Today's Special - - Rebecca Hagan Lee

It's my pleasure to welcome Rebecca Hagan Lee to TRD today. An award-winning author, Rebecca has received the Maggie Award from Georgia Romance Writers, various Romantic Times awards and has been a Romance Writers of America RITA® finalist.  Her books have been published in nine languages and are currently being re-issued in English by Amber House Books.  
You can find more information about Rebecca at her website and connect with her online at Facebook.  

Please give Rebecca a warm welcome!

Thank you, PJ and Andrea for inviting me to talk about A HINT OF HEATHER, my latest release from Amber House Books.

Set in the highlands of Scotland in 1716, A HINT OF HEATHER is the story of one clan’s desperate struggle to survive the harsh British occupation following the first Jacobite rebellion. Or to use my publisher, Teresa Medeiros’s, tagline: “If a spirited Highland lass kidnaps an English earl, does she get to keep him?”

It’s the story of Lady Jessalyn MacInnes of Clan MacInnes and Neil Claremont, a major in His Majesty’s Royal Corps of Engineers. Jessalyn and Neil find themselves in an unlikely alliance when she becomes the new Laird of the Clan and her well-meaning clansmen decide to abduct a bridegroom for her—and not just any bridegroom, but an English earl and the grandson of “the King-maker”, the powerful Marquess of Chisenden.

Neil is Jessalyn’s wedding gift from the “Ancient Gentlemen of the Clan.”

When I think back on the writing of A HINT OF HEATHER, I realize that the idea of the story was a gift to me. I was sitting in a workshop on writing a bestseller at a Romance Writers of America conference when a scene popped into my head. Like watching a Technicolor movie, I saw a British major hanging upside down and tied across the back of a Highland pony being led by a group of Scottish Highlanders. Neil Claremont’s story had begun…

During a recent move, I came across the description I jotted down of that scene amid the notes of that RWA workshop while packing up my office. Like BRIGADOON and HIGHLANDER or BRAVEHEART and ROB ROY, or the Scottish Highlands, A HINT OF HEATHER was the story I had to tell in order to share my love of Scotland and all things Scottish.  It was as magical and rare as the beautiful purple and white heather on the Scottish hillsides.

Unfortunately, the original publication of A HINT OF HEATHER never found its readership. But my friend, Teresa Medeiros, CEO of Amber House Books, thought A HINT OF HEATHER and I deserved a second chance.   

You see, once upon I time, I dreamed that writing romance novels readers wanted to read was enough. But after writing and publishing fourteen full-length romance novels and two novellas for Berkley Jove and winning several awards, my career had come to a standstill. I spent the next six years writing and re-writing and submitting proposals and a full-length women’s fiction contemporary to my agent without success. I was told no one wanted to read what I wrote. No one wanted to read Americana westerns or Regencies or late Victorian settings or Scottish books.

I thought my dream was over. Then three things happened to give me hope.

Debra Dixon invited me to write Regency novella for a Christmas anthology. I sold a book to Berkley Sensation. And Teresa Medeiros approached me with her desire to start a boutique publishing house for the purpose of “Entertaining  readers. Empowering Writers.”

Since July 2013, my dream and my career have been reborn. Teresa Medeiros and Amber House Books have enabled me to entertain my original readers and to gain new readership. She’s re-branded and published my Americana westerns, GOLDEN CHANCES, HARVEST MOON, SOMETHING BORROWED, and TWICE BLESSED as “The Borrowed Brides Series” and added A HINT OF HEATHER to the list.

I’ve not only been empowered, I’ve been inspired…

The films I mentioned inspired my love for Scotland. What Scottish films or settings inspire YOU?

Rebecca would love to give one Lucky Commenter today a $25 Amazon gift!  

Today's Special - - Teresa Medeiros and Amber House Books

Teresa Medeiros, the author has written some of my all-time favorite books and Teresa Medeiros, the person is one of the kindest, most genuine people I know. Today, I'm excited to introduce you to this multi-faceted woman's newest identity: Teresa Medeiros, publisher and owner of Amber House Books!   Before you ask, no, this does not mean Teresa has stopped writing her own books.  In fact, she is currently working on a historical romance project.  But today, she's here not to talk about the books she's writing but those she's publishing. Please give her a warm welcome!

WHY THIS NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER IS GOING INDIE AND STARTING HER OWN PUBLISHER

Almost every professional writer starts out with the same goal—to write a book wonderful enough to catch the eye of a New York publisher. To get “the call” from a New York editor that will change their life forever, a call that will begin with the magical words “I want to buy your book.”

I started writing my first novel when I was only twenty-one and a short time later, that call came for me. I’ve spent the past twenty-six years since that day living the dream—being gainfully employed by some of the top publishing houses in the United States while writing twenty-three bestselling novels. I spent most of those years as a client of one of the best agents in the business, a woman I will adore both personally and professionally until the day I die.

So why on earth would I choose to walk away from all of that now? Was it because my publishers were oppressive dark overlords who sought to drain all the joy from my soul by squelching my creative freedom?

Nope.

When I went to Bantam in 1995 and told them I wanted to write a book about a time-traveling witch who flies away from a witch hunt on her broom and crash lands in the arms of a cynical billionaire in contemporary New York City (a book that turned out to be one of my biggest bestsellers—Breath of Magic), they didn’t even bat an eyelash.

For most of my career, I’ve been well-compensated, well-published, and extremely well-represented by my agent. (And since my first advance pre-agent was for $2500, I recognize what a rare and extraordinary blessing that has been.) I’ve also had the pleasure of working with some of the most insightful and talented editors in the business including Wendy McCurdy, Carrie Feron and Lauren McKenna. For the most part, I’ve had perfectly lovely covers, attentive marketing teams, and competent copy editors who didn’t make me gnash my teeth in frustration, but instead made me exclaim, “Why didn’t I think of that?!”

So why would I be bolting for the proverbial door now? In the South Park movie, there was a hilarious song called Blame Canada. Well, these days I’m humming Blame England with a rousing chorus of Blame Australia. It was my devoted readers from across the pond and down under who kept sending me frustrated e-mails because my e-books weren’t yet available in their territories. That’s when I decided to publish all 23 of my books in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

All. By. Myself.

I quickly discovered two things:

1) Being a publisher was a staggering amount of work

2) I adored every minute of it

There’s a reason my website is designed and maintained by “Control Freak Productions.” Being able to manage every aspect of publication from cover design to book blurb to conversion to pricing to uploading for my babies made me positively giddy with delight.

I loved it so much that I decided it was what I wanted to do with the rest of my publishing life. Creatively, I’m not even sure I had a choice because the lack of autonomy in traditional publishing was finally beginning to wear me down. 

So that’s why I’ve started my own publishing house—AmberHouse Books. I thought it was time I gave something back to the industry that has given me so much. The Amber House Books’ motto is “Entertaining Readers…Empowering Authors.” Not only will I be publishing my own books under the Amber House Books’ umbrella, but I tracked down some of MY favorite romance authors and am publishing their backlist titles as well as brainstorming new projects. (Rebecca Hagan Lee’s A HINT OF HEATHER just came out this week while February saw the release of DIAMONDS AND DREAMS and THE BAREFOOT BRIDE by Rebecca Paisley.) I want to be the sort of publisher who gives each of her author’s books the same tender loving care I give my own. I’m also thrilled to announce that I have projects with Jill Marie Landis, Christina Dodd, and Connie Brockway already on our 2014 schedule.

And for those readers who still prefer the joy of holding (and smelling!) a print book, Amber House is also offering beautiful collectible trade paperbacks of all of our books. I’m even working directly with foreign publishers, agents, and translators to sell our titles all over the world. I just sold my first Rebecca Hagan Lee book to Japan.     

This blog was never meant to be a “kiss off” to legacy publishing. Instead, it’s a loving kiss blown in New York’s direction for all of the wonderful years, books, and memories we’ve shared. Life is long and sometimes our paths must diverge, but I will always treasure the time we spent traveling hand-in-hand along that path.

And I’m beyond grateful that I won’t be traveling my new path alone, but hand-in-hand with those beloved readers who have shared my dreams every time they’ve opened up one of my books.

Since I’ve gone out and found some of my favorite books to publish over at Amber House Books, I’d love to know what YOUR favorite romance of all-time is?

One lucky commenter today will win Kindle editions of A HINT OF HEATHER by Rebecca Hagan Lee along with DIAMONDS AND DREAMS and THE BAREFOOT BRIDE by Rebecca Paisley.

LIKE Amber House Books on Facebook by midnight 3/15 for a chance to win a KINDLE FIRE HD!

 http://www.facebook.com/amberhousebooks 

For more information about Teresa, her books and places to connect with her online, visit her website.

For more information about Amber House Books, visit their website.