close to home for Joshua and he sets out to write his first news piece in months, exposing the counterfeit healer.

Sara Reid grew up living precariously, always one for a party and drinking as second nature. Despite the good times to be had, she never felt close to anyone but her best friend. Then in a night of drunken idiocy, her best friend dies and Sara is left alone with her guilt. On the verge of suicide, she is struck by lightning and left with the ability to heal people with her touch, but to do so slowly drains her own life. Sara feels this is her way of atoning for her best friend’s death, which she feels responsible for, and is determined to heal all who come to her. Sara tries to keep a low profile, having dealt with reporters in the past, and all the religious fanatics and craziness that it brings about. However, her sister insists she speak with a reputable reporter who has come to do a story on her, saying that it could bring even more to her door that needs her.

Joshua is armed and ready for a no holds bar interrogation, preparing himself for a smooth talking salesman, but as he steps into the old crumbling house and comes face to face with the fragile blonde haired woman his breath catches. He soon finds out that Sara Reid is nothing like what he knows the typical swindling faith healers to be and is instantly fighting his attraction for her. Sara is wary of Joshua, but feels an immediate connection and longs to be held by him. Sara slowly helps Joshua recapture the faith he’s lost and finds a place in his and his daughter’s hearts. If they are to make a relationship work however, Sarah will have to learn to let go of her guilt and allow her own heart to heal.

FAITH OF THE HEART is another heart warming, emotional read delivered by Sandy James, a highly talented author who knows how to create a connection between the reader and her characters. The combination of the unique plot and the very real feelings of grief and guilt grip you from the beginning. Touching on a subject not often portrayed and rendering it spectacularly, Ms. James makes every aspect believable. The journey of finding faith in others as well as within, the healing of emotional wounds, and of learning to love again, stands out beautifully in this touching story. I highly recommend this book as well as her others in the DAMAGED HEART series; they’re treasures you’ll enjoy again and again.

Wow! Another great review from Dottie at Romance Junkies! This time she weighed in on Murphy’s Law, giving the story 4.5 ribbons and a great write-up.

Here’s what Dottie had to say:

MURPHY’S LAW, the first book in Sandy James’ DAMAGED HEROES series, is a touching, uplifting romance that you will not soon forget. Seth acted out, destroying cars, trying to get his father’s attention. But all too soon, his father passed away before they had a chance to attain the closeness that both of them wanted. Unbeknownst to Seth, his father Sterling had changed his will. Now Seth must prove himself before he can inherit his father’s wealth. Sterling loved horses and watching Katie work with horses, he greatly admired her. So, in his will, he stipulated that Katie was to train Seth as she trained her horses. This book grabbed me from the first page and held me right up to the end. I could not put the book down since my curiosity got the best of me and I had to know whether Seth chose Katie or the money. Brimming with witty dialogue, charming characters, an interesting plot and an inside look at harness racing; this story is a winner. I recommend MURPHY’S LAW to anyone looking for a terrific read.

I would like to send my thanks out to Dottie at Romance Junkies for a beautiful review of Faith of the Heart!

Here’s what Dottie had to say about a book she rates as 4.5 ribbons:

FAITH OF THE HEART, the fourth book in Sandy James’ DAMAGED HEROES series is a tender, heartwarming romance, which is unforgettable. It may move you through a range of emotions, from laughter to tears. Sarah felt so bad about Charlie’s death that she feels she must save as many people as she can in spite of the detriment to her health. She feels this is the only way she can gain forgiveness for his death. Sarah’s only life is saving people, for which she wants nothing in return. The doctor’s reports confirm that they are healed. Sarah even keeps a photo of each patient she has healed and posts them on her wall, feeling closer to them than her own sister. Josh feels even worse knowing there was a way he could have saved his wife, but seeing Sarah’s kind and selfless manner with everyone, he falls for her. Sarah is one DAMAGED HERO that I would not mind imitating. We need more kind and unselfish people like her. Filled with humor, spirituality, an uplifting plot, well-drawn charismatic characters and a tender romance, this unforgettable story is a winner. I recommend FAITH OF THE HEART to anyone looking for a great read.

Despite the persistant gossip to the contrary, I refuse to believe the romance genre is dead.

Although I’m not ready to hold a wake for romance, I will admit to a massive amount of frustration. It’s very difficult to watch as a book you’ve written — one that reviewers and readers rate well — struggles to find an audience. In my case, that’s what I’ve done for five straight books. I’ve had to witness them drowning in a sea of erotica.

As always, please let me preface this with the fact that I have no problem with people enjoying erotica. Some of it is intriguing and I understand the appeal. It’s just not for me. Graphic sex scenes aren’t something that I find either inspirational or remotely titilating. I want a story with an intricate plot, some great external and internal motivation, and characters I can fall in love with. Erotica tends to run short in all those departments. I grow even angrier when people use “erotica” and “romance” as if they are interchangeable. Nothing could be further from the truth.

That’s the source of my publishing frustration: because the two are seen as connected, I’m competing with a different genre. I am also evidently much more old-fashioned that I ever knew or else I have tastes entirely different that the majority of ebook patrons because I can’t seem to grasp why the erotica genre is skyrocketing. I’m a woman who grew up in the 1970s, so I understand the whole “empowerment of women” argument. But is that really what erotica is? Empowering to women? Not in the stories I’ve read. In fact, a lot of erotica portrays women as nothing more than objects of lust. That’s hardly the message I want for my daughter or my female high school students – that a woman is nothing more than a sex partner with no commitment or no emotional attachment. That women are nothing more than body parts. If that attitude is what it takes for equality between the sexes, then I’m not interested in equality.

I realize I would make a whole lot more money if I wrote erotica. I’ve had to swallow my pride and watch erotic stories released around the same time as my books jump up my publisher’s chart. Most of those authors, even newbies, reach RWA PAN status. I haven’t made that important goal yet. But I refuse to give up. Why? Because of groups like Classic Romance Revival. They tell me all hope is not lost.

There is an audience out there for my books — for classic romance with love scenes that are sensuous and hot without using terms you would never use in polite company. There are women who still want to read books with stories where the characters’ hearts are as important as their bodies. There are readers who want more than some graphic sex scenes tied together with a Swiss-cheese plot. There are readers who prefer to read about characters making love rather than simply having sex.

So no funeral yet. No flowers or cards or tributes. The heart of romance still beats strong.

Julie Garwood is getting in my way again.

I had a rejection this week that rocked me pretty hard. (Trust me, this will eventually be tied into my introductory sentence…) I normally don’t like to talk about the lows of the business, but we all have to recognize rejections are going to happen. I usually brush off a rejection and move on. This one hit me hard because I felt as if I’d started to establish a good professional relationship with an editor, and I thought we sort of “clicked.”

Right after I received the bad news, I couldn’t write. That is definitely not my normal reaction. Instead, I would usually dive right back in and vow to keep working harder. But I had a couple of days where I didn’t even want to look at my laptop. That’s where Julie Garwood comes into play.

Since I couldn’t write, I turned to my favorite solace — reading. I disappeared into history with my favorite Garwood stories. I’m over the can’t-write-a-word phase, and I thank Ms. Garwood for that change. The way she pulls emotion from me in stories I’ve read so often that I practically have them memorized is inspirational to this writer. Because of her stories, I’m back in the proverbial saddle again. Unfortunately, I’m now intent to read my way through her books rather than write.

So to Ms. Garwood, I say, “THANKS!” for pulling this writer out of her slump and “CURSE YOU!” for being such a great author I can’t put her books down.