|
Click here to nominate
a Hall of Fame Reader
February 2007 Winners
 |
|
Dee, left, and Erin, on Erin's
wedding day.
|
Sisters Erin Tanner and Deane (Dee) Hay
Home:
Erin:
Barcaldine in Central West Queensland, Australia
Deane (Dee):
Taroom in South West Queensland, Australia
Favorite spot for reading?
Erin: My
lounge, with my feet up on the coffee table
Dee: wherever I
can get some peace and quiet – I have three small children
What is the most recent book of
Patricia’s that you’ve read?
Erin: The
Right Brother
Dee: Least
Likely Wedding
How did you discover Patricia
McLinn's books?
By spending
time with our Grandmother Petersen in Bundaberg, she and
our
mother are avid
romance novel readers, Grandma keeps a large box of
books under her
spare bed that we all swap and go through whenever we
visit her.
What is your favorite Patricia
McLinn book and why?
A favorite for
both of us is "Hoops." We have a long running battle
(about 10
years) over "Hoops" and who owns the copy. We take turns
stealing it
from each other’s house whenever we visit each other. Dee
gave the book
to me as a wedding present in 2005 and has been
unsuccessful in
stealing it back ever since, much to her frustration! Ha
Ha
What's your favorite early memory of
reading or having books or stories
told?
Erin: Having
"When Willie Went to the Wedding " read to me every night
for about 3
years (Loved that book). Mum got so sick of reading it
that
she used to pay
Dee 20 cents a night to read it to me.
Dee: Pinching
mum's romance novels and quickly skimming to find the rude
bits, before
she caught us!
The both of us
being bored one rainy day and deciding to write our own
romance novel,
We named the leading lady "Cochaneal Carnation" and the
leading man was
"Spam Lamb", but afterwards was changed to "Lunge
Randolf" – a
lot of laughs were had during the writing of that
story....
Do you share your reading
experiences with others? Part of any reading
groups (formal or informal, online
or in person)?
Just each
other.
Have any books made a difference in
your life?
Erin:
"Inheriting Jack" - shows you how important best friends
are
Dee: "Edward
the Emu" - because it makes you realize that it is ok to
be
who you are.
What do you love about being a
reader?
Meeting the
wonderful characters that are living these fabulous lives.
By the end of
the book you feel like they are apart of your life.
Anything else you want to say?
Dee is my best
friend, she always supports me, helps me and is there for
me, I look
forward to many more book battles over the years to come
June 2005 Winner
Joelle Deveza
|
Home:
I live in France, near Orléans and about 130
kilometres from Paris
Favorite spot for reading?
In my bed, with the cat close to me
How did you discover Patricia McLinn's books?
I read a book translated in French “Lost and Found
Groom” (“A Force d’Amour” in French) I won in a
contest sponsored by Harlequin.
Which is your favorite Patricia McLinn book and
why?
“At The Heart’s Command” is amongst my favorites. The
characters seem so real, so human. The dialogue are so
vivid. Ordinary people with ordinary life but the
power of love is so big that they become unique and
unforgettable. |
 |
What's your favorite early memory of reading or having
books or stories told?
As far as I remember, I
 was fascinated by “The Wild Swans”
and “The Little Mermaid” by Hans Christian Andersen, then
later by “Planet of the Apes” by Pierre Boulle. I discover
romance books later; only in 1997, I was very ill and
bought a book with a lovely cover at the supermarket (Lady
of the upper-kingdom by Merline Lovelace)… I thought it
was something easy to read and forget… And I fell in love!
I bought 4 more in the same week and devoured them and
never stopped since then.
Have any books made a difference in your life?
Many of them made me more attentive to people around me.
And all of them have a place in my heart.
What books have stayed in your memory over the years?
Books like “Song of the Wolf” by Roseanne Bittner ; “For
My Daughters” by Barbara Delinsky ; "The Book Club" by
Mary Alice Monroe ; "Cypress Point" by Diane Chamberlain
or “Cloud Nine” by Luanne Rice still live in my heart and
in a way change my point of view about life.
What do you love about being a reader?
To “fly away “ from this rude world for a while. To live
an exciting life with many characters I probably never
met. To listen to my heart and emotions.
Anything else you want to say?
I dream I could come to USA someday to rob book shops; to
come to an RT convention and meet all the writers I love
and say to all of them how important they are for me and
to thank them for all the pleasure given with their
wonderful stories.
I can say this to you, dear Patricia : THANKS for all the
great moments I spent with your books and also for your
kindness.
Don’t miss Joelle’s wonderful website:
http://romanceh.free.fr
Click on the moon to enter, then on the button called "Livres
en Vo", choose "June" in the contemporaries section and...
surprise ! (http://romanceh.free.fr/VOcjuin.html)
January 2005 Winner
Madalyn Reese
Home:
Smack in the middle of Minnesota
Favorite spot for reading?
Contrary to popular belief, it's not the drivers seat
of my car, or the ditch. It's my office.
How did you discover Patricia
McLinn's books?
I was lucky enough to meet Pat on the eHarlequin
message boards, and loved her sense of humor, plus how
down to earth she was. So I had to go pick up her
latest--which was ALMOST A BRIDE at the
time--and was very glad I did. Her books are just as
funny and genuine as Pat herself. |
 |
What is your favorite
Patricia McLinn book, and why?
Boy, this is a hard one for me to answer, so I'll take the
easy way out and name two: ALMOST A BRIDE
and MY HEART REMEMBERS.
ALMOST A BRIDE is where we get into Pat's
sense of humor--she almost killed me. Literally. I got
impatient after leaving the store with it, so decided to
read a bit of the first chapter while driving home from
the store. Then I got to the bottom of page 13 (yes, can
you say hooked?) and was laughing so hard I almost drove
into the ditch. No, I won't read and drive again. I swear.
MY HEART REMEMBERS sticks with me because
of Shane *dreamy sigh* And the shiny things in it, of
course.
What's your favorite memory of
reading or having books or stories told?
I remember
passing many cold winter hours curled up under about a
hundred blankets, reading whatever I could get my hands
on. And I remember thinking I was pretty hot stuff for
choosing books with no pictures.
Have any books made a
difference in your life?
Wow, what a question. I think just about every book I've
ever read has made a difference in my life somehow,
whether it opened me up to a new perspective or just made
me more mindful of how I treat others or myself because of
whatever lesson the hero/heroine learned.
What do you love about
being a reader?
I'd have to say what I love best about being a reader is
getting completely lost in a story, and letting a whole
other world open up in front of me.
And what I love about being one of Pat's readers is
that her characters don't get off easy. Everyone--from the
main characters to the last secondary--gets exactly what
they deserve, good or bad. Love that.
Anything else I want to
say?
Yes, I want to say thank you, Pat, for giving me hours of
good reading, and a great example to follow. Not only in
the writing of stories, but in how an author can remain a
genuine person in this often crazy business we're lucky
enough to be part of.
In addition to being a fabulous reader, Madalyn is
also a talented writer. Visit her website at
http://www.MadalynReese.com
November 2003 Winner
Diana Tidlund |
