Nothing is better than a luxuriously slow summer day, coupled with the perfect book to enjoy by the pool. With the last days of the season approaching, now's the time to get that last bit of sun (and reading) in. Below a few of TKA’s authors weigh in on what stand-out titles captivated their attention this summer.

RWA Through New Eyes

I had the pleasure of attending the 2009 Romance Writers of America conference wearing a different badge than ever before. Agent. Did it feel different to not be there as an editor? Yes. Did I enjoy myself? Most definitely. Was it strange? Absolutely.

I’ve attended approximately 30 writers’ conferences during my time as an editor. I knew what to expect; what my role was supposed to be. I was aware of what my publishing house was looking for and could easily decide if a project was going to be viable just from a short conversation with a writer. I had my roster of speeches should I have to give a presentation, a fount of responses should I be asked to sit on a panel. It was routine.

But this year, in Washington, D.C., I felt like a newbie, attending my first RWA conference. I met up with ex-colleagues and it was like seeing someone at your high school reunion—we caught up on gossip (one of my favorite things) and I got the skinny on some New York City happenings—such as my friend Gail and her utter dislike for Mayor Bloomberg. And I got to see some of my former authors—many of whom I have not spoken to in almost a year. What fun to catch up on their lives and careers.

There had been one thing I had been dreading ever since I agreed to participate in it—an agent panel. I’d done one before at a conference earlier this year, but with only another agent and an editor. This time there were five other agents, many of them veterans with huge client lists. I was the newbie with the editorial background. But happily, I was asked many questions and received wonderful comments from writers who attended the panel. I think, having worked in the trenches with authors for years, I was able to understand their questions and concerns to a greater degree and perhaps came off as more approachable. As that is the kind of agent I strive to be, I walked away from that panel quite content.

In the past, I’d taken editor/agent/author appointments looking for very specific projects. And as I sat down at my seat in the hotel’s basement to take pitches (Okay, maybe it wasn’t actually the basement but it was below lobby level and it was freezing cold—though the appointments were very well managed.) I wondered just what types of projects I would be hearing about. Turns out, this was the best set of appointments I’d ever had at a National conference. The writers had really done their homework and knew what types of projects I was interested in. Out of the twenty-or-so writers I met with, I was really looking forward to reading more than half of their manuscripts—much better than I had usually averaged. I walked away from those appointments honestly looking forward to seeing their submissions appear in my email’s inbox.

I also had the chance to sign up a few clients at the conference—getting to meet with a potential client face to face really helps with the initial questions and conversation, I must admit. And, getting to meet other clients in person for the first time was simply a thrill. After having phone and email exchanges, it was so nice to just sit down and speak with them, to be able to put a face to the name and learn more about them in a comfortable atmosphere.

So, the business aspect of the conference turned out to be less stressful than I imagined. But even more fun were all of the parties I had been invited to. Publishing house parties. As an editor, I’d been invited to literacy agency parties—now my invitation list had changed and I was meeting very different people. And, going to the Harlequin party as a guest for the first time was also a thrill. The drinks, the deserts—fabulous. The DJ was amazing--I danced like a mad woman (just ask Lucienne who was also having tons of fun on the dance floor.) I probably would have closed the place down if not for the fact that I’d scheduled an 8:00 am breakfast. Something I will not be doing next year, that’s for sure.

And so, after the client and editor meetings, the author pitches, panels and parties, I left the conference physically exhausted but emotionally energized. I await all of the promising projects I’d requested. I look forward to reading my clients’ new proposals and manuscripts. I am anxious to submit to new editors I’d had the pleasure to meet. And I look forward to next year!

QUESTION: What was your favorite part of the Romance Writers of America conference in Washington, D.C.?

DEIDRE KNIGHT : My favorite part of RWA 2009 was meeting so many new online friends who I met through Twitter and other online and blogging sites. I really felt the growing impact of the digital world in DC, more than I have at any previous RWA convention.

LUCIENNE DIVER : My favorite part of RWA was, without a doubt, the RITA Award ceremony. Generally I'd say it's the publishers' parties, but this year Rosemary Clement-Moore, who I've represented since her first book, PROM DATES FROM HELL, won the RITA Award for Best Young

Adult novel for her second in the Maggie Quinn: Girl vs. Evil series, HELL WEEK. She's such a phenomenal person and writer that her win made the conference for me!

NEPHELE TEMPEST: My favorite part of RWA ’09 was getting the chance to catch up with some clients in person.

ELAINE SPENCER: What wasn't to love: a positive vibe about the market, passion galore about upcoming projects, and talent around every corner. And most importantly, RWA '09 was, as always, an amazing chance to sit down and catch up with all the friends in the business that I haven't seen since San Fran.

MELISSA JEGLINSKI: My favorite part of RWA was getting to meet some of my clients in person. Speaking on the phone or chatting over email is great, but there's nothing like discussing things in a face to face situation.

*Please remember that you can participate in Agents of the Roundtable. Send a question you would like our agents to tackle to info@knightagency.net, and we might feature it in an upcoming issue!

MOUNTAIN INVESTIGATION
by Jessica Andersen | Harlequin

FBI special agent Michael "Gray" Grayson had an agenda...and it didn't include protecting a beautiful loner in the wilds of Colorado who probably knew more than she was sharing. Still, the fear in Mariah Shore's amber eyes after he rescued her from the clutches of a terrorist mastermind seemed all too real. And since Gray wasn't about to watch another person suffer while he felt helpless to stop it, Mariah was now his unwilling partner in uncovering a deadly plot. Before long, looking for answers and hiding out in the cold, tight canyons of the Colorado mountains turned their investigation much more intimate. And believing in Mariah's claims of innocence gave Gray that much more to lose.

ROYAL SEDUCER
by Michelle Celmer | Harlequin

Mr. July: Prince Christian, heir to a royal throne

His purpose: Marriage--quick, painless, loveless

His prey: One unsuspecting princess

Royal must marry royal, which left Prince Christian's options few and far between. That is...until a new princess was discovered: beautiful, innocent and unaware she'd been offered up as a pawn. He would have wed whomever duty dictated, but the lovely Princess Melissa soon had Christian more than ready for a royal wedding night. He just had to keep love out of the equation...or lose his kingdom forever.

STRANGE BREW
Edited by P.N. Elrod, including stories from Elrod, Rachel Caine and Faith Hunter, et al. | St. Martin's Press

Today’s hottest urban fantasy authors come together in this delicious brew that crackles and boils over with tales of powerful witches and dark magic!In Charlaine Harris’“Bacon,” a beautiful vampire joins forces with a witch from an ancient line to find out who killed her beloved husband. In “Seeing Eye” by Patricia Briggs,a blind witch helps sexy werewolf Tom Franklin find his missing brother—and helps him in more ways than either of them ever suspected.nbsp; And in Jim Butcher’s“Last Call,” wizard Harry Dresden takes on the darkest of dark powers—the ones who dare to mess with this favorite beer.For anyone who’s ever wondered what lies beyond the limits of reality, who’s imagined the secret spaces where witches wield fearsome magic, come and drink deep. Let yourself fall under the spell of this bewitching collection!

BITE ME!
by Melissa Francis | HarperCollins

AJ Ashe isn't your typical seventeen-year-old vampire-as if there is such a thing! She's stuck in the middle of a huge fight between her two BFFs. Her ex-boyfriend-whom she's still totally in love with, by the way-is now her stepbrother. A former classmate-who, um, she may or may not have turned into a vampire-is stalking her. And now, apparently, the fate of humankind lies in her little undead hands. What ever happened to the good old days, when all a vampire girl had to worry about was the occasional zit and hiding her taste for blood?

THE MERCENARY: THE SAVAGE SEVEN
by Katherine Garbera | Kensington

Once upon a time, Kirk Mann led a normal life. Now, as second-in-command at Savage Seven, he takes on assignments no one else would dare to handle. Like protecting Olivia Pountuf, a sexy, pampered socialite who was engaged to the manager of a diamond mine—until she discovered her fiancé's murderous business tactics. Kirk arrives in Johannesburg too late to stop Olivia being kidnapped, but rescuing her stirs up a firestorm of longing as hot as it is dangerous. And that's just the kind he likes. . .

Olivia grew up believing that money would protect her. But the man she was to marry wants her dead, and the one person who makes her feel safe is a rough-around-the-edges ex-Marine who couldn't care less about wealth or privilege. Now, the only way to survive is to uncover an illicit scheme that others will kill again and again to protect, and trust in a desire that's veering straight out of control...

SKINWALKER: A JANE YELLOWROCK NOVEL
by Faith Hunter | Penguin Group

First in a brand new series from the author of the Rogue Mage novels. Jane Yellowrock is the last of her kind--a skinwalker of Cherokee descent, who can turn into any creature she desires and hunts vampires for a living. But now she's been hired by one of the oldest vampires in New Orleans to hunt a powerful rogue vampire who's killing other vamps.

THE FIRE KING
by Marjorie M. Liu | Dorchester Publishing Company

The world has yet to learn the power of the Karr, the tortured Chimera shape-shifting prince, and the scarred yet brilliant Soria has yet to know his love, in this eighth installment of the Dirk & Steele series.

THE CALLING
by David Mack | Simon & Schuster

No one would guess by looking at Tom Nash that he's extraordinary, and that's just fine with him. A tall, broad-shouldered jack-of-all-trades from Sawyer, Pennsylvania, Tom has a knack for fixing things. He also hides a secret talent: he hears people's prayers. Stranger still, he answers them. Maybe it's because he's a handyman, but Tom feels compelled to fix people's problems. Which is all well and good -- until the soul-shattering plea of a terrified girl sends him on the darkest journey of his life....SEEK THE TRUTH. Heeding the call and leaving his home for New York City, Tom discovers a secret world beyond the range of mortal perception -- a world of angels and demons and those who serve them. With the guidance of a knowing stranger named Erin, Tom learns that he himself is one of The Called, born with a divine purpose and a daunting task: to help the powers of Heaven in the war against the agents of Hell, an army of fallen angels known as the Scorned. Thrust into an epic battle of the sacred and the profane, Tom Nash must find the girl who prayed for his help -- because her fate will determine whether humanity deserves to be saved, or damned for all eternity....

ENDLESS SUMMER: MAKING WAVES/SURF'S UP/WET & WILD
by Jill Monroe, et al. | Harlequin

"Wet and Wild" by Jill Monroe -- Daredevil Rookie of the Year Andrea "Drea" Powell needs a sponsor. Superstar pro Kirk Murray needs a flashy new surfer to back. The explosive results heat up the competition...and the bedroom!

"Making Waves" by Julie Kenner -- Laci Montgomery is determined to be pro surfing's Golden Girl. Does she need help from her ex--hottie sports promoter Taylor Dutton? No way! Well, not unless she's on top...

"Surf's Up" by Karen Anders -- After a crash meeting in the waves, surfer J. C. Wilcox and entrepreneur Zack Fanning practice daring moves that would make fish blush. But is it just sexy fun in the sun--or are they ready to risk their hearts?

A MOST LAMENTABLE COMEDY
by Janet Mullany | Little Black Dress

1822, England. Young, beautiful Lady Caroline Elmhurst is down on her luck. Twice-widowed (once is unfortunate, twice just looks like carelessness…), pursued by creditors, she needs to get back on track before the world realizes just how desperate she’s become.

But she’s optimistic about finding a new husband and when she meets handsome, mysterious Nicholas Congrevance at a houseparty in the country, she sets out to entice him. For his part, Nicholas simply sees Lady Caroline as just the sort of woman he’s used to exploiting–rich, available, and gullible. Neither realizes the other is penniless–and neither has any intention of falling in love…

FADE TO BLACK: THE BLACK CATS
by Leslie Parrish | Penguin Group

After transferring out of violent crimes and onto the FBI's Cyber Action Team, Special Agent Dean Taggert is shocked to learn a cold and calculating predator dubbed The Reaper is auctioning off murder in the cyber world and is about to kill again--unless Dean and beautiful sheriff Stacey Rhodes can stop him.

BRANDED BY FIRE
by Nalini Singh | Penguin Group

When a brilliant changeling researcher is kidnapped, DarkRiver sentinel Mercy, a cat, and SnowDancer lieutenant Riley, a wolf, must work together to track the young man—before his shadowy captors decide he's no longer useful. Along the way, the two dominants may find that submitting to one another uncovers not just a deadly conspiracy, but a passion so raw that it'll leave them both branded by fire. (Publishers Weekly).