Fall Viewing and Best Reads!

I had a chance to listen to Nicholas Sparks speak during the Dallas premiere of Nights In Rodanthe . One of my favorite questions of the night came from an adoring fan who wanted to know why Sparks tortures us with his stories. Everyone laughed, and he explained that his books are based on Greek tragedies. Though he said, all of his books end hopeful.

Sparks was very excited about the release of THE LUCKY ONE, which is out now. It’s about a man who gets a second chance at life and finds true love. Of course Sparks wouldn’t tell us if it has a happy ending, but I seriously doubt it. (Smile)

There are so many wonderful books out this fall and I have a ton to tell you about.

One of my fellow witchychicks Linda Wisdom has a new one out this month and I love it! HEX APPEAL is the second installment of the witchy Jazz and the man in her life, Nick. All seems to be going so well. Even the ghostly Irma is giving Jazz a break now that Irma has a lovely pet. Then everything changes when Jazz begins having nightmares that cannot be explained by the Thai she had for dinner. Now Nick’s acting weird, she has to clean up Dweezil’s messes and her house shoes Fluff and Puff have been accused of murder. This book makes me laugh so hard I cry, and at the same time keeps me wondering what will happen next. Bravo!

Marie-Nicole Ryan says LOVE ON THE RUN came to her in a dream. “Miranda is probably more like me than any of my other heroines, not that I was ever an abused wife,” Ryan says. “I gave her a fear of flying, one of my very own phobias. Unlike me and with much encouragement, she manages to get on a plane in their life-or-death escape from the evil ex.”

Tessa Radley’s MISTAKEN MISTRESS is the result of one of her trips through the wine country. “I’ve always loved wandering around wine regions,” says Radley, “I love the sense of beauty and drama. In spite of all the 21st century technology humans still pit themselves against the elements to bring in a harvest. I leapt at a chance to write a three-book mini-series set against the backdrop of a family winery in the Hawkes Bay in New Zealand. The best part about it was the research I had to do – reading, wine tasting, and of course, visiting the estates in the Hawkes Bay.”

Beth Cornelison has a new one, RANCHER’S REDEMPTION. It’s the second book in her Coltons Family First series. “When Clay Colton reports a crime on his ranch property, his ex-wife Tamara is on the CSI team that arrives from out of town to sweep the scene,” Cornelison says. “The intervening years have changed his ex-wife but not his feelings for her. As evidence of a grisly murder on his property mounts and an accident injures Tamara, Clay insists she recuperate at his ranch where he can protect her. But how can he protect his heart when rekindled memories and an undeniable attraction draw Tamara back into his arms?”

THE WEDDING HEIRESS is the latest from Pam Ford. “I often use first or last names of friends in my books just for fun,” says Ford. “So when I was trying to figure out what last name to give the heroine in this book, my boyfriend suggested his mother's maiden name, McBride. It sounded great with Delaney, so McBride it was. Not until I was halfway through the book did it dawn on either of us that we had chosen the perfect name for a heroine who is a wedding planner!”

KING OF SWORD AND SKY by C. L. Wilson is about Rain who has discovered there is dissension among the most powerful members of his council. As the Eld plot their next deadly strike, Ellysetta struggles to master her powerful magic and discover how to save the tairen. Rain confronts an open challenge to his rule and prepares to lead the Fey army to war.

Allison Brennan lives to thrill us and she does exactly that with PLAYING DEAD, which is the third book in her Prison Break trilogy. Ex-cop Tom O’Brien has been sentenced to death for a crime he didn’t commit. Now he’s a hunted fugitive who has to convince his daughter that he’s been framed. It will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Until next month...Candy

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Candy is a nationally syndicated entertainment columnist, who has interviewed just about every celebrity there is in Hollywood and written thousands of articles. She is the author of the Charmed & Dangerous series including Charmed & Ready Charmed & Dangerous and Charmed & Deadly. Her latest book Like A Charm is available now!

Her non-fiction prose includes Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy, and essays in Alias Assumed: Sex, Lies and SD-6, and Five Seasons of Angel. She's also the entertainment critic providing the latest on TV, film and celebs for the radio station 96.3 KSCS. And she's the managing editor for FYI Television.

You can visit Candy daily at her blog or her website