Today's Special - - Cara Elliott

Cara Elliott is here!  I'm happy to welcome one of my favorite historical romance authors back to the Romance Dish today. Who better to write books than someone who combines a love of books with a vivid imagination?  As Cara shares in the bio on her website: "I've always had a vivid imagination...so much so that I think at times it worried my parents that I was so happy in my own little world, drawing pictures and creating stories."  

Cara majored in art at Yale and earned a MFA in Graphic Design. It took her a while to return to her love of writing but we, the readers, are so very happy that she eventually did. She's here today to tell us about her new Hellions of High Street Regency historical trilogy.  I've read the first book, Scandalously Yours and it's terrific!

Follow the links below to learn more about Cara's books and connect with her online.
Website:  http://caraelliott.com/ 
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/cara.elliott1
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#!/CaraElliott_1
Word Wenches:  http://wordwenches.typepad.com/word_wenches/


Take it away, Cara!


Cara here,

Sisters. They are the ones who are always there for you, sharing your laughter and tears, your hopes and fears. And most of all, your dreams. They pick you up when you are feeling down. They tell you when you are right—and when you are wrong.  It’s a bond that may occasionally bend, but will never, ever break. They are, quite simply, the ones who are, through thick and thin, your closest confidant, your best friends forever.

Growing up, I longed to have sisters. Now don’t get me wrong, brothers can be pretty nice, too. You learn a lot of important things from them—like how to hit a baseball, and how to fall out of tree without bursting into girly tears. And then, when they get old enough to drive, they have friends—cute friends—who are suddenly a lot more fun that they were in the ninth grade. (That makes up for all the frogs they’ve put in your bed, especially as none of them turned into a handsome prince when kissed . . . trust me on this.) But you know what I mean when I say there are LOTS of things you just don’t share with boys. (Would you ask your brother whether your new party dress makes your tummy look too fat? Right—I rest my case.)

Well, since I didn’t have that wonderful camaraderie in real life, I decided to create it in my new Regency historical trilogy. The “Hellions of High Street” is all about the three Sloane sisters who share a number of things, including a closeknit friendship, an unconventional sense of humor—and a secret passion for writing. Olivia, the eldest, pens fiery political essays, Anna, the middle sister, writes racy romance novels, and Caro, the youngest is an aspiring poet. As you can imagine, the conversations between them can get rather . . . interesting.

Especially when the talk turns to men.

In Scandalously Yours, the first book in the series, which debuts today (you can read an excerpt here) Olivia has several “men” problems. Which all involve the oh-so proper Earl of Wrexham, a former war hero known in Society as the Perfect Hero. Her fiery political essays, written under a pen name, have attracted his attention, but the problem is, he mustn’t learn that a lady has written them. And then there’s the tongue-in-cheek reply to a newspaper that has been inadvertently sent to the earl’s young son . . .

Her sisters have some clever suggestions on what she should do to put out the flames. But all of a sudden, the sparks seem to be flying out of control! Because as we all know, secret passions can lead a lady into trouble . . .

Well, I have a secret to share, too. As I was writing the Hellions of Half Moon Street trilogy, I realized that one of the wonderful things about “Sisterhood” is that you don’t need to have a female sibling to have a sister. At heart, it’s a state of mind, a closeness that makes you family-in-spirit.

I met my first “sister” in first grade. We both liked drawing, and bonded over cookies and crayons. We still love laughing together, though theses days we’re usually enjoying a glass of chardonnay instead of milk with our chocolate chip goodies. And then there are my roommates from college. Life can be a bit rocky at times, but their camaraderie over the years has helped soothe all the little bumps and bruises.  

What about you? Do you share your secrets with a real-life sister or a sister-in-spirit?  If it’s a sister-in-spirit, how did you first meet her? One comment will be chosen at random to win a copy of Scandalously Yours (Your choice of e-book now or print in several months)