Today's Special - - Cathy Maxwell

It's our pleasure to welcome one of the nicest people in the romance world to The Romance Dish today. You can't be in this woman's presence for more than a minute without smiling. It's just not possible. Please say hello to Cathy Maxwell! A New York Times Best Selling Author, Cathy has published twenty-five delicious historical romances and four novellas, including her wonderful August 30th release, THE SEDUCTION OF SCANDAL.  Along with writing, her diverse background includes six years in the U.S. Navy, including a tour with Naval Intelligence, television news and working at the Pentagon.  She's fascinated by the Regency period and says writing romance is a way to express her belief that "loving well is the greatest adventure of all."  I'd add on to that by saying reading a Cathy Maxwell novel is a great adventure too!  Please extend Cathy a very warm welcome to The Romance Dish!



A New, VERY IMPORTANT Kind of Marketing.

First off, Gannon, PJ, Buffie, Andrea! I’m so glad to be here. Thanks for inviting me to join y’all for a spell.

Okay, the most important news about my new book THE SEDUCTION OF SCANDAL doesn’t have anything to do with the book, but about the meaning behind the K.I.S.S. and Teal label on the book’s cover. Avon Books has donated $25,000 to ovarian cancer research and has also committed to donating 25¢ from the sale of each book, physical and eBook, in the "K.I.S.S. and Teal" promotion between 8/30/2011 and 2/28/2012, up to an additional $25,000 toward programs that support ovarian cancer patients and their families. More important, the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer are printed on the back page of every September book.

How did Avon Books get involved in promoting awareness of ovarian cancer? Avon Editorial Director Carrie Feron lost a family friend to this cancer and super-bestselling writer Eloisa James lost her mother. They were talking and realized there wasn’t enough being done to promote awareness--and it is such a killer. Of the 21,000 women who will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer this year, 15,000 will die because the cancer has been discovered too late. It is important we learn the signs and share them.

For your information, those signs are: bloating; pelvic and abdominal pain; difficulty eating or feeling full quickly; and urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency). I know, I know, too common, right? You are correct. But if you are feeling any of those symptoms on a daily basis, please, get yourself to a doctor. Or in historical terms, hie thee to a doctor! 

I know you are busy. I know you are juggling far too many tasks and heading into the doc for bloating isn’t something you want to do right now. I know money is tight. But please do it anyway. Think about the statistics--15,000 out of the 21,000 diagnosed with ovarian cancer will not survive. Better the doc tells you it is nothing to worry about than finding yourself one of the 15,000 ovarian cancer patients who will not beat this disease. 

This isn’t the first time Avon Books has tied promoting awareness of a charitable organization with marketing. Last Christmas, if a reader brought a toy for Toys for Tots to Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA, she received a free copy of my book HIS CHRISTMAS PLEASURE. Avon also made donations to the humane society when readers purchased one of Liz Carlyle’s books. I love this form of marketing. Not only does a reader have a book, she’s also helping a good cause.

Oh, yes, and one of the September writers, Stephanie Laurens used to be a cancer researcher specializing in ovarian cancer before she became the fabulous, best-selling author she is today.





Ready to talk about my book? First question, is it my imagination or is that Jon Bon Jovi on the cover?

People wonder if I have any input in the cover art. I can, but I leave most of the decisions up to the fabulous Tom Egner and his staff. I think Avon has very distinctive covers. Usually, they start the trends. You’ll see a design layout on an Avon cover and within a few months, all the other publishers are copying it. Then, Tom changes it up again.

THE SEDUCTION OF SCANDAL is the last book of my “Scandal and Seductions” series. Corinne was a character in HIS CHRISTMAS PLEASURE. She is betrothed to Lord Freddie Sherwin, the man of her father’s dreams. Corinne can’t stand the man, no matter what her father says. Of course that means she must run away, be shot, risk capture by a highwayman, and do a bit of robbery herself . . . but a girl has to do what a girl has to do.

I had a great time writing her story. If I have a trademark, I think it is humor mixed with a healthy dose of what makes life meaningful.

I hope you adore THE SEDUCTION OF SCANDAL and I especially pray that you share the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer with all the women you know and love. 

Cathy, thanks so much for visiting with us today to talk about your wonderful new book and share the very important K.I.S.S. and Teal message. Do you have a question for our readers today?

Lord Freddie Sherwin is the man of Corinne's father's dreams--but not hers. Anyone else have the experience of Mr. or Miss Right for the parents is wrong, wrong, wrong for you? 

Ooh, good question!  I bet we've all been there.  I know I have!  One randomly chosen person leaving a comment on today's blog will win a copy of Cathy's new book, THE SEDUCTION OF SCANDAL!

You can get more information about Cathy by visiting her at her website and on Facebook.

 ~PJ