If you’re a writer, you’ve experienced it at one time or another. If it was a disease, we’d all be wiped out by it. Thank goodness it only makes us human. Today please welcome Miranda Neville to the blog as she discusses the writers she most envies and celebrates the release of her sophomore book, THE WILD MARQUIS (You know you wouldn’t have your marquises any other way ).
Writer Envy: Who Do I Wish I Was?
I just read (I know, years late) The Smoke Thief by Shana Abé. One reason I knew it was a good book was that I kept thinking “This is so good. I should write a book like this.”
Of course I can’t. Abé’s prose is lyrical and lush and her subject matter is paranormal. My own writing style is more earthbound and ironic. But that doesn’t save me from committing the sin of writer envy. Certain writers regularly inspire me with jealous torments.
I love the way Liz Carlyle sets a scene, especially a sordid scene. The opening of Tempted All Night, for example. Without going into a lot of description, she makes you see the shady pub – and incidentally tells you a whole lot about her hero.
“It’s generally said that a man can be known by the company he keeps, and Tristan Talbot was likely the only fellow in London who went dicing with his manservant. That his servant disdained the Three Shovels as beneath his dignity served only to further illuminate the level to which Tristan sometimes sank. And illumination was direly needed at the Shovels, for the place was dark as a den of thieves.
Actually, it was a den of thieves. And rogues and sharps and bawds—even the occasional gentleman out for a low-class lark. From somewhere deep inside the low-ceilinged alehouse, raucous laughter rang out….”
I’m always telling people Janet Mullany is the funniest historical writer around, though why I bother to qualify the statement I don’t know. Can’t think of any funnier in any genre. Only Janet—in the Rules Of Gentility– would set her marriage proposal in the bathroom.
“What are you doing in there?”
“It’s a water closet. What sort of question is that?”
“Well hurry up. I want to propose to you.’ He thumps on the door again and mutters something about women taking so long in there. It must be all the petticoats.
My papa comments that he’s always thought it so too.
The Wild Marquis
Author: Miranda Neville
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Pub. Date: March 9, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0061808708
384 pages
He is notorious for his wretched morals and never received in respectable houses. The ladies of the ton would never allow him in their drawing rooms . . . though some of them have welcomed him into their bedchambers. Rejected from his father’s house at the age of sixteen, he now lives a life of wanton pleasure. So what could the Marquis of Chase possibly want with Juliana Merton, a lovely, perfectly upstanding shopkeeper with a mysterious past?
A moment’s indiscretion?
A night’s passion?
Or a lifetime of love?
Even the wildest rakes have their weaknesses . . .
I envy Eloisa James’ ability to effortlessly convey romantic deliciousness, as in this random page from Desperate Duchesses, perhaps my favorite Eloisa.
“Damon was well aware he was consumed by lust. It was a dangerous state. He’d never before experienced it as a sort of waking fever dream, as the past few days when he walked the halls of Beaumont House merely so that he could catch a whiff of Roberta’s perfume, or see the flutter of her dress retreat around a corner.”
Anna Campbell’s dark sensuality leaves me gaping. How does she do that?
“He told himself her body was all he wanted.
The declaration sounded laughably hollow. The feverish encounter had bitten more deeply than the fleeting demands of flesh alone ever could, however much he wished it otherwise.
She took a shuddering breath as he settled at her side. He fought the urge to stroke the damp black hair back from her brow. She wouldn’t welcome his tenderness, he knew with piercing regret. (Claiming the Courtesan)
Among the many things I envy in Susan Elizabeth Phillips is her ability to construct a big multi-character ensemble scene. The most fun may the one where a horde of giant professional sportsmen invade the heroine’s house (“Get your big-ass shoes off my sofa cushions.”) My favorite is the dinner party in Ain’t She Sweet when Sugar Beth turns an event designed to humiliate her into a triumph. We see her emerge with grace and dignity and Colin’s emotions turn from revenge to shame to love. There’s nothing I find more satisfying than seeing the tables turned.
And then there’s Loretta Chase. I’d kill to write like Chase. All I can do after devouring one of her books is to pray that some of her genius rubs off on me.
Among your favorite authors, can you pinpoint exactly what aspects of their work you like the most? One answer will win a signed copy of The Wild Marquis.
It’s always so nice to happen upon new authors, which is why it’s so lovely to have Rose Lerner–author of IN FOR A PENNY–here with us today. Please extend an ultra-warm welcome to Rose as she chats about the new phenom, costume drama monster movies.
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Image from The Inquistr
So I don’t know how many of you have heard about the possible upcoming production, Pride and Predator.
Personally, I’m excited. Because I love the idea of costume drama monster movies. And the only one I’ve ever seen is Ginger Snaps Back: the Beginning. Which I enjoyed because my very favorite musician Hugh Dillon played the fire-and-brimstone preacher, but which could definitely have had a more authentic period feel. Why are monster movies all set in the present day? There’s just no need for that! So my friend Sonia and I sat down and came up with some concepts:
1. The Unholy Sepulchre. This one is about vampire Crusaders. Think of how difficult it would be for them to wear those cloaks with the crosses on them!
2. Vanguard Party. This one is about a small unit of revolutionary Communist werewolves during the Russian Revolution. Possibly they would liberate a labor camp in Siberia. Werewolves look really dramatic in the snow. (Important note: these would be people who turned into wolves. Not people who turned into weird CGI hunched-over giant hairy people. I have Strong Opinions about werewolf special effects!)
3. Lieutenant Hornblower and the Kraken. Enough said.
4. Cowboys vs. the Blob. I don’t know how cowboys would come up with enough cold to freeze the Blob, but I’m excited to find out!
5. Running Scared. This is a World War Two movie in which submarines fight the Giant Squid. Is the Giant Squid a Nazi? you may ask. I’ll leave that creative decision up to you.
6. Sacagawea fights Bigfoot! It would be hard to make this movie not turn out racist. But I think if you put some thought into it and did it right, it could be awesome.
7. You know how there’s a type of B-movie where there’s an ancient monster sleeping under the earth, and then it’s disturbed by oil drilling or modern construction of some sort? I think there should be a movie like this with Industrial Revolution coal miners.
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In For A Penny
Author: Rose Lerner
Publisher: Dorchester/Leisure
Pub. Date: February 23, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0373774395
336 pages
IN FOR A PENNY
No more drinking. No more gambling. And definitely no more mistress. Now that he’s inherited a mountain of debts and responsibility, Lord Nevinstoke has no choice but to start acting respectable. Especially if he wants to find a wife-better yet, a rich wife. Penelope Brown, a manufacturing heiress, seems the perfect choice. She’s pretty, rational, ladylike, and looking for a marriage based on companionship and mutual esteem.
IN FOR A POUND
But when they actually get to Nev’s family estate, all the respectability and reason in the world won’t be enough to deal with tenants on the edge of revolt, a menacing neighbor, and Nev’s family’s propensity for scandal. Overwhelmed but determined to set things right, Nev and Penelope have no one to turn to but each other. And to their surprise, that just might be enough.
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8. Bonnie Prince Charlie vs. the Loch Ness monster!
9. Dust monsters in the Great Depression!
10. St. George and the Dragon. Need I say more? If you wanted, the dragon could be an alien, but it’s not necessary.
11. Aliens land in medieval Japan and Samurai must defeat them–or learn that even though they look different, we can share the galaxy in peace, depending on what kind of alien movie this is. I’m envisioning this as War of the Worlds-style aliens, but you could really take this in a lot of directions visually.
12. Suffragettes vs. giant robots! I’m a little surprised this hasn’t been done yet, what with the rise of steampunk and all.
13. The Greek War of Independence (1821-1829), but with monsters from Greek mythology. Byron would be a character, and possibly instead of dying of dysentery he would be eaten by a Cyclops.
14. An alchemist accidentally creates a monster in his lab, and must defeat it before it destroys his entire city, and then–the world!
15. In 19th century Cornwall, wreckers (who would loot ships that wrecked close to shore and sell the cargo, in extreme cases leaving the crew to drown or even killing them to cover up their illegal activities) are looting a ship–only to discover that it wrecked because the crew was eaten by monsters! Possibly vampires because they’re fond of killing the crews of ships as their coffins are transported from Transylvania (which seems really impractical, as don’t you need the crews to, you know, run the ship?), but not necessarily.
My friend and I were also really excited about The Severed Hand of Franklin, in which Lord Franklin’s expedition looking for the Northwest Passage is murdered by the Abominable Snowman, and then it turned out there already was a horror novel about the Franklin expedition: The Terror
Suggest your own costume drama monster movies in the comments! My favorite suggestion gets a signed copy of IN FOR A PENNY.
Thanks for having me on The Season!
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For an additional opportunity to win IN FOR A PENNY plus a package of 10 (ten) of Rose’s favourite Regency-set novels, visit Rose at www.roselerner.com/contest.html
It’s my pleasure to have Cathy Maxwell join me today on the blog. She has graciously agreed to a virtual interview as she celebrates the release of THE MARRIAGE RING, the third book in her Scandals and Seductions series. Please extend a warm welcome to Cathy.
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Hi Cathy, welcome! I absolutely adore opposite attract stories. Please tell us about Grace and Richard in THE MARRIAGE RING.
Opposites do attract, don’t they? But do they stay together? That’s the question I was wondering as I developed Grace and Richard’s story. Many of my readers will remember Grace from IN A HIGHLANDER’S BED. She was the camp slut, poor child. A willing one–until Fiona put a good dose of common sense in her head. Grace also makes an appearance in SEDUCTION AT CHRISTMAS and THE EARL CLAIMS HIS WIFE. She’s been developing confidence along the way but she does consider herself damaged goods.
Richard has always done the right thing, and it has made him boring. He’s a square peg in a square hole–and a part of him resents it. In many ways, Grace represents freedom . . . and isn’t that what often happens with us even today? We are going along thinking we have a handle on the world until we meet someone who challenges everything we thought about ourselves? Who is it that said, often the person who frustrates you the most is your soul mate?
But Grace does more than question and infuriate Richard. She is forbidden fruit. The Scarlet Woman.
Poor boy.
By the way, THE MARRIAGE RING takes up minutes after THE EARL CLAIMS HIS WIFE ends. So if a reader cares about the order of stories, I’d advise reading THE EARL CLAIMS HIS WIFE first. It’s not necessary. My books do stand alone–but for the whole backstory . . .
THE MARRIAGE RING is the third book in your current series. Is this the end or can we expect more?
I have two more in this series after THE MARRIAGE RING. HIS CHRISTMAS PLEASURE (Dec ’10 Avon Books) will be Andres’s story. I have a host of fans waiting for him to have redemption. And then, I close the series with the book following Andres. My readers will meet the final book’s main character in HIS CHRISTMAS PLEASURE.
I see you have a book trailer for THE MARRIAGE RING. Did you enjoy doing it?
I had fun doing the book trailer but my on camera days are long behind me. When I started writing, all I wanted to do was write. I didn’t imagine the business exploding the directions it has. What an incredible world we live in today! I am constantly amazed. One thing I’m learning is that stories will always be with us.
Now here is a question running through my mind, are book trailers all that important? I don’t think so. Content is important. We are bombarded with information so we start wondering if all of this has personal importance–and book trailers seem impersonal. I’m loving social media. I have my clan of readers and friends on Facebook plus a cadre of the really loyal I-get-what-you-are-doing readers. I admit I write to please them.
But the secret, or what I long for, is meaningful dialogue with anyone. Even the guy that pours my coffee. I am a people person. In that trailer, I skimmed a vein. I didn’t open it, not quite . . . was surprised I went there . . . . and have some mixed thoughts about it. The camera catches everything, not just that five extra pounds.
What was it like the first time you found out you made the New York Times bestseller list?
Making the list was good, all good–but surprising. When I started selling, the NYT wasn’t even including romance novels in the list so it wasn’t something I aspired to. My goal was and continues to be to focus on the reader and giving the best story experience I have to offer.
Around the time I made the list, a friend and I were arguing about goals. Her goal was the make the NYT list. I contend (and still do) a “good” goal is one you have control over. I have no control over making a list. I prefer to focus on what I do control. Then I made the list. I felt vindicated in my viewpoint. And humbled. It is an honor. It carries cache.
But to the romance reader? I’m not certain NYT matters. Romance readers (RRs) are avid readers. I have discussions with booksellers who assume RRs only read in their genre in the same way mystery and sci-fi and literary readers do. Not true! RRs read everything. They are after story wherever they can find it. They come to Romance because we have loads of good stories hitting the shelves every month. And we embrace all genres. We’ll do action-adventure, fantasy, futuristic, westerns, mystery . . . we’ll even go literary. So will the RR. Give them Story.
Digressing here . . . I think alot of the success of the Paranormal romances is that the writers were writing with a fresh eye, building strong worlds, and being imaginative with story. I come across Historical writers all the time who don’t realize how important the “world” they are creating is. I recently did a Romance Radio interview with Vampire writer Jeaniene Frost on her latest book (www.authorsonair.com). Hearing her conviction in discussing the parameters of her characters’ “world”, reminded me of how important that level of authenticity is. I’d just finished vetting a manuscript by a first time author where she was loosey goosey about the history in her time period. There are things the RR will let you do and things that will get you blasted, and every writer should know what the margins are for her genre.
By the way, Jeaniene felt the Historical writers had it tough for research. I think the Contemporary writers must be more wary. It’s hard for a reader to go back in time . . . but very easy to know that people don’t sit side-by-side in Space Mountain or folks don’t pump their own gas in Oregon–and woe to the writer who gets those every day facts wrong.
Oh, what were we talking about?
Yes, thank you very much, I like being on the NYT list. And I don’t think the fam and I did anything special. It was a good moment, and then we moved on.
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The Marriage Ring
Author: Cathy Maxwell
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Pub. Date: February 23, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0061771927
368 pages
The woman who will one day wear Richard Lynsted’s ring will be genteel, dainty, and well-bred.
This eliminates Grace MacEachin on all three counts. A hellion of the first order, the alluring, infuriating woman would be nothing more than a passing temptation to an upstanding gentleman like Richard—if it weren’t for the fact that she’s trying to blackmail his father!
Or, as Grace sees it, trying to get justice—and maybe just the slightest hint of revenge on the family that tore her life asunder when she was just a girl. And as for Lynsted, well, the stuffy, humorless man wouldn’t suffer for time spent in company more exciting than that of his company ledgers. Only when Richard gets Grace alone, she discovers he may know a thing or two about excitement after all . . .
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How do you like writing novella compared to writing single titles? Does the word count make it an easier go?
I like the intensity of writing a shorter story and I hope the exercise translates to my full length books. My favorites are “Flanna and the Lawman” and “Nightingale.” I actually think it is harder to write shorter. Every word must count.
Do you have a daughter? If so, does she read your books? Do any of your children want to follow in your footsteps and become an author?
I have two daughters, both RRs! They do read my books. I wrote about one of them in the essay “Bedside Reading” that can be found at my website (www.cathymaxwell.com) I don’t know if I have any future authors amongst my children although each (I have three) is a very good writer. They know words convey more than just facts. If anything holds them back from writing, it is the sight of their mother sitting in one spot for hours, days at a time.
You state that you married a man you knew for less than a month. Do you believe in love at first sight?
I do not believe in love at first sight. I do believe in “Lust at First Sight”–but I wasn’t in love or lust with my husband. I couldn’t get rid of him. Every time I turned around, he was there. Kevin was a real Alpha guy, which is interesting because I’m an Alpha gal. And then, I just found myself agreeing to all of his ideas–including marriage. I knew I’d met my match and jumped in before I thought too much about it. I’m glad I did. We had a great synergy.
THE MARRIAGE RING Book trailer
Would you like to write in another genre someday, perhaps contemporary?
I don’t know what the future holds. It’s been six years since Kevin died, a real roller coaster of emotion. Anyone who has lost someone dear to them knows what I’m talking about. I had my career mapped out with all sorts of possibilities before his death and then I spent a good deal of time just hanging on.
And let me interject right here about how wonderful Avon and HarperCollins was during this period. Sometimes you will hear writers complain about how heartless publishers can be. That has not been my experience. Ever. Even before Kev’s death. Decisions have to be made because publishing is a business. At the same time, the majority of people I have met in publishing have great hearts. They are passionate and professional (passionately professional? Professionally passionate? Maybe both!) about what they do.
My goal has been to get right side up on my deadlines, then stretch ahead, and then see what is on the horizon. I’m really tired of paddling as fast as I can.
One thing I do know–I won’t leave Romance. I have many goals for my writing and I haven’t attained what I set out to do. I’m working on it, but I’m not there.
What’s coming up next for you? Can you give us a miniature blurb?
This December (2010) Andres’s story will be on the shelves–HIS CHRISTMAS PLEASURE. Remember, titles can, and do, change but that is where we are now. I love that book. Many of you remember Andres from SEDUCTION AT CHRISTMAS and THE EARL CLAIMS HIS WIFE. I’ve had boatload of mail from readers asking when they can expect his book. I hope they are not disappointed. I really love this character–a silver-eyed Spaniard who has been both villain and lover. Doesn’t get better than that!
And right now in in the beginning stages of the last book in the “Scandals and Seductions” series. It will be out in 2011 and feature a character from HIS CHRISTMAS PLEASURE. After that–I want to head to Scotland again. I’ve got a new series brewing in my mind that will be great fun.
Thank you, Bev, for this interview. It’s been fun. By the way, please remind your fans that I’ll be interviewing you March 25, 2010 1 p.m. EST on Romance Radio. We have a series of shows that live forever at Romance Radio (www.authorsonair.com) featuring the movers and shakers of in this special genre that we all love so well. Hope everyone can join us.
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Isn’t she sweet? Cathy, thank you so much for joining me today and sharing a bit of yourself with us.
Cathy will be popping in now and again throughout the day (February 22nd), so please feel free to ask questions. Also, make sure you enter to win 1 of 5 copies of THE MARRIAGE RING and corresponding signed book cover posters, which Avon Bookshas graciously offered up for raffle. Click here for entry details.
Comment today and 4 entrants for THE MARRIAGE RING will also receive a copy of one of the following books:
Lynette Curtis, a frequent visitor of the blog, has been kind enough to review Caroline Linden’s, For Your Arms Only and offer up her two cents.
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For Your Arms Only
Author: Caroline Linden
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Pub. Date: November 24, 2009
ISBN-13: 978-0061706479
384 pages
He’d never been shot by a woman . . .
He was once a distinguished army officer, a man of honor and heroism. But that was before Alexander Hayes was wrongly accused of treason. Forced to abandon everything he held dear, Alec became a spy for England in an attempt to clear his name. His latest commission sounds simple: locate a retired soldier gone missing. But it also sends him back home, to a family who’d thought him dead for five years—and a woman who’d like to shoot him.
Everything Cressida Turner’s ever heard about Alec tells her that he’s a traitor of the worst kind, and yet this enigmatic, infuriating, and utterly captivating man may be the only person she can trust—and the only one who can find her missing father. With nowhere else to turn, she reluctantly joins forces with Alec, unprepared for both the dangerous secrets that threaten them and the relentless passion that drives them into each other’s arms.
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Lynette’s Two Cents:
The beginning of For Your Arms Only was slow and dragged. It took me two and a half days to read the first one hundred or more pages of this book. Despite the awesome writing (I mean Ms. Linden’s talent just oozes from the page) I wouldn’t have picked For Your Arms Only back up again if I hadn’t promised to review it. However, the middle and end were fabulous. I’d defiantly read this author again, though it’ll be a library read at first. I live in Michigan, the worst economic state in the U.S., so I only purchase books I know I will re-read (I’m a big re-reader). If I read one or two more of her books that I really liked, she’d go on my must-buy list. I can see Caroline Linden as an author who will blow me away eventually, her writing was that good. It was just the story and heroine that bothered me.
Plot: There is a lot of plot inside For Your Arms Only, which normally is a good thing. However, in my humble opinion it felt as if it took way too long to set-up the story. There was too much to focus on, that I ended up losing interest. Near the end, all the plot threads pulled together but I thought they should’ve been woven in more effectively in the beginning so that the reader would care more and not stop reading.
a. Example 1. I had a serious WTF moment in the book. Since it’s back-story I can tell you without spoiling anything. Alexander is accused of being a traitor. Everyone (including Wellington) believes he betrayed the English to the French, yet he is given a job as an English spy. AFTER EVERYONE BELIEVES HE’S A TRAITOR. HUH! That lost all credibility to me. Maybe it’s because of what I do day-to-day on my job, but I lost faith in the author from the moment I read that in the prologue. Everything was explained quite well later on, but that wasn’t until Chapter Eight (Chapter Eight starts on page 91) that the explanation was given. So I spent ninety-one pages thinking this defies credibility. I wish the explanation would’ve been weaved in a little earlier, maybe infuse the information into the prologue or made Chapter Eight the prologue.
b. Example 2. Ms. Linden did a great job with Alexander the hero. I adored him, which is why I kept reading despite some of the problems I had with this book. One thing that bothered me is that when he returned home after five years. NOTHING was said about his return from the dead. No family dramas, nothing. Not a hint of anger from the man who thought he’d inherit. NOTHING. No one broke the rule that we just don’t talk about it, even when it’s just within family. Come on now. I know the English are supposed to have a stiff upper lip, but this was a little too much. I kept waiting for the fight to erupt. It did erupt eventually with his sister Julia but it was to the middle/end of the book. Waiting for something so obvious to happen distracted my reading experience.
c. Example 3. Minor issue that comes not from knowledge of the era but from reading romance novels from the time I was eleven years old. A single woman (even a spinster) going on an overnight trip with a single man during that time-period? It just didn’t seem right to me, felt it was just a device to throw them together. However, I could be wrong and often am.
Characters: I didn’t like the heroine. She got on my last nerve until (you guessed it) the middle/end of the book. Alexander was sent to help her, and she acted like he had the plague. Come on girly. Her justification wasn’t even that she didn’t trust him because he was branded a traitor. She had no reasoning for her dislike and it annoyed me. I also felt that the author spent a little too much time in the beginning channeling Elizabeth and Jane Bennett for Cressida and her sister Cassie. But that’s just my opinion. Again, this changed as the book went along.
Sex Scene: I am so not one of those people who say they skip the sex scenes. Frankly, I think they’re lying. But that’s just me. Me, I read the sex scenes with a highlighter and pencil in my hand so I can scribble notes in the margins. Different strokes for different folks. Having said that, this sex scene seemed out of place, it read like I was suddenly transported into an erotic romance novel. I read erotic romance novels, so that didn’t bother me, but the tone seemed wrong and didn’t fit the Cressida I had pictured in my mind. The tough, no nonsense, feisty (Elizabeth Bennett type) heroine. It’s like she turned into a totally different character. That scene didn’t fit tone of the rest of the book.
I know it seems like I didn’t like the book. I did. Once again, the middle and end were great. Ms. Linden can describe a scene that is so vivid that I feel like I’m there. Once the plot issues were ironed out, I was able to sit down and enjoy the story, so that just make me wonder what she’d do with a different book. I can’t wait to see.
Rating Scale:
A – Top 20 in subgenre. I will keep it and re-read it and it will be my precious
B – I’ll re-read my favorite parts
C – Good but I won’t re-read
D – Not my thing
E- I finished it.
F – I did not finish it.
Today, the guest blogger is my chapter mate, Barbara Monajem, who writes paranormal and historical romance, and currently has a short out for Harlequin in their Historical Undone line. Please extend a warm welcome to Barbara.
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FUNKY HISTORY
Patrick needs a respectable new wife to be a mother for his daughter.
Notorious Eliza paints nudes to support her young son.
They should resist the attraction. (They don’t.)
They dare not fall in love. (They do.)
They must not marry… for one day Eliza’s most scandalous secret will surface and destroy them all.
Many of the blogs I’ve written to promote my Harlequin Undone, Notorious Eliza, ended up talking about another book instead: William Manchester’sA World Lit Only by Fire. At first glance, there’s not much connection. Notorious Eliza is a short Regency romance; A World Lit Only by Fire is non-fiction, and it’s about the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. I adore this book, because it’s full of what I call funky history. That’s the kind of history we are deprived of in school, because it’s… hmm. Sometimes it would be called inappropriate. Sometimes it’s not considered factual. Sometimes it’s downright gross.
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Notorious Eliza
Author: Barbara Monajem
Publisher: Historical Undone
Pub. Date: January 1, 2010
Format: E-book
Price: $2.69
Eliza Dauntry was infamous. Most people assumed she was a wanton because she supported herself and her son by painting portraits of courtesans. Yet Eliza hadn’t been tempted by a man since her husband’s death…until she met Patrick Felham. An old friend of her husband and a one-time rake, Patrick awakened a yearning in Eliza that demanded to be satisfied at once….
Patrick was looking for an upright woman to become his wife and stepmother to his daughter, not a siren like Eliza Dauntry! But Eliza had aroused his desire ever since he saved her scandalous self-portrait from the auction house. The chance of an affair with the alluring widow was irresistible, but this notorious woman could also turn out to be his perfect bride…
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Regardless, it’s the fun stuff, such as, for example, the medieval belief in incubi (and succubi), and that impregnation by an incubus could be a legitimate excuse for a pregnancy when one’s husband was away. It’s the wild orgies in the Vatican held by a Borgia pope. It’s the pagan superstitions and bizarre visions of the great reformer, Martin Luther. Maybe this stuff isn’t appropriate for high school history courses, but I can tell you one thing—the kids would remember it.
I certainly did. The friend who gave me A World Lit Only by Fire does wonderful trompe l’oeil work, and the combination of that book and the paintings on my friend’s walls inspired me to write Notorious Eliza—about a woman hired to disguise the scandalous paintings on the walls of a ballroom, and man who has to go through his own private renaissance to realize what he really wants in a wife. It’s my little piece of made-up funky history, and I had a blast writing it.
What funky history did you learn, either in school or after you graduated? Were you shocked? Did it make history come more alive for you?
Please extend a warm welcome to Chloe Harris, our guest blogger today, whose steamy debut historical, SECRETS OF SIN, releases January 26th. She’ll be chatting about some favourites on her ‘keeper shelf’.
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First I want to say a big thank you to Beverley for liking my idea and letting me guest blog at The Season. I hope this will be the first of many posts where authors and readers talk about the Historical Romances on their “Keeper Shelf” and why they love them enough to call them keepers.
Teresa Medeiros has a large section on my keeper shelf including A Whisper of Roses,Heather and Velvetwith its collectible Fabio cover and the book I’m talking about today, Thief of Hearts.
All the books on my keeper shelf have golden lines or golden moments that even after years and years still stick out in my memory and have a place in my heart. Like in Madeline Hunter’s The Seducer when Daniel St. John talks about how after spending most of his adult life in England he knows in his heart he’s French because he dreams in French. *Sigh* Or the golden line on page 20 of Thief of Hearts that stole my heart right away. They all shine like gold in my memory.
Before I continue about Thief of Hearts, you need to understand that like many women I’m not fond of my hair in its natural state. Please take into account that I first read this book just after publication around late 1994 or early 1995. If you’re old enough to remember, the look in the 80s and early 90s in much of the US was long curly and big. I spent all of my teens and a good part of my twenties not to mention a small fortune perming and lamenting my stick straight hair.
I never found anything good about that fact at I was born with such awful hair until page 20 of Thief of Hearts where Captain Doom, the most feared and despicable pirate since Kidd, looked at Lucinda Snow’s hair and observed “It streamed down her back in a fall of ash-blond silk, unmarred by a single frivolous curl.”
Did you get that? “Unmarred by a single frivolous curl.” I was in shock for a moment. Curls are frivolous? And did he not also refer to them as marring? Unbelievable. Could it be that the hair I’d been born with (which is also blond but not near ash) is a good thing? Something a hero would find admirable? Well that was it for me. I was in love with Captain Doom at that second, reprobate pirate or not.
But whether your hair is straight or curly, blond, black, brown or red there is a lot more to love about this book. Like that fact that you get two heroes for the price of one; the dashing pirate and the strong protective bodyguard. After Lucy survives being kidnapped and kissed by Captain Doom, her father, Admiral Lucien Snow, hires Gerard Claremont to protect her. But little does he know, Gerard is much more than he seems and has much more in mind for the Snows. Poor Lucy is torn between the fantasy of the pirate and real man right in front of her.
I’m a sucker for certain romantic tropes and Thief of Hearts has one of my favorites. Forced proximity always seems to push my autobuy buttons. Between being kidnapped more than once and being stuck with a bodyguard there is no shortage of close quarters to spark tension between the hero and heroine.
I could go on and on forever about how lushly descriptive the language is, how relatable and strong the characters are, or just how much fun the story is but I’ll stop here and let you read it for yourself.
The books on my keeper shelf helped to inspired me to become a writer and I’m proud to say that my first book,SECRETS OF SIN will be out on January 26th.
And even better than that, Beverley has 3 advance copies to give away! Leave a comment about your favorite golden line or favorite forced proximity romance for a chance to plunge into a world of charmingly wicked sea captains, dazzling strong women, warm exotic locales and deliciously sinful secrets.
Noelle is half of the team of Chloe Harris along with her writing partner Barbra. Noelle is a quintessential eccentric southerner that seems to find a story in almost everything. Learn more at www.authorchloeharris.com.
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Secrets of Sin
Author: Chloe Harris
Publisher: Kensington/Aphrodisia
Pub. Date: January 26, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0758238535
320 pages
THREE DAYS… ENDLESS PLEASURE
On a Caribbean island of alluring delights, Emiline du Ronde-Barhydt commands a large estate, vast wealth, and unwavering devotion. Her inheritance and dazzling beauty ensure that she’s granted her every wish… or almost. The one thing she can’t get is freedom from her proud wayward husband.
When her husband, sea captain Reinier Barhydt finally agrees to give his determined wife the divorce she craves – it’s for a price: three days of total submission to his every erotic demand. Both fall under the spell of the most forbidden sensations that reignite every delicious inch of their bodies… and Reinier soon realizes that he is no longer master of his carnal game. At the mercy of his own raw shattering needs, the three red hot days may just turn into a lifetime of smoldering passion…
Today I’m doing a virtual sit down with the fabulous Carrie Lofty whose second book, SCOUNDREL’S KISS was just released (January 5th) from Kensington.
To give you a little background on Carrie, as a National Merit Scholar, she attended Bowling Green State University in Ohio. She traveled to Norwich, England, for her junior year, studying at the University of East Anglia, where she met her husband. After a brief stint as an unaccomplished art major, she graduated from BGSU with a BA in English and history. Ohio State University accepted her as a graduate teaching assistant. She earned her MA with a thesis on Old West outlaws and the impact of legend on society. Carrie recently returned to the classroom on a part-time basis, teaching creative writing for the continuing education program at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
Please welcome Carrie Lofty to the Blog.
Question
Carrie, since SCOUNDREL’S KISS is your second book, please tell us how preparing for the release of this book compares to the release of WHAT A SCOUNDREL WANTS last year. What lessons did you learn?
Answer
I’m much more calm this time. I’ve learned that a great deal of publishing is very much beyond my control, and that’s not a bad thing. I shouldn’t be responsible for all of it! But now I know what to do with bad reviews (ignore them), promotions (lots!), and fan mail (save it for rainy days when the crows of doubt fly in).
Question
Can you tell us a bit about SCOUNDREL’S KISS?
Answer SCOUNDREL’S KISS is the stand-alone sequel to my Robin Hood-themed debut, WHAT A SCOUNDREL WANTS. When last we saw Ada of Keyworth, she’d just been rescued from the Sheriff of Nottingham and had seriously burnt bridges with her family. She and a young admirer, Jacob ben Asher, head off to Spain together. But she’s haunted by the unlawful and sickening torture she endured and turns to opium for relief…
Gavriel de Marqueda is a warrior on the verge of taking his vows with the Order of Santiago. Before he can do so, he must pass one final test: save Ada from herself. He’s vowed obedience, nonviolence, and chastity, but Ada refuses to be held against her will, even for her own good, and vows to use every possible resource to thwart Gavriel’s offer of aid.
Question SCOUNDREL’S KISS is about a pretty weighty topic, as the heroine is a drug addict. What drew you to this kind of storyline?
Answer
Ada, the heroine, inspired this book. She is a very selfish, terribly vulnerable and hurting woman at the close of WHAT A SCOUNDREL WANTS. I took her rather impetuous personality to its natural extreme and thought her ripe for substance abuse, someone who doesn’t want to look at past mistakes and who’d very much like a quick end to the pain.
Then it was a matter of finding a man who was strong enough–and surprisingly, vulnerable enough–to set her on a path toward both recovery and love. In the process, he finds his own measure of forgiveness and peace. My critique partners said that ever someone does a retrospective of my work, it should be called Angsty Redemption! I’m simply fascinated by the process of imperfect people finding their way in the world–and being rewarded with a lasting love.
Question
In SCOUNDREL’S KISS your hero is about to launch into the life of a monk. Was the research into the life of a 1201 monk daunting?
Answer
It required a great number of interlibrary loan requests! Because the Christian kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula were at war with the Islamic tribes to the south, there has actually been a great deal of scholarship about the topic of these warrior monks. Then it was a matter of finding where Gavriel’s place would be in this very complex society of religion, military, and court intrigue.
Question
Why do you think readers will love hero and heroine of SCOUNDREL’S KISS?
Answer
I hope they’ll love Gavriel and Ada because of how hard they work for their happy ending. This is no easy path where Ada wakes up one morning and decides to kick her habit. And Gavriel has done some terrible things in his past–there’s a reason why he turns to the Church for absolution! But for all of their mistakes, they both nurture cores of honor and strength that make them worthy of love.
Question
Do you have a short excerpt that will give the us a feel for the hero and heroine in the SCOUNDREL’S KISS? Perhaps an exchange between them?
Answer
Gavriel continued to bathe her heated body until the pains relented. She lay on the bed like a crushed flower, her red-rimmed eyes unfocused and staring at the low, cobwebbed ceiling. Her voice, when it returned, was like that of a woman twice her age, all misery and resignation. “All of two evenings and you expect to know me?”
“You could be in my company a year with no alteration–as long as the opium yet claims you. No amount of time would make a difference. It will always speak for you.”
He laid a hand on her forehead, smoothing, trying to say with his touch what sounded so awkward from his tongue. She met his eyes with a directness that stalled the breath in his chest. For a moment, he glimpsed who she must have been. Stubbornness shone like a hot blaze, but a deep intelligence tempered it and gave it strength.
The compulsion to make her well filed through his veins. Cured, this formidable woman would put his untoward impulses in their place. She would stare his unnatural lust in the face and reject him. Deservedly. And he would welcome the rejection as a return to his chosen life.
“I wonder if you even realize that you’ve given it your voice,” he whispered. “All your power.”
She shook her head to dislodge his hand. “I’m beginning to mislike when you minister me. You stand on your pedestal and look down on my mistakes.”
Gavriel moved the jug away and stretched on the floor between her and the door. “I’m not looking down on you, inglesa. I’m trying to do more good than young Jacob did.”
“Trust goes both ways,” she said. “I don’t trust you because I don’t know you. You watch me sideways, waiting for me to make a mistake.”
“How else should I approach this situation? You’re an untrustworthy person. Whether or not that is due to the opium, I cannot know.”
A hearty shrug rumpled her coverlet. She hauled it back into place. “You may as well tie me up for the month and have done with it. But that would be too difficult for you, wouldn’t it? Tying me up?”
A tingle of lust shot through from head to feet, gathering halfway between. “I’ve no notion of what you mean.”
“For at least one year you’ve been without a woman in your bed. And the notion of tying me up, having complete say over what I do or think or feel isn’t attractive to you?”
“You think me so cruel?”
“No, I think you so wretched.” Her eyes drifted shut and her throaty voice slowed. “Your robes fool no one, Gavriel.”
Question
What’s next up for you?
Answer
In December, I contracted with Carina Press, Harlequin’s new all-digital venture. My (as of yet untitled) historical romance set in Napoleonic Austria will help launch the line in June 2010. That’s all very new and exciting! You can read an excerpt here: http://carrielofty.com/Salzburg_1.html
Also, under the nameEllen Connor, I’ve been co-writing hot’n'dirty apocalyptic paranormal romances with Ann Aguirre. Our “Dark Age Dawning” trilogy will be coming soon from Penguin. (http://EllenConnor.com)
Question
Do you plan to continue writing historical romances? If so, will it be more medieval?
Answer
I’d love to continue writing medieval romances, particularly more Scoundrels. That’s a matter of finding a good home for them. At present, however, I’m expanding to new times and places. My current projects are set in WWII England and Victorian South Africa, We’ll see how that goes…
Question
What must you absolutely have while writing?
Answer
Music! I simply cannot write without music. Each book I’ve written has a playlist that feeds into the subject matter. For example, SCOUNDREL’S KISS was very dark–lots of A Perfect Circle, Cocteau Twins, Charlotte Martin–whereas WHAT A SCOUNDREL WANTS was considerably influenced by pop music, such as the Goo Goo Dolls and Bryan Adams. I save my playlists so that when I return to a story for edits, galley proofs, or even promotional work, I get back into the mindset of that project by listening to the tunes that played such an integral part of its creation.
And now that Carrie’s answered my questions, she’ll be hanging out to take yours too. And two lucky commenters will get a copy of her book!
Hi! I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas. My son was happy, therefore I did. I also gave the blog a facelift to match The SeasonJan/Feb issue. What do you think, do you like the new look?
Today, I’m posting a Second Time Around Reviewby Katiebabs. Now since the book hasn’t released yet, it’s darn timely don’t you think? I would like to mention, I’ve already seenScoundrel’s Kiss on the Walmart book shelves, so after you read the review, you can run out and purchase it. Enjoy!
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Scoundrel’s Kiss
Author: Carrie Lofty
Publisher: Kensington/Zebra
Pub. Date: January 5, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-1420104769
320 pages
When it comes to temptation…
Turning his back on his old life as a rogue, Gavriel de Marqueda has joined a monastic order in Spain and taken a vow of chastity. Before he becomes a monk, he must pass one final test: help a woman who has lost her way. But when he lays eyes on Ada of Keyworth, he is tempted beyond measure by her sultry beauty and dangerous curves…
Rules are meant to be broken…
Far from her home in England, Ada has been battling inner demons for more than a year. When she discovers that her only friend has abandoned her, she has no choice but to grudgingly accept Gavriel’s help. But Ada is not fooled. Though Gavriel wears the robes of a monk, Ada sees that he is a virile man who looks at her with a hunger that matches her own–one that begs to be satisfied again and again….
After I finished reading Scoundrel’s Kiss, one word came to mind- beauty. The beauty is in the words as well as the way Carrie Lofty makes her characters come alive. That’s what I think of in regards to Scoundrel’s Kiss. Carrie has written a courageous powerful tale that will leave you breathless. Some historical romances are pure fluff and very much like wallpaper, where it is pretty to look at but nothing else. This is definitely not the case when it comes to Carrie’s writing.
Ada of Keyworth escaped her life in England for the country of Toledo after a she was held captive by a most evil man who tortured her, as well as breaking all ties with her sister, who she felt betrayed her. Ada still can’t get passed the demons that plague her and even though she is a learned woman and a scholar of many languages who has found patronage an important lady, the Condesa de Valdedrona. Ada suffers daily because she has become addicted to opium. Her addiction has consumed her and helps her cope. She is about to lose everything for a drug that gives her sweet release, even if it means selling herself.
Gavriel de Marqueda is a novice monk who has joined the Order of Santiago. Through this Order, he will find absolution for his soul. Gavriel also has internal demons because of his past and the blood he feels he still has on his hands. He has taken a vow of chastity and must abstain from violence. His final test is to save an unfortunate soul and provide spiritual guidance where they will turn to the Church and redeem themselves of their wicked ways. Gavriel spots Ada, who in her opium induced haze, has been placed on an auction block as a slave to be bought and used in any way her new master seems fit. Gavriel saves her and now must break her of her addiction before all hope is lost.
Gavriel and Ada will be pushed to their limits as they travel to safety where danger surrounds them. Ada drives Gavriel to the brink, a fine line where he wants to strangle her as well as hold her close and claim her as his woman. All Ada wants is to be free, away from Gavriel, but he forces her to confront her selfishness and greed, and now she has found a new addiction, which Gavriel never sees coming because Ada longs for his touch and kindness over the drug that almost brought her to near ruin.
Scoundrel’s Kiss is filled with despair, angst and such drama told in such an exquisite way that a reader cannot help but feel every emotion Gavriel and Ada go through. These two suffer incredibly and you long for them to find a small piece of happiness with one other.
Ada is an interesting type of heroine who is strong as well as stubborn but also very intelligent. She sees things with a very critical mind and even though she may seem weak and suffers, that is really not the case. She brings forth many surprises, as well as Gavriel whose life is changed the moment Ada comes into it. And even though these two insult and push each other away, those moments when they feel relief or enjoy a bit of tenderness with one another, leads to respect and an all consuming passion that in turns becomes love.
Scoundrel’s Kiss has a near epic type feel to it in an exotic land with so many twist and turns. Carrie Lofty is a masterful storyteller who kept me hooked until the very last page. This is one much recommended romance. (January, Zebra)
Today, guest blogging is the Kris Kennedythe 2008 Golden Heart winning author of The Irish Warrior (aka Wanting Finian). Please extend a warm welcome to Kris.
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LOVING IS INTELLIGENT
Being a romance writer, I think a lot about unions, and the romance novel’s exploration of the concept and practice of union between two people. Being a word nerd, I began exploring this notion of ‘union,’ and what it means, and I came to the idea of ‘attunement.’ I was quite taken with it. See what you think.
Attuned means we can ‘read’ each other, and respond. And those are, of course, two of the essential components of intelligence, be it emotional, kinesthetic, or intellectual intelligence: the ability to notice what’s happening in the ‘world’ around us, synthesize that information, and change adaptively in response.
When we are in ‘union’ with another person, we are attuned to each other, and that means we flex for him or her. We sense the other and shift in response.
Of course, one could use this ‘intelligence’ for nefarious purposes, and sometimes our heroes even do—for awhile–but that’s before they get ‘in union’ with the heroine. Once that’s done, once the romance hero is attuned, that barn door is shut, and there’s no going back. He can’t ever not be attuned to the heroine again.
Oh, he might try. He might insist to the world, to himself, that nothing is different. But everything is different. He’s never going back to The Way Things Were, no matter how much he might want to. We could almost pity him, poor guy.
This kind of intelligent union is not compromise so much as a dance, or like music. We move for and with each other, creating something greater than the sum of the parts. In the romance novel, of course, this delightfulness comes only after a suitably long period–or at least a suitably emotionally-packed period–-of darkness, discord, and incompatibility. Utter inflexibility. The converse of intelligence.
When we connect at this deep, ‘sensing’ level, when we notice new things and learn from them, when we adapt in response, we are exhibiting the very essence of intelligence. When we write about characters doing this, we are writing about emotionally intelligent characters.
Who are some great heroes you love from romance novels? Why do they grab you?
I forward the thesis that often, at their core, when the barn door is shut and the romance hero is in the dark (metaphorically), he does the intelligent thing: he flexes for the heroine.
And heroines? Surely they do this as well.
In fact, I believe women are primed for this sort of core intelligence, socially and biologically. But in modern day romances, even those set in historical eras, I think we often see heroines acting from the other end of the intelligent continuum, where they witness the hero’s need, but do what is right for themselves. And you know, after millennia with things going the other direction, maybe that’s the intelligent thing to do.
And our heroes love them for it. Which is, of course, is a very intelligent thing to do. :-)
In my May ‘09 release, THE CONQUEROR a reluctant hero has to readjust every notion he’s ever held about himself, his family, the essence of revenge and ownership, and the power of making a choice: in short, the belief structure his entire world has rested upon. And he does it for a single reason: the heroine.
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In my upcoming June release, THE IRISH WARRIOR another smart, sexy alpha hero has a choice between rising higher than he’s ever dreamed possible, erasing decades of shame and regret, or throwing it all away for a woman. Which do you think he chooses?
What’s better than Christmas? A Christmas with a hunky Highlander, of course. And today Sophie Renwick is giving us exactly that so please welcome her warmly and with much gratitude.
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A special thanks to Beverley for allowing me to blog at The Season. Tis, the season, it’s perfect, don’t you think? What can be better than a hunky Highlander surrounded by snow, the Highlands, and the promise of love at Yuletide?
When my publisher invited me to be part of this anthology, I only wrote erotic contemporaries for them under the pseudonym, Sophie Renwick. But my savvy editor knew that I was published with Harlequin Spice writing erotic historicals as Charlotte Featherstone. She also knew my parents were from Scotland. And that’s how my novella Yuletide Enchantment in A Highlander Christmascame into being.
Despite having never written a Scottish set historical, or a virile, strapping Highland hero, my editor felt that my background would pull through, and save the day! And boy did it ever!
You see, my grandparents were married on Christmas Eve, during the fiercest fighting of WWll. My gran, who I adored, was instrumental in telling me all kinds of thrilling stories, from old Scottish fairy tales, to the heart warming story of how she first met my grandfather—skating on a frozen pond with her sisters. They skated by, and he whistled. To which she gave a glare for the impertinence, and pretended offence, while secretly hoping he’d do it again! That story always makes me smile, because my gran was a diminutive little thing. She was very prim and proper, and had a temper like a spit fire. But never with us. With us, she was the grandmother of dreams. I remember the contents of her purse consisted of nothing but Kleenex, lipstick, and sweeties—which she gave to us, even when my mother said we had had enough. My grandfather on the other hand, was very charming, dark and handsome. He had a wild streak, which endeared so many people to him. His was the perfect foil to my grandmother. So, it is their story, in a way, that helped me to forge Isobel, and Daegan’s characters.
A Highlander Christmas
Authors: Sophie Renwick, Dawn Halliday, Cindy Miles
Publisher: NAL Trade
Pub. Date: November 3, 2009
ISBN-13: 978-0451228727 336 pages
For centuries, a mystical family heirloom–the MacDonald clan pin–has been passed down through the generations, helping each owner find her heart’s desire.
Sophie Renwick
In Yuletide Enchantment, Isobel MacDonald is spending Christmas at her ancestral Highland estate when she loses her treasured clan pin in the woods. The enigmatic Price Daegan offers his help in finding it—but the stranger’s charms are more powerful than she imagines.
Dawn Halliday
In Winter Heat, a lost beauty melts the cold heart of a Jacobite warrior… Stranded in a blizzard, Maggie MacDonald is rescued by Highland warrior Logan Douglas. But a tempest of another kind brews when Logan discovers that Maggie has been promised to a cruel suitor.
I knew this novella would be a prequel to the first book in my Immortals of Annywn series (Velvet Haven March 2010) But more than that, I wanted it to be magical. To capture the essence of the stories my grandmother used to tell me about faeries, and enchanted woods and the promise of love everlasting.
My roots are very special to me. Even now, I tell my daughter the same stories my grandmother told me, and my mother has now become the granny with the purse full of Kleenex and sweeties.
When my author copies of A Highlander Christmas arrived, I got a bit teary eyed, as well as nostalgic. I suppose there is nothing like Christmas to bring out the warm fuzzy memories of a time gone by. I always think of my grandparents on Christmas Eve, wondering what it was like to pledge your love to someone on that magical night (they were married in the evening!) I suppose this, more than anything, made me want Daegan and Isobel’s love to flourish on Christmas Eve. And I’m happy to say, that in the magical, enchanted grove in Annwyn, Daegan and Isobel were united in that perfect union of souls! I remember feeling an enormous amount of satisfaction, and dare I say…the warm fuzzies when I wrote The End.
What about you? What seasonal memories make you feel the warm cosies? For sharing your memories with me, I’d like to offer a signed copy of A Highlander Christmas to a randomly chosen commentor.
10 - Perfect! - Goes on keeper shelf forever. 9 - Excellent - Sooo close to perfection, it hurts. 8 - Very Good - Highly recommend 7 - Good - Solid read. Would recommend. 6 - Satisfactory - Okay. Would recommend with caveats. 5 - Fair – Wouldn’t recommend. 4 – Fatally Flawed 1-3 Poor (1 being one of the worst books I've ever read) - Didn't find much in it to like. DNF - Did Not Finish (Yes, it was that bad)
Heat Level
6 - Erotic – Extremely explicit language and lovemaking scenes. This includes BDSM, ménage a trios. 5 – Scorching – Explicit lovemaking scenes and language. 4 – Hot – Very hot lovemaking scenes. This includes oral sex but no more. 3 – Sensual – Lovemaking scenes are hot but not as detailed or long as Heat Level 4 2 – Mild – Lovemaking scenes are short. Very little detail. 1 – Inspy – Lovemaking scenes are practically non-existent. Kissing but definite closed door policy.
).
I just read (I know, years late) The Smoke Thief by Shana Abé. One reason I knew it was a good book was that I kept thinking “This is so good. I should write a book like this.”The Wild Marquis
In For A Penny
Hi Cathy, welcome! I absolutely adore opposite attract stories. Please tell us about Grace and Richard in 
Opposites do attract, don’t they? But do they stay together? That’s the question I was wondering as I developed Grace and Richard’s story. Many of my readers will remember Grace from 
For Your Arms Only
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