Monday, July 25, 2011

Today's Special - - Amelia Grey

Photo by Marcia Reynolds
One of the things I most enjoy about attending RWA conferences is the opportunity to make new friends.  Having read, and enjoyed, Amelia Grey's books I was delighted to meet her in NYC and even more delighted when she agreed to be our guest here at the Romance Dish.  Amelia (who has also been published as Gloria Dale Skinner and Charla Cameron) is a historical romance author who has been married to her own high school sweetheart hero for more than 25 years.  She's won multiple writing awards, including Georgia Romance Writers' prestigious Maggie for Best Historical and Affaire de Coeur's award for Best American Historical as well as finaling for RWA's Golden Heart and the Holt Medallion.  Amelia's current book, A Gentleman Never Tells, is the fourth book in her The Rogues' Dynasty series and was released by Sourcebooks Casablanca on July 1, 2011. 

Please give Amelia a warm welcome!





Good morning! I’m thrilled to be at Romance Dish. I met the lovely PJ Ausdenmore at the Romance Writers National Conference in NYC recently. Thank you for having me here to talk about my latest Regency romance A Gentleman Never Tells.

The first thing I want to ask is “Have you ever been caught doing something that you shouldn’t be doing?” I sure have and it’s never been pleasant. Just recently I was on a diet, wanting to lose a few pounds before the Romance Writers Conference and my husband caught me munching on a Snickers candy bar! Maybe you were filing your nails at the office when you should be filing your boss’s important papers? Or maybe you were reading a spicy hot and fabulous romance book when you should have been making dinner? No matter what it is, no one likes to get caught, but that’s exactly what happens to Lord Brentwood and Lady Gabrielle in A Gentleman Never Tells.

Viscount Brentwood is minding his own business, walking his mother’s Pomeranian in Hyde Park early one morning when a lovely and alluring young lady walks out of the mist and into his arms. Of course, this is all very much to his liking until they are caught, and he finds out that she is not only another man’s fiancé, she also happens to be the daughter of a powerful duke. And if that wasn’t enough trouble for the Viscount to be in the middle of, he’s lost his mother’s dog, too.

Lady Gabrielle is dependable, sensible, and obedient. That’s why she had accepted the practical, unemotional marriage her formidable father had arranged for her. That’s what those of her kind did—or so she had always believed until early one morning, when her defenses were down, she threw all of her upbringing away for the chance to spend a few passionate moments in the arms of a handsome stranger.

But kissing the stranger didn’t free Lady Gabrielle. She only thwarted the shackles of one arranged betrothal to immediately find herself stuck in yet another forced engagement. The strong-willed lady isn’t going to give up her freedom so easily. She has plans that her father and Lord Brentwood don’t know about and scandal and mishaps become the order of the day while Gabrielle and Brent scour London to find a notorious dog thief.

So getting caught kissing a beautiful, clever, and courageous lady embroils Lord Brentwood into more intrigue than he thought possible. Now open up and tell me something you’ve been caught doing that you shouldn’t have been doing and you’ll have a chance to win one of two copies of A Gentleman Never Tells. Good luck!

Please visit my website at ameliagrey.com or email me at ameliagrey@comcast.net for more information about me and my books.

38 comments:

  1. When I was still living at home I wanted to try on my sisters shoes. She has a fabulous collection! That (almost) fits me, but she never wanted te let me borrow some. Not even for a birthday party.

    So one day, when she was supposed to be out shopping (probably for more shoes...) I took matters into my own hand, or shood I say onto my own foot.

    Yes, I tried on her beloved shoes, decided on a pale blue pair of (modest) heels & went to the B-Day celebration. I had a great time, until a boy thought it funny to dump his coke and crips on me. There was a nasty stain of course, that's what you get for stealing shoes! Even after trying to clean it up, the stain remained. When I got home my sister was already back from her trip & blew up spotting not only HER shoes but the damage done to them.

    She went as far as locking the closet... Nothing I could do made her forgive me & even though we live apart and I am now an adult she still won't trust me with her shoes.

    Can't really blame her, but they are magnificent & still call out my name.

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  2. "A Gentleman Never Tells" looks wonderful.

    I got caught pulling the salami off the pizza and eating it. I started with one, but I could not stop - until caught. SHAME!!!!! (I should have employed a look-out.)

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  3. Hi Amelia! Welcome! We're delighted to have you with us today!

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  4. Hello Amelia!

    My story is similar to yours. Except I wasn't caught eating a Snickers bar, but a slice of cake (by my dad). My father still makes fun of me, even though that happened years ago.

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  5. I'm sure I've been caught doing many things I shouldn't but nothing really comes to mind at this point. I just want to tell you, Amelia, how much I enjoy reading your books. They all have a wonderful plot and great characters. I look forward to reading your new book and...down the road...even more that you write. Thank you for providing your fans with great reading pleasure.
    Connie Fischer
    conniecape@aol.com

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  6. We(4 friends) skipped school one day my Senior year of HS. We went shopping in Green Bay. We all called in for each other simultaneously. STUPID!

    Your book sounds fabulous!

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  7. The only thing I can think of that I have been caught doing is I keep a stash of Dark Chocolate M&M's hidden in my closet and I have been found eating them in my walk in closet. In my defense if I had kept them in my pantry then I wouldn't get any to eat.
    Another thing I do get in trouble for is when my husband catches me lifting something too heavy for me and hurting myself, Again in my defense if I waited for someone to help me I wouldn't get much done.

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  8. Oh, Amelia the book sounds divine.

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  9. Good morning! Hello everyone! Very happy to be on this lovely site today!

    Kirsten, too funny about the shoes. I have four sisters and we borrowed each other's clothes all the time. My foot is only a 5 so I can't wear any of their shoes but if I could you can bet I would have.

    Marybelle, hey the topping is the best part of the pizza. I can do without the bread but always give me extra cheese!

    Thank you for having me, PJ.

    Antonia, I might as well have been eating cake. It probably has less calories!

    Connie, your words were music to my ears, or maybe that's my eyes since I read them rather than heard them! :-) thanks you!

    Laurie, I have to admit I did that once, too but not to shop. We just wanted food that wasn't lunchroom food.

    Gigi, oh I love m&M's with peanuts! But I never stop eating until the entire bag is gone. ANd if you like dogs, you'll love this book!

    Amelia

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  10. Kirsten, I don't have a sister but there were many times in my teens when I was tempted to borrow something (shoes, clothing) of my mom's. Fear of exactly what happened to you always kept me on the straight and narrow! lol!

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  11. Marybelle said, I got caught pulling the salami off the pizza and eating it. I started with one, but I could not stop - until caught.

    LOL! Oh, I can see me doing this!

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  12. Antonia, I have no problem saying "No" to cake but there are many other foods that frequently call to me. One of the worst is Peanut M&M's. I can have an unopened bag in the pantry for months and it will never bother me but open that bag and it's gone like the wind.

    There were many times that my late husband caught me sneaking into an opened M&M bag. Probably why his (affectionate) nickname for me was the "Sneaky Snacker." *grin*

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  13. Connie, thanks for stopping by today. Like you, I'm always happy to see a new book from Amelia!

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  14. Laurie, I don't think anybody has ever accused a high school student of having an over-abundance of brains when it comes to stuff like that. ;-)

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  15. Gigi said, I keep a stash of Dark Chocolate M&M's hidden in my closet and I have been found eating them in my walk in closet.

    It's the M&M's! They make us do crazy things!

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  16. Oops! Back from running errands and forgot to change hats. Those comments up above from "The Romance Dish" are really me (PJ) in disguise. ;-)

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  17. Well I was one of those teenagers who got caught watching TV when I was supposed to be study/doing my homework. Does that count? lol

    And I had also been known to sneak a snack or food in my room, even though we were only supposed to eat in the kitchen and then getting busted by my parents.

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  18. Well I was one of those teenagers who got caught watching TV when I was supposed to be study/doing my homework. Does that count? lol

    Oh, Lisa. I think we've probably all gotten caught doing something like that! lol!

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  19. Hi Girls,

    Well, when I worked I told my boss that I was very sick and had to leave work early. Much to my mortification, he stopped by my house on his way home to see how I was doing. There I sat with my hair in heated rollers and all made up ready to go out. I was hard pushed to come up with an excuse, so desperately said that I was doing this to make myself feel better. I truly don't think he believed me. Why you ask? Because later on that evening, his wife saw my sister and I out dancing at a club. She was there with one of her friends on a "girls night out". I had a lot of exlaining to do again when I returned to work the next day. I was very lucky to keep my job and, learnt my lesson about telling big fat fibs.

    I love the excerpts that I've read so far of your book, and adore the art work on the cover. It's very sensual and appealing.

    dpd333 AT aol dot com

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  20. Hi Amelia,

    I remember once as a child being caught dressing up in my mother's clothes with a microphone in my hand lip-synching in front of a mirror. It was my "superstar" moment. It wasn't wrong but embarassing and oh how I wish I could have remembered to lock the door! My family had a good laugh at my expense :)

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  21. My example is pretty tame. My school had a policy that during lunch you were not allowed back into the building for any reason. Of course I left something in my desk and yes went I went back inside I was discovered.

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  22. Hi, Amelia. Congrats on the release of
    AGNT; it sounds wonderful!

    I've eaten chocolate behind a locked door and have even hidden it. Dang, if I don't hide my chocolate, others will eat it, and a girl's gotta have her daily dose you know. ;)

    As a kid, I snooped through my dad's top shelf of his closet once. There was nothing up there, but I was curious. I wasn't caught red-handed, but he knew because his "things" were out of place. Never did it again after the ranting he did about it.

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  23. Lisa, I think we have all been caught watching tv when we really should be doing something else. But I just can't give up Dancing with the Stars and American Idol!

    Diane, oh my! If that had happened to me my face would still be beet red! So glad you didn't lose your job.

    Na, I've been a superstar in front of my mirror many times and the brush is alway my mic!So happy you love the cover. Vist my website to see the cover for the re-release of A Dash Of Scandal coming in October. It's a fabulous cover by the same artist and later this week I'll have my cover for my May 2012 book on my website so keep looking!

    Penfield, I agree that was pretty tame. You need to get out and get into some trouble! Just teasing.
    Amelia

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  24. Lisa, I think we have all been caught watching tv when we really should be doing something else. But I just can't give up Dancing with the Stars and American Idol!

    Diane, oh my! If that had happened to me my face would still be beet red! So glad you didn't lose your job.

    Na, I've been a superstar in front of my mirror many times and the brush is alway my mic!So happy you love the cover. Vist my website to see the cover for the re-release of A Dash Of Scandal coming in October. It's a fabulous cover by the same artist and later this week I'll have my cover for my May 2012 book on my website so keep looking!

    Penfield, I agree that was pretty tame. You need to get out and get into some trouble! Just teasing.
    Amelia

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  25. I was caught reading a book! :) I was supposed to go to a family affair but so wanted to finish my book! So I called to let them know I would not come as I was feeling sick. My parents got worried and checked on me. They found me lying quiet cheerily looking in a deck chair on the terrace. :)
    Good luck with your new book!

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  26. Hello and welcome, Amelia! We're happy to have you dishing with us today. Congrats on your newest release! The colors in the cover are beautiful. :)

    When I was younger I got caught skipping study hall...and later found myself in detention. So many of my friends had skipped off and on for YEARS and I got caught the one time I did it. Go figure.

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  27. Hi Amelia

    I do like the sound of this book I will be looking for this one and checking out the rest of your books.

    I have been caught reading one of my romance books at work when I should have been working LOL I started reading at my desk while having lunch but the book was so good I got so engrosed I didn't even hear the manager walking thru the door LOL luckily for me he was good about it.

    Have Fun
    Helen

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  28. I am sure I have been caught doing a lot of things I shouldn't but the one that comes to mind was when I was a kid and my mother used to keep cans of hershey's chocolate syrup in the fridge to go over ice cream. One day she found the can empty and she ask all of us kids who had been in it of course none of us had, but the problem was all three of us had chocolate rings around our mouths where we all had been drinking it, yeap we were caught and didn't even know it.

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  29. Hi Amelia,Gloria,Charla and PJ. This sounds exactly like my kind of book! I'll be adding this series to my list!

    I have been caught in too many embarassing moments to list in this space. So I'll just say that I I have been a book lover for as long as I can remember. I was always the one caught reading under the covers with the help of a flashlight when I should have been asleep!

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  30. Oh, I do love dogs. I have a very spoiled 12 year old English springer Spaniel named Bridgette. I just finished popping her some low-cal kettle corn. She is my baby.

    You said there is a Pomeranian dog in the book. I had a Pomeranian named Samson after the Samson and Delilah story. Sam lived to be 15 and a half. Sam was a wonderful frisky dog.

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  31. Deb, I'm glad I'm not the only one to sneak chocolate. And if there were no other kids in the house, your dad knew it was you! :-)

    Claudia, too funny! Caught reading of all things! Good for you!

    That hardly seems fair, Andrea!

    Helen, I hope you get caught reading one of my books! just teasing.

    Viriginia, that is a cute story. The chocolate told on you!

    Fsbuchler, I like people who read. I still read every night before turning out the light.

    Gigi, I have to admit this is a dog story. Just today a friend called to tell me how much she loved the dogs in the book. That was music to my ears, too.

    Amelia

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  32. Hi Amelia! And welcome to The Romance Dish! I love the look and the sound of A GENTLEMAN NEVER TELLS. I'll have to add it to my TBR pile (mountain!).

    I love that you married your high school sweetheart. I did too, and this year we will celebrate 21 years of marriage. So hard to believe that I have grown up with his man - LOL!

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  33. Oops, realized I didn't tell you about a time when I got caught doing something I shouldn't. To be totally honest here, there have been so many times that I have gotten caught that I really can't name them. LOL!

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  34. I used to sneak cookies out of the cookie jar when I was a kid and my sister always told on me.

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  35. Hi, Amelia! I'm so glad you're with us today. Your book sounds fantastic---I'm adding to my list. :-)

    Oh, one Christmas I very carefully opened my presents to and taped them back up. My sister found out, but she didn't tell on me. My mom told me, years later, that she knew I'd done it, but she didn't say anything because she figured I had spoiled my own surprise so that was punishment enough. And it was! ;-)

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  36. Hi Amelia!

    Book sounds like a wonderful read, congratulations on your new release!

    One, I do use that word loosely, case that kind of 'embarassed & caught' me was when I tried to sneak some food into a movie theatre. LOL!

    Bought my ticket, found my seat and waited till the lights went down. Then I unwrapped my 'crunchy' taco and started to enjoy. Little did I know an older couple were sitting two aisles behind me, they went and told the usher that I was making waaaay too much noise eating and they wanted him to kick me out. Plus they didn't notice that item on the theatre's menu, so I was to be kicked out for illegal food. What a mess, everyone started yelling to 'pipe down, we can't hear the movie'.
    I just kept taking a bite of my taco while I was being told I should of not brought the taco in.

    The usher just walked me to another seat and asked if I had anymore food to please eat it quietly.

    I was so happy that I didn't have anyone with me that time! LOL!

    Have an awesome day!

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  37. This sounds like it will be an enjoyable read.
    I've been caught too many times reading or on the computer following blogs when I really should be cleaning house, doing laundry, or taking care of business. I have discovered I can cook and read at the same time If I am careful.
    The cover of A GENTLEMAN NEVER TELLS is lovely. The peach dress against the purples in the background is perfect.

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  38. I used to hate drinking milk when I was a kid & would pour it down the kitchen sink when I thought my mum wasn't looking. I got caught after the 1st few times but mum was sweet & didn't scold. When she found out that the reason was the taste, she added hot choc to my milk & that worked a treat.

    I laugh somewhat guiltily now thinking back (what a waste!) but I've now learned to love milk.

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