The winner of a signed copy of
The Barefoot Bride and Diamonds and Dreams is:
Audra
Congratulations! Please send your full name and mailing address to us at:
theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Marie Force Winners
The three winners from Marie Force's visit are:
Pam Westfall
(All You Need is Love)
Librarypat
(Fatal Affair)
Samantha
(Fatal Justice)
Please send your full name and mailing address to us at:
theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com
Please send your full name and mailing address to us at:
theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Today's Special - - Delilah Marvelle
It's our pleasure to welcome the Delilah Marvelle Night of Pleasure Blog Tour to The Romance Dish! Delilah Marvelle
is the winner of the Reviewer's Choice for Best Sensual Historical Romance of
the Year and had Booklist name her historical romance 'Forever and a Day' one
of the TOP 10 Romances of the year. When she isn't writing, she's digging
through inappropriate research books that include anything in history having to
do with courtesans, brothels, sexual contraptions that were never properly used
and other fascinating forms of dirty history that never made it into college
textbooks. You
can visit her at her website at www.DelilahMarvelle.com and connect with her online at Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for Delilah's newsletter here.
Welcome, Delilah! Please tell our readers what they can expect from Night of Pleasure.
Night
of Pleasure, which is part of my School of Gallantry series, is about the
charming Viscount Banfield who is smitten with his fiancée to the point of
being stupid. The fact that it’s an arranged marriage lends a different angle.
Instead of taking the route of an arranged marriage where the couple can’t
stand each other, I took it to the other extreme. The hero adores his fiancée
to the point of him not knowing what to do with himself. It made for a hilarious,
quirky relationship. The heroine, Clementine Grey, is overwhelmed by all the
attention and is usually the quiet girl who prefers to be independent. His
extreme adoration helps her grow her own passions while teaching him something
he never quite had: patience.
What would you like readers to
understand about Derek and Clementine?
That
their relationship has a lot of my own relationship woven into it. Naturally, I
won’t give away in what ways and how (hey, that’s personal, lol), but I draw a
lot of my insights on relationships from the one I’m in. And Derek and
Clementine are no exception. After nineteen years of marriage, there are a lot
of stories to tell about love!
What do you like most (and
least) about being a writer?
I love
that my writing has allowed me to meet people I normally wouldn’t have met had
I gone into a different field. From my writing friends who make up 99% of my
friends to my readers who are just a joy and who genuinely love reading as much
as I do. What do I like least about being a writer? The time it takes away from
my family. Writing is a full time commitment and sometimes it eats into too
much time from the people I love most. So I do my best to balance it.
What would readers be surprised
to learn about you?
That if
I had a chance to do it all over again, I’d actually be a race car driver
(vroom!). Seriously. I’ve always had a thing for racing cars at high speeds. And
maybe one day, I’ll invest in a car and do it as a hobby. Fortunately, I don’t
apply it to my everyday driving, lol. I haven’t gotten a single speeding ticket
(knock on wood).
What's next from Delilah
Marvelle?
Master
of Pleasure, which is the final book in the School of Gallantry series that
will be a bridge to my upcoming series, The Whipping Society that will further
expand the world. Super excited to write Lord Brayton’s story. His backstory is
intense (won’t give it away, lol) and that will lend to an equally intense
relationship that will change his twisted life and make him into who he always
wanted to be: the guy next door. Can’t wait to finish it!
Readers, tell us one thing people might be surprised to learn about you.
One randomly chosen person leaving a comment will receive a $5 Amazon gift card.
One randomly chosen person leaving a comment will receive a $5 Amazon gift card.
An
arranged marriage is daunting, but not as daunting as seducing a spouse whose
passions you
do not understand...
Derek Charles Holbrook, Viscount
Banfield, knew his fate since he was seventeen when his father announced his union to the
beautiful but mysterious American girl by the name of Miss Grey.
To protect the troubled estate,
Derek submits to his father's wishes, not realizing he's about to entangle himself in a hell of a lot
more than marriage.
Miss Clementine Henrietta Grey may
be worth millions, but not a single coin has ever bought her a smidge of happiness. When she
marries the charasmatic and dashing Viscount Banfield, whose only strife in life appears to
be the uneven seams in his coat, she finds that siring the heir he wants requires far more than her
heart is prepared to give.
Unable to seduce his overly-serious
and reluctant wife, Derek realizes his dreams of creating a loving family has turned into a
nightmare. But with the unexpected assistance of a retired courtesan and her outrageous school,
Derek and Clementine discover that passion is a language spoken not just from the
body, but from the mind, heart and soul.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Aunt Dimity Dazzles!
It's a while since I talked about a mystery series here - and I've got a beauty for you today.
As many of you know, I've picked up so many recommendations for great books from the regulars here at the Dishes. A few months ago, Janga mentioned a cozy mystery series by Nancy Atherton based around a ghost called Aunt Dimity. As a diehard ghost story fan, this sounded right up my alley, so I ordered the first one. I've since read 10! That's probably enough to indicate that I really enjoy these and I'd recommend them highly!
These books are so cozy, they practically make you hot chocolate and knit you socks. Seriously! Even the bad guys aren't particularly bad and if you're a devotee of blood and guts and loving descriptions of people eviscerating one another, these aren't for you. However, if you love charming characters, romantic subplots, chocolate box England (I hate to admit it, but I'm a sucker for chocolate box England!), lovely humor and an affirmation of the good things in life, I'd strongly advise picking up an Aunt Dimity mystery after you've made yourself a pot of tea. For these books, coffee just doesn't cut the mustard. And if you can manage an Eccles cake or a cucumber sandwich with that tea, you're right in the ballpark!
One proviso, I'd recommend reading the books in order. The cast of characters grows like Topsy so it's nice to see the relationships develop from book to book.
The first book AUNT DIMITY'S DEATH introduces the series' major character. American antiquarian book expert Lori Shepherd has just lost her beloved mother when she discovers that the Aunt Dimity who featured in childhood stories was a real Englishwoman who has left her a fortune.
I adored this story about second chances and the power of love and making reparations for old tragedies. There's also a lovely romance for Lori and we come to love Dimity who manifests through a blue journal and her various stuffed animal cohorts (told you this was on the sweet end of things, didn't I?). I found this a really moving story, despite all the humor and the happy ending. In the last chapter, I was crying like a drainpipe in a downpour.
The third book, AUNT DIMITY'S GOOD DEED, returns to the pattern of the first. Lori tells the story - and has a fairly innocent flirtation with a handsome man while she's disgruntled about the state of her marriage (don't worry - everything works out right in the end!). Lori's flirtations become a constant - it's like having a romantic plot while not having one, if you know what I mean. And all the books include romantic plots for secondary characters. Weddings reign supreme in Aunt Dimity World!
By this stage of the series, we have well established principal characters, a fun ghost, a fun pink rabbit avatar, and a wonderful English village full of eccentrics who come and go in the stories. Also by this stage, I was well and truly hooked. I'm writing this review a couple of months ahead of time, but my addiction to the series is ongoing. I have three more waiting for me as part of my Christmas reading binge. These lovely books with their message of love conquering all and forgiveness for past wrongs are just the things for the Holiday season!
So do you like mysteries? Do you like yours sweet and smiling or hard-edged and scary? Any favorite mysteries for me to read once I get to the end of the Aunt Dimitys?
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Review - - Waiting On You
Waiting on You
By Kristan Higgins
Publisher: Harlequin Mira
Release Date: March 25, 2014
Lucas Campbell never planned to return to Manningsport, but
a call for help from his Uncle Joe, who has stage IV lung cancer, forces him to
change his plans. Joe was there when Lucas needed him as a teenager after a
series of family crises, and not even Lucas’s dislike for his gold-digger aunt
or his unresolved feelings about Colleen O’Rourke will keep him from doing all
he can to make Joe’s last days easier. Although he is not returning for Colleen
and hasn’t even made any attempt to contact her in the two years since his
divorce, once he sees her again, he knows things are not finished between them.
Colleen may be unable to control the way her body responds
to Lucas, but she is determined to control what she does about that response.
Avoiding Lucas is clearly her best option, even if he is better-looking and
sexier than the younger Lucas who captured her heart. But avoiding him improves
impossible as the two find themselves in one another’s company repeatedly. The
impossible happens as they forgive one another and themselves and begin again.
But just when their happily-ever-after seems within their grasp, a secret is
revealed that has history repeating itself. Can these two move past the
mistakes of the past to find the trust they need to claim the happiness and
love they deserve?
Kristan Higgins takes her readers back to New York wine
country for the third novel in her Blue Heron series. As with the other books,
Higgins adds a full cast of characters to the story, showing readers the family
backgrounds that have made Colleen and Lucas the complicated people they are.
Readers who prefer their romances to focus solidly on the hero and heroine’s
relationship and view anything beyond minimal background as a distraction may
be less than fully happy with this story, but those who like their romances
rich in contexts (and I am in this company) will be delighted to see that the
relationships in this book include parent-child, siblings, extended family, and
friendship as well as romance. In other words, Higgins gives readers the
multiple relationships that likely are reflected in their own lives. Colleen
and Lucas are fully dimensional characters whose actions and reactions readers
will understand even if they sometimes wish they behaved differently.
Higgins is also among the very best at mixing the humorous
and the poignant. She does this wonderfully well in the scene where Colleen
sees Lucas in her bar after a ten year separation. Colleen’s comments had me
chuckling at the same time her heartbreak left me teary. The broadest humor is
reserved for the scenes involving Colleen’s matchmaking for the inept Paulie
Petrosinsky and Lucas’s handsome, somewhat dense cousin Bryce. I laughed even
as I cringed in sympathy with Paulie.
Higgins is known for her humor, but she is also expert at
creating substantive, interesting characters who engage readers emotionally.
Even the characters who appear fleetingly have individual quirks and a real presence.
Higgins has been a winner since her first book, but she has reached a new level
of excellence in the Blue Heron books. Waiting
on You doesn’t quite reach the all-time-best-romances level of The Best Man, but it is definitely a
recommended read. Now I’m ready for Jack’s story and Connor’s and Jess’s and the
stories of whatever other characters Kristan Higgins has in store for her
readers.
~Janga
http://justjanga.blogspot.com
~Janga
http://justjanga.blogspot.com
Review - - Fool Me Twice
Fool Me Twice
By Meredith Duran
Publisher: Pocket
Release Date: March 25, 2014
Alastair
de Grey, fifth Duke of Marwick, is the essence of a tragic hero. Once one of
England’s leading political lights, in line to become Prime Minister with the
power he covets to see more of his reform agenda realized, he has become a man
immersed in his own particular horrors, afraid to leave his room for fear he
will murder those men with whom his wife betrayed him. His fear of translating
his murderous thoughts into murderous actions and his fear of becoming fodder
for the scandal sheets have led him to abdicate his responsibilities on every
level. If madness is the inability to think in a clear and sensible way, then
Marwick is indeed mad.
Olivia
dares the duke’s wrath even after he throws a bottle at her. Angered by his
disregard for care of the valuable books in his rooms, offended by the dirt in
which he lives, and dismayed by his irresponsibility in ignoring his
correspondence, she challenges him at every turn until gradually, one cautious
step at a time, Marwick returns to life. But even when the attraction between
them intensifies, Olivia cannot forget her purpose. She must have that file, although
she knows Marwick, a man already devastated by betrayal, will view her theft as
yet another unforgiveable betrayal.
Fool Me Twice is a romance with a strong
mystery element, and Duran succeeds in keeping her readers emotionally invested
in the relationship between Olivia and Marwick as it develops, is threatened,
and overcomes obstacles on its way to the HEA and in maintaining their interest
in discovering the identity of Olivia’s enemy. It’s a plus that the revelation
is not the predictable outcome many readers will assume. Marwick’s story too
has revelations as readers learn more about the details and the motives of his
wife’s betrayal.
Duran
once more proves that no writer of historical romance is better at creating
intense, compelling lead characters. I
have become wary of the term “strong heroine” since it seems to me that it is
too often used to describe a character in period costume who acts like a
contemporary heroine. But Duran shows that Olivia is a woman of her time. Olivia’s
strength is revealed in her past when she refused to be broken by social
ostracism and in her present when she finds the resources to survive even when
she’s left for dead and the threat of another attempt on her life hangs heavy
over her. Marwick is a dark hero, a truly tormented man made more interesting
by the fact that he truly is a tragic hero. However damaging his wife’s
betrayal may have been, it is what that betrayal does to his image of himself
that nearly destroys him. Duran allows the reader to see Marwick’s own realization
of this truth:
He thought once that he saw
every possibility. That he would make his own destiny. That he and Margaret,
together, would be everything the world required. He thought he had control,
and that everything he did was done perfectly.
As
always with a Duran book, the writer in me relishes her prose. Not only does it
have a lucidity and grace that pleases but the precision of the diction in
sentences like this one adds to the layers of meaning: “His insanity had a feel
to it, jagged and sharp, so the very air in his bedroom seemed filled with
edges.” Those edges pierce Olivia’s—and the reader’s--preconceptions.
Fool Me Twice is the second book in the
Rules for the Reckless series. While it can be read as a standalone, I think
the story has greater depth for readers who have also read That Scandalous Summer. Not only are both Olivia and Marwick
introduced in that book, but Olivia’s connection to Elizabeth Chudderley and
Marwick’s estrangement from his brother Michael are also shown in the first
book. Whether you read Fool Me Twice
alone or in concert with That Scandalous
Summer, if you like romance novels that are intelligent, intense, and
immensely interesting, I highly recommend this one.
~Janga
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Review - - Between the Devil and Ian Eversea
Between the Devil and Ian Eversea
Book 9, Pennyroyal Green Series
By Julie Anne Long
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: March 25, 2014
Book 9, Pennyroyal Green Series
By Julie Anne Long
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: March 25, 2014
I have a little fantasy that Julie Anne Long and I are BFFs
and whenever I read her books, I can just text message her, go “Pg 241,
Tourette’s! Brilliant!” and she won’t have a restraining order issued to me.
I’m not sure why this is. I’ve never met Julie. I’m not even really comfortable
calling her Julie because, you know, we’ve never met. I mean, when you meet the
Queen, you don’t make the peace sign and go, “Hey Bets, how’s it hanging?”
There’s a protocol to be observed.
However, I think it’s the friendliness of the Pennyroyal
Green characters that inspire this instant affection. Much like I was to the
Harry Potter phenomenon (and I want to text JK Rowling frequently too), I was a
late comer to Julie’s books. I recall protesting reading the book I started on
because “Seriously, how many dukes can there be in the Regency period? Anything
but a duke, please.” Then I read the book and I was all, “Anything for a duke.”
Falconbridge was the perfect duke: tired, Luciferian, and
imperious. He had the most proper motivation: revenge against an obnoxious git
named Ian Eversea who was caught in bed with Falconbridge’s fiancée. Suffice it
that Falconbridge decided on some very ungentlemanly revenge by ruining Ian’s
sister…and well, now Ian is the running joke in his family about his
“climbing” skills. It all worked out in the end; but you could say it’s still a
bit awkward at family holiday dinners between Falconbridge and his
brother-in-law. Falconbridge is looking forward to the day that Ian takes a
slow boat to China and hopefully doesn’t return. So is Ian.
However, before Falconbridge can enjoy himself, he needs to
make sure his new ward, Miss Titania “Tansy” Danforth, is married and settled.
Tansy was born in England, raised in America, and is now the only one left in
her family. It is important to her to find a place for herself, to make a
family, and to live fully. She knows the requirements for her future husband:
very titled and very rich. She’s going to do it, and as beautiful as she is, it
soon becomes apparent she’s going to have her pick, but the fly in the ointment
to this little Machiavellian plan is that, well, she meets Ian Eversea and falls
head over heels for him. And besides not meeting the minimum criteria, he’s
still on Falconbridge’s blacklist. Not that Ian, of course, is remotely
interested in marriage.
What’s amusing is a string of scenes where Titania is with
her suitors, and her suitors are dancing a merry pace around her. In fact there
are suitors who actually belong to other
characters, and even one of the Eversea husbands loses his head for a
half-second before smartly returning to his wife’s side—Titania just seems to
have that effect. Ian can see she’s obviously pretty of course, but she’s so awkward…and she tries way too hard. Whatever
her appeal is, he’s immune to it. At least at first.
What’s sweet and poignant is the string of scenes where
Titania and Ian are together, and Titania ends up revealing the loneliness in
Ian. Why does Ian act like an ass who
goes around seducing women he has no right to be pursuing in the first place?
Titania and Ian are both attention seekers, but it seems most of the time, the
attention seeking doesn’t pan out how they quite wanted, yet they don’t know
how else to be either. It’s like they both try too hard at all the wrong
things.
One moment I was laughing hysterically, wanting to text BFF
Julie about her brilliant scene or snippet of dialogue; and the next I was
weepy and wanting to text her, “You’re
destroying me!” And there was a dark black moment…I was concerned because
the blacker the scene, the bigger the grovel needs to happen.
Oh, the Grovel. This is the Grovel of Grovels. There’s
drama, there’s sweetness, there’s justice. Sweet, sweet justice for
Falconbridge that someone, finally, has put Ian in his place and there’s the
little fact that now he’ll owe Falconbridge for the rest of his life. It’s
heartwarming. It’s possibly the first Pennyroyal Green book I’ve read in a
while in which I didn’t immediately froth to hear about Lyon and Olivia, who
better work out, I’m just saying, Bestie! I just wanted to reread all the books
and read Ian’s comeuppance again and just revel. Looking forward to the sequel.
Best historical series in a long, long time. Don’t miss a single one.
~Hellie
Hellie Sinclair (a.k.a. Fran) was one of the founding members of the Romance Writer's Revenge, where she frequently got to satisfy her love of good books and her need to expound by writing reviews. Hellie loves to craft on projects she rarely finishes, watch British dramas as a sort of Olympic marathon event, and do most anything that fits the description "indolent and pleasurable." Fortunately reading falls into that category. You can find her at her blog, where she writes the occasional review...and shares updates on her never-ending projects.
Review - - When The Duke Was Wicked
When the Duke Was Wicked
By Lorraine Heath
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: February 25, 2014
This book was on my auto-buy list, as all of Lorraine
Heath’s books are. I was quite fond of her series before this one, and I soon
realized what I was reading was the children of the previous series’ couples. I
enjoy this on one level, but on another, I get upset when here and there one of
my beloved characters have died off. As they are wont to do in Victorian
England without modern surgery and antibiotics. And immortality serum.
By Lorraine Heath
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: February 25, 2014
The other thing that annoyed me was that the hero, the Duke
of Lovingdon, was acting like a douche canoe. I will grant you, he was entitled
to act like an asshat, being that he was a young widower who had greatly loved
his wife and child and basically didn’t want to live again, let alone fall in
love with anyone else. I could respect that. However, for someone who was
hell-bent on never loving again, he was sure doing a fine job of having
“moments” with the heroine, who had loved him as a girl and loved him still. It
was heartache waiting to happen and I was very annoyed with him.
So you know the trope. One of the characters loves the other
more, tries to restore the other character to the land of the living. The age
old question of: ‘is there only one true love in your life?’ is addressed and
remained open for much of the book. He really did love his Juliette; and he
really doesn’t want to open his heart to the vulnerability of love again,
should love even be an option, which he doesn’t think so.
Ms. Heath played me well for 2/3 of the book. I thought the
story was just this trope, this question, and nothing more—although she did
hint at something in the heroine’s past to make you wonder, was there going to
be more. Oh, there was more. There was a LOT more. So then you get to the crux
of what Ms. Heath’s book is really about: it’s about living your life after
great loss. About how some people withdraw, shut down, are the living dead,
while others use the lesson as a means of never letting a moment of life pass
without living it to the fullest.
I’m not sure I’ve read a historical romance that dealt with
this particular twist before. I don’t recall one anyway; and therefore, I’m
possibly biased when I think I’m not sure anyone else could do it better or
make you believe in the Happily Ever After outcome that finally comes. Just
remember when you read this book: there’s more.
~Hellie
http://helliesinclair.blogspot.com
Hellie Sinclair (a.k.a. Fran) was one of the founding members of the Romance Writer's Revenge, where she frequently got to satisfy her love of good books and her need to expound by writing reviews. Hellie loves to craft on projects she rarely finishes, watch British dramas as a sort of Olympic marathon event, and do most anything that fits the description "indolent and pleasurable." Fortunately reading falls into that category. You can find her at her blog, where she writes the occasional review...and shares updates on her never-ending projects.
http://helliesinclair.blogspot.com
Hellie Sinclair (a.k.a. Fran) was one of the founding members of the Romance Writer's Revenge, where she frequently got to satisfy her love of good books and her need to expound by writing reviews. Hellie loves to craft on projects she rarely finishes, watch British dramas as a sort of Olympic marathon event, and do most anything that fits the description "indolent and pleasurable." Fortunately reading falls into that category. You can find her at her blog, where she writes the occasional review...and shares updates on her never-ending projects.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Today's Special - - Rebecca Paisley
We are delighted to welcome Rebecca Paisley to The Romance Dish today. Rebecca is a former Air Force brat who now lives in the North Carolina woods. She writes charming historical romance with heroines who defy all the 'rules' of the genre. Her books have landed her on the Publisher's Weekly Bestseller list and the Romance Writers of America's Honor Roll. She's also been a RITA finalist and won both the Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award and Career Achievement Award. Rebecca's books are currently being reissued by Amber House Books. Find more information about Rebecca and her books at her website and connect online with her at Facebook.
Rebecca also mentioned to me that this is her first blog appearance so let's all give her a very warm welcome!
Welcome, Rebecca!
It’s a pleasure to host you today.
Being a long-time historical romance reader, I’m not sure how I managed
to miss your books during their first go-around but I’m grateful to Teresa
Medeiros for introducing me to them now.
I haven’t read THE BAREFOOT BRIDE yet but DIAMONDS AND DREAMS kept me up
reading way past my bedtime the other night and left me thoroughly
charmed. Will you please share with
readers what they can expect from these two books?
I’m charmed that you’re charmed! And I do mean that. Even after having published a myriad of
novels and novellas, it’s still a bit astonishing to me when readers say they
have enjoyed my stories. I mean, it’s
really an extremely wonderful thing, the opportunity to place your musings into
another person’s hands. That person can
hug your story or throw it down. I’m
always nervous over the process because I’m sometimes not able to temper some
of the more outrageous ideas that come to me.
I try to keep an extensive variety of personal tastes in mind while I
think and write, but my imagination is more of a separate entity rather than a
part of me. It looks like a swirling
ball of glitter to me, really, and sometimes I have to chase it all over
everywhere, strain to see it in really dark times, or shove it off my pillow so
I can have a precious bit of sleep.
DIAMONDS AND DREAMS, THE BAREFOOT
BRIDE, and all my other stories are about how completely powerful love is when
allowed even a fraction of a chance.
There is so much hurt in the world, so many emotionally wounded
people. Personal feelings are sometimes
difficult to name, much less soothe.
Some people have thick skins and can soldier on, giving no outward sign
of their pain. Not me. Good Lord, just look at me in the wrong way
and I grieve myself to pieces. Like,
with wailing and face buried in the crook of an elbow. And locking myself away in a shell until I
can bear to come out. It’s ridiculous,
but I don’t know how to be any other way.
And I think that that side of me is what led me to begin writing as a
child. I’ve never known what else to do
with so many feelings.
So they’re books now. Sometimes the feelings are in people, sometimes
they’re in a setting, and sometimes I just sort of dance around them and trust
the reader to sense that they’re there.
And then I set to work devising ways that Love can find and hold
them. This is serious stuff and could
become too sad. And who wants to read
pages and pages of sorrow? That’s when
my imagination comes hurling around like a disco ball on steroids. It loves to laugh, my imagination does, and
its sense of fun presents itself in dialogue and specific situations. And outward appearances as well. Humor brings such beautiful healing.
Outlandish humor causes the bursts of merriment so needed by both real people
and story people. And it works best when
it’s unexpected. The lead-up I use for
that humor is subtle. In this way, I am
able to smack the reader suddenly so s/he hesitates for an instant, unsure
where the sadness went. And then I hope the reader will feel that burst of
laughter that is so important to the kind of stories I write. It’s a manipulation of emotion, and it works
because Real Life also toys with our emotions.
As an author, I merely embellish and “bigger” what readers are already
very capable of feeling.
That burst of laughter is certainly present in DIAMONDS AND DREAMS and I was delighted by it!
Goldie – the heroine of Diamonds and Dreams - is not the type of heroine most people would expect when picking up a Regency romance. What inspired you to write this type of character? By the way, I found her to be an absolutely delightful breath of fresh air!
Goldie – the heroine of Diamonds and Dreams - is not the type of heroine most people would expect when picking up a Regency romance. What inspired you to write this type of character? By the way, I found her to be an absolutely delightful breath of fresh air!
Out of
tortuous desperation, I patterned Goldie Mae after my own self. I had been trying to come up with ideas for
my third book when my editor at Avon Books called to ask if I could have the
book done in 90 days. Avon needed to
fill an empty slot in their schedule right away. Before that call I had had about 8 months to
write my book. I was hysterical with
fear, a thousand percent sure I could not do it. But because I am bereft of the ability to say
no and due in no small measure to the capricious nature of my imagination, I
said I would have the book done in the 90 days.
And then I stared at my blank computer screen for over a week, and I
didn’t even eat during those scary days.
Before Avon’s request, I had already decided the book would be set in
England and feature an American heroine.
That’s about all I knew. So how
in the dang world was I going to characterize the story people and think of a
plot that would carry the book for almost 500 pages? I hadn’t even completely researched England
and British ways!
Imagination
took me firmly in hand, and Goldie became a heroine who knew nothing about
England or the British people. Because I
didn’t know about England or British people.
It’s the only thing that made sense to me. To use my own ignorance! I wrote down and pondered every naïve thought
I’d ever harbored concerning English royalty, aristocracy, traditions, manners
of speaking, ways of dressing, etc… And
all those really dumb notions I had went into Goldie. Some of them came from my childhood. I used to think that English money was
counted in pounds. Literally. You weighed your money to see how much you
had, see. And I had it in my mind that
dukes probably turned their noses up at a lot of things, which led to Goldie’s
belief that dukes most certainly sniffed a lot.
I sprinkled things like that throughout the story both to characterize
Goldie and to make the hero’s life miserable.
I do love to create heroines who sorely try their men’s patience.
And I
have this wild curly hair that I’ve spent half my life trying to tame, to no
avail. So Goldie had to have that hair
too. And I’m not tall. My feet don’t touch the ground when I sit in
most chairs, so Goldie had to be little too.
And I possess a deep love for very quirky people, so Goldie’s many
stories about the people she knew in America were, for the most part, people I
know. I get my feelings hurt easily, so
Goldie’s feelings mirrored my own. Then
I put this little Goldie Mae in a plot that would showcase her ignorance and
tender emotions, and I gave her a hero who wasn’t sure what to do with
her.
Never
forgetting my own childish beliefs about England and British people and ways –
and allowing my imagination to do what it would - I wrote the book in 90 days.
If that's what happens when you write a book in 90 days, I think you should do it more often!
One of the things that I most enjoyed about Diamonds and Dreams is that it made me laugh. Why is humor an important part of your writing? What are the things in life that make you laugh?
One of the things that I most enjoyed about Diamonds and Dreams is that it made me laugh. Why is humor an important part of your writing? What are the things in life that make you laugh?
Are there plans to reissue any of your other previously
published books - specifically A BASKET OF WISHES? After the visual you've given us, I'll be downloading this book the moment it's released!
Yes! My new publisher, Amber House Books, is
bringing out my backlist! I’m excited
unto death. I have found so many of my
loyal readers, and I am now discovering a lot of new readers too! It’s almost like the books have never been
published before and are just now being released, brand spanking new. It just tickles me to pieces that my stories
are still making people laugh. And
cry. You have to have a few tears in
order for the laughter to feel so totally wonderful, y’know?
Yes, I do know. I do a lot of both!
You and I share a love of animals, a love clearly also shared by your DIAMONDS AND DREAMS heroine. Please tell us about the animals who share your home and the role they play both in your life and your writing.
You and I share a love of animals, a love clearly also shared by your DIAMONDS AND DREAMS heroine. Please tell us about the animals who share your home and the role they play both in your life and your writing.
I don’t
ever remember not having animals. My
first was a black cat named Spooky.
Original, huh? Most all of the
animals I have owned or known have somehow made their way into my books. Goldie Mae’s horse, Dammit, was a real horse
belonging to my uncle. Dammit was his
name. Itchie Bon, Goldie’s mutt, was a
poodle we had when I was little.
Nehemiah, a cat you will meet in RAINBOWS AND RAPTURE, was a real
cat. He had a billion nicknames. So, of course, in the book he has a billion
nicknames too, which annoys the hell out of the hero, Santiago Zamora. I wouldn’t be happy without animals
surrounding me. And so I can’t be happy
if they aren’t in my books either. They
are real characters with real personalities.
I do so hope readers are touched by my story animals, just as I hope
they and other people do what they can to help real animals in Real Life. This is a subject so dear to my heart that I
can hardly write about it without tearing up a bit. Having been involved in Animal Rescue for
many years, I have seen the worst and the best of mankind regarding animals. I want to believe that MOST people possess
the kind of goodness needed to protect animals, all animals. The message to spay and neuter and ADOPT is
more widespread than it used to be, but we still have a long way to go in the
fight for critters. No kind gesture,
however small, goes unnoticed by a needy animal. And God bless every person who has ever
helped a little beast. Or even a big
beast or a finned or winged one.
Ha! My son used to gather up
earthworms that had been washed away in rainstorms. He’d find them on the street and bury them
back into the ground. I used to tell him
we wouldn’t have any dirt without the worms.
From worms to elephants . . . they are all precious.
Many of us have our comfort reads, those books or authors to
whom we turn when our spirits need a lift.
Who are your “comfort read” authors?
Comfort
books are those that make me laugh. I
want to be entertained in an amusing way.
When the writing fever is upon me, though, I cannot read fiction because
I am so afraid I will copy another author’s words or thoughts without meaning
to. And sometimes another author’s
brilliance will make me feel like the worst writer in the world. Then I can’t write at all. I read a lot of history books. Research books. Sometimes I use the research in a future
project, and sometimes I just like to think about it. I found a bit of true trivia once that turned
one of my books around. A very long time
ago, this man was trying to turn metal into gold, but he only ended up creating
a substance that glowed in the dark. I
read that and tucked it away to think about another time. About a year or so later I needed that exact
bit of trivia to write myself out of a corner in MOONLIGHT AND MAGIC. It worked so well that a lot of readers
thought I’d made it up. But it was a
true thing!
One of the reasons I enjoy reading historical romance is
that it allows me to step away from the challenges of everyday life and lose
myself in another place and time. If you
could step into the shoes of any fictional character who would you choose and
why?
I would
definitely be a maiden from long ago and far away. My house is filled with paintings of maidens,
most all of them painted by Pre-Raphaelite artists. I have life-sized knights in armor in my
home, and I have medieval-looking dresses I love to wear. I like to pull my hair into this golden snood
I bought online. I don’t care for things
that are really contemporary. I love old
things. Antique furniture, “ancient”
jewelry I make myself, and even rocks I come upon. I found a little rock buried in the wall of
the Colosseum in Rome some years ago. I
didn’t try to tear down the wall to get it; it was already loose and kind of
falling out. I love that rock. I love imagining all the things it has seen
since its wall was first built. Any
centuries-old maiden would suit me quite well!
My friends and family like to poke fun at me over my days of yore
clothing and furnishings and other notions, but so far I have not been swayed
to change what I love the most.
According to your Amazon bio, you’re currently working on a
new book. Are you at a point where you
can share anything with readers?
I
actually have 3 books started, but I finally decided which one to finish
first. There are many, many animals in
the story. And lots of mystery and
magic. I can’t explain too much of the
book because then I will feel as though I have already written it. But suffice it to say this story is making me
very happy, and I hope it will do the same for readers. It is fanciful, but it is also a dream that I
have hoped is true since I was a little girl. In my book it is very true, and that’s what
makes me so happy!
Thank you so much for visiting with us today, Rebecca. Would you like to ask our readers a question?
I’m so
happy to be here with y’all. I’ve really
enjoyed answering your questions and, while answering them, I even thought of a
new book idea! I’ll have to dedicate
that book to The Romance Dish when I finish writing it. J Thank you so much for that!
Thank you, Rebecca!
Thank you, Rebecca!
For readers: Has anything magical ever happened to
you? If so, what was it?
One randomly chosen person leaving a comment on today's post will receive signed copies of The Barefoot Bride and Diamonds and Dreams. (U.S. addresses only)
One randomly chosen person leaving a comment on today's post will receive signed copies of The Barefoot Bride and Diamonds and Dreams. (U.S. addresses only)
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Katharine Ashe Winner
The randomly chosen winners of an e-copy of
My Lady, My Lord
by Katharine Ashe
are:
May
and
peggy
Congratulations! Please send us your email address and whether you'd like a
Kindle or Nook copy of the book.
theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com
Barbara O'Neal Winner
The randomly chosen winner of a copy of
The All You Can Dream Buffet
by Barbara O'Neal is:
kmannrn
Congratulations! Please send your full name and mailing address to us at
theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com
Today's Special - - Marie Force
With
more than 2.5 million books sold, Marie Force is the New York Times, USA
Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling, award-winning author of
more than 30 contemporary romances. Her New York Times bestselling
self-published McCarthys of Gansett Island Series has sold more than 1 million
e-books since Maid for Love was released in 2011. She is also the author
of the New York Times bestselling Fatal Series from Harlequin’s Carina
Press, as well as the Treading Water Series and numerous stand-alone books. All
You Need is Love, book 1 in her new Green Mountain Series from Berkley
Sensation, was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller in
February. The second book, I Want to Hold Your Hand, will be out in
June, and the third book, I Saw Her Standing There, is coming in
November. In 2014, Marie will have eight mass-market print releases—the first
five Fatal Series books from Harlequin and the first three Green Mountain
Series books from Berkley. While her husband was in the Navy, Marie lived in
Spain, Maryland and Florida, and she is now settled in her home state of Rhode
Island. She is the mother of two teenagers and two feisty dogs, Brandy and
Louie. Join Marie's mailing list at http://marieforce.com/ for news about new
books and other possible appearances in your area. Follow her on Twitter@marieforce and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MarieForceAuthor/. Join
one of Marie's many reader groups by viewing the complete listing at
http://marieforce.com/connect/. Contact Marie at marie@marieforce.com.
Read Janga's review of All You Need is Love here.
Marie recently took time from her busy writing schedule to answer some questions for us. Please give her a warm welcome!
Read Janga's review of All You Need is Love here.
Marie recently took time from her busy writing schedule to answer some questions for us. Please give her a warm welcome!
Welcome back, Marie!
It’s a pleasure to have you visit with us here at The Romance Dish. You recently released All You Need is Love,
the first book in a new series. Please
tell us about the series and what readers can expect from this first book.
Thanks for having me! I always love to visit with your
community. The new Green Mountain Series is about a family in Vermont that runs
the Green Mountain Country Store in the fictional town of Butler. Lincoln and
Molly Abbott have ten children, five of whom help their father run the business
while the other five contribute items to the store, including maple syrup,
beaded jewelry, wood working and Christmas trees.
It sounds so appealing. How does the tone of this series differ from your McCarthy’s
of Gansett Island books? Will they
appeal to the same readers?
In the Green Mountain Series, the Abbotts are very committed
to their lives in the mountains whereas the McCarthys are all about beaches and
boats and island living. The Abbott family dynamic is similar to the McCarthys
in that the siblings are close and in each other’s business the way the
McCarthy siblings are. I do believe the Green Mountain Series will appeal to
readers who enjoy the McCarthy Series.
At first glance, Cameron and Will, the heroine and hero of All You Need is Love seem an unlikely
pairing. What is it about these two that
convinced you they belong together?
I enjoyed the fact that their differences made them
attractive and intriguing to each other. She sleeps with her cell phone in her
hand. He doesn’t own one. She grew up watching family sit-coms on TV and
yearning for siblings and families like her fictional favorites. He grew up in
a family of ten kids and hardly watched TV. The one thing they have in common
from the beginning is an overwhelming attraction to each other that only grows
stronger with every hour they spend together. I really enjoyed writing these
two characters from different worlds who discover they have all the most
important things in common.
Our reviewer, Janga has fallen in love with the Abbot family
and is hoping that each of the siblings will have his/her own story. What are your plans for this family? Will they each have their own book? Do you have a timeline in mind for the
release of those stories?
I hope to do a book for each of the Abbott siblings. So far
I’ve written Will’s story in All You Need
Is Love, Hannah’s story in I Want to
Hold Your Hand (June 3), and Colton’s story in I Saw Her Standing There (November 4). Next up in book four is
oldest brother Hunter’s story in And I
Love Her (March 3, 2015).
It’s been four years since you visited us here at TRD. How has your life changed in that time?
What would readers be surprised to discover about you?
I spend a lot of time chatting with my readers on Facebook
and Twitter, so they know a lot about me already, but one thing I love to tell
them is that writing is the only talent I was blessed with. I can’t do much of
anything else, and my “failings” in other areas are a source of great
entertainment to my family and friends. I like to joke that I’m still trying to
complete my first cartwheel at age forty-seven. J
The last time you were here it was to launch Fatal Affair,
the first book in your popular romantic suspense Fatal series. On March 24th, the seventh book
in that series, Fatal Jeopardy will be released. Fans of Sam and Nick would like to see this
series continue for a long time to come.
What are your plans for the Fatal books?
It’s been a wild four years for the Fatal Series, and I hope
to write those characters for a long time to come. . Fatal Affair is out now everywhere
print books are sold with Fatal Justice
coming in print on March 25. Three others are coming this year with more to
come next year. I’m really excited to get the Fatal Series out to print
readers. Fatal Jeopardy, Book 7 in
the series, contains some really big developments for both Sam and Nick. The
mystery surrounds Sam’s troublesome niece Brooke, so it’s a very personal case
for her. I hope readers enjoy this latest installment! I really enjoy Sam and Nick
and their dynamic as well as their cast of supporting characters. Your readers
may like to know that the Fatal Series is now coming in print, too
There are a lot of print readers who I'm sure will be very happy to hear that!
What else are you working on?
What else are you working on?
With three series going at full speed, I’m really busy! I
just finished I Saw Her Standing There,
Book 3 in the Green Mountain Series, and will write one more Green Mountain
book this year as well as Fatal Scandal,
Book 8 in the Fatal Series. I’m currently writing Gansett After Dark, Book 11 in the McCarthys of Gansett Island
Series, and hope to get Book 12 out this year, too. In my “spare” time, I’m
working on a new project that I’m really excited about. So lots going on and
much more to come from all my series.
Will you be attending any conferences or book signings this
year where readers will have an opportunity to meet you?
I will be at the RT Book Lover’s Convention for the day on
Saturday, May 17, and will be attending the Berkley Publishing Lemonade Social
and getting together with some of my readers in New Orleans while I’m there.
We’re hosting my first Reader Weekend in Newport, Rhode Island on Memorial Day
Weekend. I’m holding a launch party for the Green Mountain Series at the
Vermont Country Store in Weston, Vermont, on June 28 that everyone is welcome
to attend. I’ll be at the RWA conference in San Antonio on July 23-26 and
heading to Australia and New Zealand for the romance conferences in Sydney and
Auckland the weekend of August 8-10 in Sydney and August 15-17 in Auckland.
Readers can find out more about all of these events, including registration
information, on my website at www.marieforce.com.
Wow! That's a busy schedule!
Wow! That's a busy schedule!
It’s always a pleasure to chat with you, Marie. Thank you for visiting with us today. Would you like to ask our readers a question?
Thanks so much for having me! I’d love to ask your readers
what it is about series that keep them coming back for more. I’m happy to give
away a signed copy of All You Need Is Love, Fatal Affair and Fatal Justice to
three respondents. Look forward to chatting with you!
Okay, Readers, leave your comments for a chance to win one of the above signed books. Deadline for leaving comments is Midnight (EST), March 21st.
Okay, Readers, leave your comments for a chance to win one of the above signed books. Deadline for leaving comments is Midnight (EST), March 21st.
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