Scotland is a beautiful country. But I think what’s drawn me to its shores is the history. Like most kids, I learned about the history of the United Kingdom, working my way through kings like Henry the eight and on the James the first. I learned something of Scotland but never really went any further until I began studying ancient history. Now I loved the Greeks and Romans but it fascinated me to hear that the Celtic people were never conquered.
Hadrian’s wall really caught my attention. Did you know there were roman baths built into it? To me it was fascinating to learn that there were hot baths available in 130 A.D. Although the word available probably isn’t the right one. Living under the rule of Rome wasn’t good unless you were one of the privileged few.
So yes, this brought me to Scotland. I began to study the people that Rome failed to conquer. These tribes dealt with Rome, the Vikings and England but they always managed to hold onto their own identity. One that is remarkable in my opinion. Their music is soul inspiring. When you begin to research the Highlanders, the first thing that I notice is how rough their land is. Carving out a living isn’t easy.
But hands down, the thing that draws me to the Highlanders is the women. It’s easy to become focused on the raw power of the warriors who are called Highlanders but their women were as strong as they were. These females ran the homes and dealt with the Highlanders. There are scattered accounts of just how bold these gals were and I actually enjoyed some of the English accounts most because the English were writing about how uncivilized the women were…but to me, it drove home how those Highlanders maintained such a strong hold on their heritage. It was due to having strong women by their sides. An army is only as strong as the support it has, or in this case the Highlanders were only as gold as their women.
Right…wrong or slightly off balance…that’s my take on it. I mean, after all…it’s the lore and myth I want to capture in these book but I always want to know there are men out there with noble hearts.
My Fair Highlander was a story born out of that ideal. Gordon is looking for a wife that will bring good things to his clan. His desires are second because he’s the laird and takes the position very seriously. Jemma is no less determined to uphold her family honor. Together…they were opposing forces until they discovered just how to manage the reaction they produced together. You can read an excerpt at MaryWine.com and I’m giving away two copies of ‘Improper Seduction’ on my Facebook page. Cheers!
Archive for General – Page 2
Last week I found out that Sarah Wendell, book blogger and author of Beyond Heaving Bosoms and Everything I Know about Love I Learned from Romance Novels, picked Mistress by Marriage for September’s Smart Bitches Trashy Books Sizzling Book Club. Ever since I was an wee baby romance writer, I’ve lurked at the SBTB site, where one is guaranteed never to be bored. The participants are large in number, strongly opinionated and, well, smart. 
I’m really looking forward to what they have to say about Caroline and Edward’s rocky journey to their HEA. The online discussion is tentatively set for September 27 from 9:00-10:30 EST. For the last half hour, I will get the opportunity to answer questions/defend myself, LOL.
Am I a little nervous? You bet. But this week I heard from two readers who spent their weekend reading Mistress by Marriage instead of watching New Zealand play in the Rugby World Cup (bigger there than football here, apparently) and a blues festival in Missouri. I have led good women astray and am proud of it. 
The e-book format has been deeply discounted. For more info, with links, click here. All three Mistress books are bundled for nook and Sony for $16.49. Links are here.
Okay, enough with the shameless self-promotion. Next Friday is the first day of Fall, my favorite season. I once used to be smart myself, and couldn’t wait for school to start. Maybe it was because of the stiff new clothes, sharp pencils and empty marbled notebooks that held so much promise. I walked to a neighborhood elementary school from kindergarten through eighth grade. That kind of school just doesn’t exist anymore, but I swear I can still sometimes smell the heat from the boilers and wet raincoats that hung on hooks in the hall. There wasn’t much teacher turnover, so you knew which dragon you’d get as the years advanced. These were the women (except for Mr. Rollender, the science teacher who failed spectacularly in making me scientific) who made me diagram sentences and learn the parts of speech. I don’t think they’d approve of the contents of my romance books, but they’d appreciate the sentence structure.
The heroine of Mistress by Marriage is a romance writer too, but she wasn’t lucky enough to have the dragons for teachers. Here’s an excerpt:
But when she looked in her pier glass, she was still relatively youthful, her red curls shiny, her gray eyes bright. She might have been stouter than she wished, but the prideful Parkers were known to run to fat in middle age. For some reason Edward had let her keep some of the lesser Christie jewels, so there was always a sparkle on her person even if there was no spark to her life.
She made the best of it, however, and had some surprising success recently writing wicked novels that she couldn’t seem to write fast enough. Her avocation would have stunned her old governess, as Caroline had showed no aptitude whatsoever for grammar lessons or spelling as a girl. Fortunately, her publisher was grammatical and spelled accurately enough for both of them. Her Courtesan Court series was highly popular with both society members and their servants alike. There were happy endings galore for the innocent girls led astray, and the wicked always got what was coming to them.
She modeled nearly every villain on Edward. It was most satisfactory to shoot him or toss him off a cliff in the final pages. Once she crushed him in a mining mishap, his elegant sinewy body and dark head entombed for all eternity with coal that was as black as his heart.
***
So, did you like school as a kid? Can you diagram a sentence? Were your teachers dragons or pussycats? What’s your favorite season?
I haven’t been well over the last few months, but it all came to a head two weeks ago, and I ended up in hospital for two nights. Now I know why I’ve been struggling to write—well, struggling to do anything actually. I have acute cholecystitis, an inflammatory condition characterized by retention of bile in the gallbladder. In short, I also have gallstones.
My attack happened at the worst time for me because I was powering through my new Regency, A Kiss of Lies (I’m at 55k words), I was in the middle of revisions for INVITATION TO SCANDAL, and I have had to miss the Romance Writers of New Zealand conference.
I’m having my gallbladder removed in a small operation on 26th August and I can’t wait! Your health is so important, and when you don’t have it, you realise how lucky we are to live in the modern era.
While I’ve been lying in bed feeling sorry for myself, I started thinking about illnesses that can have devastating effects but because of modern medicine are relatively easy to fix. Then it struck me how much pain, suffering and death would have occurred in the period in which I write, the Regency era. What would it have been like in the Regency times?
I thought about common operations, that if not treated, can kill or make your life a living hell. I’m not talking about the big ones like cancer etc, but ailments that can now be very easily treated. I came up with
Appendicitis – The first true appendix operation was performed in 1886, however there is evidence a few occurred as early as the mid to late 1700’s but most patients died from complications and infection.
Endometriosis – uterine adenomyoma and endometriosis were described around the turn of the 19th century but no operation or treatment was available until the mid twentieth century. Women would suffer terribly and die early from infection due to untreated lesions.
Gallstones – In the early 1800’s they knew what gallstones were and there were many ideas on treatment, including cutting them out of the gallbladder. Of course, once again, infection would often result in death. It wasn’t until the early 1900’s that gallbladder removal began.
All of the above are very easy to treat and usually involve an operation – now mostly done by laparoscopic surgery. Not many people die from these operations in the western world. But in the 19th Century, almost all would be potential killers. Infection was the main killer along with complications. You were a brave person to allow anyone to operate on you in the Regency period. Often ‘surgeons’, if that is what you could call them, used operations as an excuse to experiment or advance their knowledge of the human body.
In romance books we can make the Regency period sound so romantic and inviting. I suspect real life was very different. Illness and disease were rift and the smallest infection could kill you.
I’m often asked if I would have liked to live in the Regency period. Thank goodness I didn’t or I’d likely be dead by now. I suffered with endometriosis and now gallstones. Think about it. What illnesses have you had, that in the 1800’s, would probably have lead to death.
It’s a scary thought. How many of you might not have survived? I for one, am grateful for modern medicine.
I’ve been reading a LOT lately. A lot more than I used to. I’ve started reviewing for a few publishing houses (including Kensington) and having the authors on my blog for interviews and excerpts and giveaways. It’s been so darn fun meeting all these new-to-me authors!
I also write a craft column for Savvy Authors once a month. This, I think, is the greatest challenge, because while many books are good, its tough to find the ones with craft so stellar I can use it as a teaching point. I’m also joining Roni Loren’s blog this month as the suspense/thriller reviewer for a once-a-month post and suggested read.
One book I read recently (actually listened to on audio during my long drive to work) was DAMAGED by Pamela Callow. I started listening to it and turned it off. The beginning scene just didn’t grab me. Later, I started listening again, and as soon as that first scene was over, the book absolutely took off. I think this is the first book since Stephen King’s PET CEMETARY that turned out to be just too intense for me to finish. It was THAT good. The plot was so dynamic and heart wrenching. Characters intertwined into a weave so complex I couldn’t stop listening. What ended up making me put it away? The romance.
Okay, it was a thriller, so I can’t fault the book for the romance aspect. And I didn’t put it down because it was bad. I put it down because it was heartbreaking. The protagonist heroine and antagonistic hero in the book had a prior relationship, a secret came out about her past and the hero went ape-sh*t. They were both devastated, both felt betrayed by the other and broke up. When the story starts again, they are pulled together by this murder case and, man, is this emotion palpable. Every scene they’re in together made my stomach ache. And it was so damn realistic. Every one of us has been in a situation where there was no going back, no putting the broken pieces back together, no matter how much you loved the other person. This was a case of the characters’ insecurities wrought from their past being just too ingrained in to their individual personalities to allow love to conquer.
I only reached the 1/3 mark of the story and finally had to give it up. The couple continued to travel down this hopeless path, hurting each other with every step. It killed me. If I weren’t a romance writer, maybe I could have persevered. And I’m not a conflict-squeamish type. I throw everything possible at my h/h. Drive them into crisis at every possible opportunity, but this was just too much. Had this been a romance, I would have stuck it out, because I would know they would turn it around and come out together in the end–as better people and with a stronger relationship. But it wasn’t. It was a thriller. And I just couldn’t watch these two injure each other any longer.
If you want to experience deep, visceral, moving relationship emotion — this is the book for you. If you love a complex thriller — this is the book for you. Maybe at some point, I’ll pick it up again, because IMO it’s an amazing study in writing emotion among other techniques. But not now. Not for a while. The battle still sticks with me, a month after I stopped listening not even half way through the book! Truly powerful!
If anyone has read this book, I don’t want spoilers, but if you could just tell me these two end up okay, I’ll start listening to it again.
Have you ever experienced a work that was just so good it was too good? Something so intense you had to put it down?
Hello all. I’m Bianca D’Arc, writer of paranormal romance for Brava. Zombies, vamps, weres, aliens and dragons – I’ve written them all – but I was thrilled with the fresh new voice I found when asked to be a mentor for the Writing with the Stars contest.
I’ve been honored and privileged to work with an amazing up and coming author. My mentee writes in my favorite genre of paranormal, so I knew we were going to enjoy working with each other from the moment I heard about her book, MOONLIGHT. Lisa Kessler is a name to remember and someone I’ve really enjoyed getting to know through the process of this contest and I hope you will too. So, without further ado, please welcome Lisa Kessler, author of MOONLIGHT…
Hello everyone!
Thank you for welcoming me to the Brava site and letting me hijack… *ahem* I mean be a guest on your blog.
It’s almost surreal to be here with so many other fabulous novelists, chasing after a dream to have my book published. Some mornings I almost feel like I need to pinch myself to be sure I’m not dreaming.
Or back with the palm reader in New Orleans.
I started writing daily in 1998 as an escape. My spouse at the time wasn’t supportive of my writing “habit” so I was often up until the wee hours of the morning writing. At the time, the thought of writing a novel or being published never crossed my mind. It was my outlet. I made up characters and places and escaped with them on adventures.
Before I realized it, I had filled up my entire One Gigabyte hard drive with text files! (At the time, one gigabyte was huge… This was the 90’s! LOL)
Anyway, in October of 2000, I took my family to New Orleans. Wow! Talk about a writer’s city! There were stories everywhere I looked.
On our last night there, I decided I wanted to visit a palm reader, just for fun. The kids went back to the hotel with their Dad and I pocketed my wedding ring just so I could see how “real” she was.
She took me into her candlelit room and started inspecting my palm. First she pointed out that I had two children, an older girl and younger boy. That got my attention. Then she told me I would have two great loves in my life. That puzzled me, but before I could say anything, she went on to describe my lifeline, career, etc.
It was the walk to the door that changed my life forever.
As I reached for the door, she smiled at me and said, “I have to ask. Are you a writer?”
“I write every night. Just for fun though.”
“Keep writing.” I swear her eyes sparkled. “You’re going to be a famous writer one day.”
I walked back to the hotel in a daze, but when I woke up the next day I suddenly had an idea for a book! I jotted notes for the entire storyline for my first book on cocktail napkins at the airport. A few months later, I finished my first novel. A few months after that I started getting my short stories accepted into magazines and anthologies.
But that wasn’t all.
My marriage ended up falling apart, and I met another writer in an online critique group. We became long distance friends and eventually we got married. Not only can I write anytime, but he’s also my first reader and helps me with all my editing.
And now I’m a finalist in the Writing with the Stars contest!
I still carry the note card the palm reader wrote out for me that night in New Orleans. It’s tucked away in my wallet as a reminder to keep working and never give up.
It’s been a long, bumpy and winding road to get here, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything!
Thanks so much to Bianca D’Arc for being an amazing mentor!!! And a special thanks to HelenKay Dimon who challenged me to write Moonlight last year.
After so many years writing alone in the dark, it’s been heaven to find such a supportive family of writers!
So what was your “Ah-ha” moment that led to writing your first book?
The Brava Authors congratulate Jill Shalvis for her RITA® finalist nomination for Best Contemporary Single Title for INSTANT ATTRACTION!!
The romance world is awash in conferences and confabs, from RTs blowout coming up in April to a cluster of regional meetings across the country. Have you been to any, or checked them out?
Hi there, long time no see! I trust everyone is well and reading like fiends? I’m in the middle of a romance reading spurt myself, and in my humble opinion, there’s nothing like a good book to make everything good.
Well, a good book AND maybe some junk food. Say like cookies. The other day I was taking a writing break and sitting on my deck reading and eating. A neighbor stopped by, took one look at the half naked man on the cover and wrinkled her highbrow. Or high brow. Whichever. “I like books where the covers are more tasteful,” she said.
What she meant was, she liked her sex on the inside, thank you very much, and she’d rather no one know what that she was reading it in the first place.
And that’s okay. I get that. In fact, my first two Bravas were like that. All cozy on the outside, and a little spicy hot on the inside. And then they were reprinted in mass market, and well . . . Maybe you’d better see for yourself.
Get A Clue, original in trade, and then the reprint:
I got lots of mail on the cover of this one.
And then came Aussie Rules, first the original . . .
and then the sexier reprint:
I’m guessing the hotter covers sell better or we wouldn’t be seeing them. My Sexy series out last year, SMART AND SEXY, STRONG AND SEXY, SUPERB AND SEXY, all had pretty hot covers, and they did well, proving the point, I’m thinking.
Next February I have a new series coming out, starting with:
Oh, wait. That’s not quite right, though I LOVE it. Sorry. Let’s reshoot him without my wonderful editor in the shot:
There it is. Not quite as overtly sexy as my past series. Which brings me to my question of the day. What do you want on your covers? Sexy? Subtle? Gorgeous men? Scenery? What? Inquiring minds want to know.
Oh, and I’ll draw a few names from those of you who comment and give away books from my backlist, including the very sexy covered SEXY series, or the more subtle covers of some of my others. Your choice. Now spill!
UPDATE: I randomly drew winners, and they are . . .
Amelia, Aideen, and Antonia Peace! (Funny that it was totally random and yet they all start with A’s!)
Anyway, hit the link to my site and email me from there with your snailmail and a few book choices!
Hi there! Long time no see, which is entirely my fault, as I’ve actually FORGOTTEN to blog on my assigned day two times in a row. Which tells you how full my brain is. Call it deadline dementia. I know I’d feel a whole lot more relaxed if my Girl Scout cookies had come in, but no. I have to live in Siberia where everything takes forever to get delivered . . . okay, I don’t really live in Siberia. If you read my daily blog, you know I live in the wild Sierras, near Lake Tahoe, where I have all sorts of I-Love-Lucy like adventures, especially with the epic winter we’ve been having.
What was I saying?
Oh, yes, that I’m SCATTERED. And hungry. But I digress. I’m here to talk about my Bravas. Some of you might have read:
Or maybe the sequel:
In any case, the third in the series, SUPERB AND SEXY, is coming out at the end of May.
And I just got a few ARCS (Advanced Reading Copies)! They don’t have the pretty cover on them, they’re basically just bound manuscripts but I figure there’s a few of you out there who would enjoy a copy. So read the excerpt below, and if it sounds like something that would float your boat, leave me a comment here and I’ll draw a few names.
Other than that, I would LOVE to know what you’re reading! Me first, I’m reading Strangers In Death. LOVE J.D. Robb. Now you.
Oh and before I leave, here’s the promised excerpt of SUPERB AND SEXY:
Maddie’s chest felt too tight. Damn it. She let out a long, calming breath, which of course didn’t work. It never worked. Neither did just sitting at the window staring down at Brody, but God, she was tired, and still recovering. Yeah, that’s what this asinine weakness in her knees was — recovery. Because it sure as hell wasn’t for him.
No way.
They didn’t even like each other . . .
And yet she leaned over so she could see out the window again, past the twin tall pines trying to claim her view, at the nearly six feet four inches of rough and tumble, sexy-as-hell male as he unfolded his long legs from the muscle car.
Her pulse took another unfortunate leap. The last time she’d seen him he’d been in his pilot’s uniform, and even though it was ridiculous and juvenile and wrong, it had turned her on. The thought of seeing him out of it? Even more so.
UPDATE:
Limecello, Sonya, and Jen! Your names were picked randomly by my Youngest, so that means you win. Email me with SUPERB AND SEXY in the subject line, and don’t forget to give me your snail mail addy!
I’m working on a Christmas story for next year, am in fact on deadline, so naturally I’m surfing the net. I got lost on TMZ for an hour, having lots of fun being a celebrity stalker. Just when I think that my life is rough, there’s Amy Winehouse flashing her va-jay-jay, or Britney shopping for light fixtures while her children are waiting in her car, or Akron throwing a kid off the stage and then acting all shocked to find out that’s frowned upon in today’s society.
After my pop culture fix, I sat in the living room in front a raging fire. It was snowing outside, just gorgeous. I was going To Write. Really. But then the puppy stepped on the remote and Project Runway came on. I’ve never seen that show but have to tell you, I was instantly hooked. Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t reach the remote, and complicating matters, Bravo was running a Project Runway marathon.
Four episodes later, I finally pried myself away from the TV, but then the kitten commandeered a long-lost grape, and she was rolling around with it, chasing it, stalking it, attempting to bite it, and this amused me for another hour.
Clearly, I need help.
So I’m asking. Whatever your job, how do you stay focused?? What’s the trick?? And don’t say cookies. I’ve tried that and now my sweats are too tight. 
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