Carly Phillips

Blogging at Fresh Fiction

Sandi Shilhanek | Household Chores Or Reading?
October 4, 2009
When I sat down to write this blog I really had no idea what to write about! All I could think of was the zillion  Read More...

Carly Phillips | Lucky Break
September 29, 2009
I love to read and write contemporaries. I love to talk to others who read contemporaries and gauge what they have to say about current  Read More...

Carly Phillips | Feeling Lucky?
June 2, 2009
Everybody fantasizes about going to Las Vegas and winning big. And certainly, we’ve all seen the "Whatever Happens …" TV commercials and secretly wished we  Read More...

Carly Phillips | Romance
February 14, 2009
Today is my favorite day of the year. Forget the hype. Forget the sensationalism. Forget the commercialism and the chocolate, the roses and gifts. Valentine  Read More...

Carly Phillips | Luck
October 13, 2008
I don’t have my own good luck charm, per se, but I do operate on the presumption of superstition in some ways. And sometimes  Read More...

Carly Phillips | What is Romance?
February 14, 2008
It's Valentine's Day so of course the subject of the day is Romance. What is romance? Is it the perfect gift? The bouquet  Read More...

Carly Phillips | Back to My Roots
August 8, 2007
I started writing family stories. Seriously. I thought I would sell to Silhouette Special Edition and I tried. Boy did I try … but it wasn  Read More...

Dear Reader

I am so excited! On a personal note, we have a new puppy, another soft coated wheaten terrier named Bailey—and she's fast become Buddy's best friend. So much fun (and work!) and this baby is here to stay.

Carly

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Carly Phillips Sexy, sizzling, smart, sassy, scintillating, sensuous, stylish. All are words readers and reviewers use to describe novels written by New York Times bestselling romance author Carly Phillips. She has been writing for nearly fifteen years. Her career received a significant boost in 2002 when Kelly Ripa recommended THE BACHELOR as a good summer read during her "Reading with Ripa Book Club" segment on ABC's "LIVE with Regis and Kelly" show. Since then, Carly's life is filled with a devoted energy and passion to three things: romance, her family, and her craft. How did this bestselling, internationally acclaimed author become involved in writing romance novels?

By 1990, Carly graduated from Brandeis University and the Boston University School of Law, where she earned her JD (Law Degree). She became an attorney in New York City, researching cases, reading, and writing legal briefs. Shortly after leaving the practice of law, Carly and her husband, Phil, welcomed the birth of their first daughter. Four years later, their youngest daughter was born. "I went from writing law briefs to being a stay-at-home mom. While home with my first daughter, I started reading voraciously...Eventually I reached a point where I wanted to try writing." That's just what she did. In 1998, after seven years of writing, she sold her first novel, BRAZEN, to Harlequin Temptation. With each successive novel, Carly continues to hone her craft, and delight her readers.

When asked to describe her books, Carly calls them "sexy fun." To reach a broader audience, however, her style has evolved, producing a deeper, more sophisticated emotional resonance to her books. She states, "As a natural progression of writing, I am growing and stretching in different ways. I enjoy the challenge. Growing as a writer is not only fun, it brings a freshness to my stories. And it makes me work hard so that I can bring my readers with me as I grow." This transformation began with last year's hard cover release of CROSS MY HEART. In CROSS MY HEART, set in a fictional town in upstate New York -- Lacey Kincaid leaves New York City, where she has fl ed as a frightened teenager to forge a new identity and life. Lacey's goal to face down the uncle responsible for her troubled past, results in her rediscovering the love she left behind. The transformation continues with her September 2007 release, SEALED WITH A KISS, in which Molly Gifford and Daniel Hunter scorch the pages while simultaneously working to clear her father from murder charges.

Carly loves to give and actively promotes awareness for such non-profit organizations, as the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the Humane Society. Her support the American Heart Association resulted from her father's recovery from quintuple bypass surgery when he was in his mid-thirties. She uses her talent and craft to weave awareness of disorders and diseases such as dyslexia (HOT NUMBER) and macular degeneration (Hot Zone series) into her books. These threads infuse her stories with a real life quality, helping her readers to get deep into the heart and soul of her characters.

Carly writes with MacBook Pro in her lap, television blaring, and daughters flitting about the house. Rather than finding the noise and chaos a distraction, these sights and sounds swirl in her brain and enrich the creative process for her. This process might irritate most authors but Carly credits this system as the force that creates a heartbeat for each character. When not writing or driving car pool, Carly loves to indulge her passion for pop culture, watching soaps, reading magazines, watching New York Mets games -- and shopping in the stores and online.

What causes Carly's blood to pump in real life? Her real life hero husband tops the list, but she is also passionate about her two daughters, and her Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, Buddy.

"And writing, of course," she added. "If I couldn't write, I think I'd go crazy."

To date, Carly has written twenty-four novels, and has achieved success as both a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Being tuned into today's world so acutely is one reason her books resonate with readers. Certainly, readers have rewarded Carly for her devotion to her craft. Her books have scored the number one slots on Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com, earned a six-week stay on the New York Times list, and tied for the #4 slot on that prestigious list with romance mega-star Nora Roberts.

Among Carly's many accolades are the Waldenbooks Bestselling Author Award, the Oklahoma RWA (Romance Writers of America) National Readers' Choice Award, the Virginia RWA Holt Medallion Award, the Greater Detroit's RWA Booksellers' Best Award, and the Dorothy Parker Award of Excellence. Carly will emcee the prestigious Romance Writers of America's RITA and Golden Heart Award Ceremony in Dallas, Texas, in the summer of 2007.

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