If you’ve visited the Contest page this month, you’ve seen my squee over Heather Snow’s books. Heather writes smart, emotionally complex historical romances—and as dreamy and clever as her heroes are, it’s her heroines who have really enthralled me. With their professions and ambitions (a chemist, a criminologist, and a counselor), they push the boundaries of Regency society but still feel perfect for their time period.

Intrigued? Oh, good. Heather has joined me today for a Q&A about her third book, SWEET MADNESS, which will be released on April 2. You might win a copy—just read on!

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Heather, thank you for being here!

You have a background in chemistry, so it makes sense that your first heroine (Liliana of SWEET ENEMY) was also a chemist. How did you decide on the occupations of your next two heroines, a Regency-style criminologist and counselor?

The first scene from SWEET DECEPTION just sort of came to me…I saw a man coming home after years away to find his house full of people and a woman commanding them while scribbling on one of his priceless maps she’d unceremoniously yanked from its frame. Emma quickly became a brilliant criminologist who used maps and mathematics in an early form of geographic profiling to find a killer. Whereas I came up with the title for SWEET MADNESS first, which necessitated Penelope being a counselor!

How did you create SWEET MADNESS’s unusual-yet-perfect-for-one-another wounded hero and strong heroine? Did you start with the character of the heroine, or the hero, or with a plot idea?

The idea actually started as a title. I had SWEET ENEMY and SWEET DECEPTION, and was trying to think of a third word that would juxtapose against sweet. When SWEET MADNESS popped into the running, I knew it was perfect and it just so happened that a secondary character from SWEET ENEMY was a very intuitive soul who would be the perfect heroine to heal a wounded war hero. As I began to think about Penelope and plot the story, I was able to create the perfect hero for her.

Which character or scene in SWEET MADNESSS was your favorite to write? Which was the most difficult?

My very favorite to write was the art therapy scene…

“I know that I said I was willing to do anything you suggested, but how exactly is this supposed to help?” Gabriel asked, eyeing Penelope skeptically.

It was mid-afternoon the following day and the two of them were alone in Somerton Park’s long gallery. The massive high-ceilinged room was dotted with comfortable-looking tufted benches, chaise lounges, a walnut pianoforte and the occasional overstuffed chair. A fire crackled in the massive hearth, centered along the interior wall. The other side of the room boasted tall windows separated by scarcely a yard between them, and every available patch of wall space was covered with colorful portraits and landscapes in gilt frames of varying shapes and sizes.

But the only canvas that interested him at the moment was the blank one on the easel in front of him.

Penelope grinned at him as she removed the lid from a cylindrical earthenware container about the size of a large pumpkin.

“When I first started visiting the soldiers at the hospital, I really had no idea how to reach them.” Dipping her hand into the pot, she withdrew a walnut-sized pouch and shook droplets of water from it until it stopped dripping. “Oftentimes we would just talk about our lives and interests. When they discovered I was an artist,” she said, taking a pin and piercing the pouch, “they asked to see some of my work.”

Red paint oozed out of the tiny hole she’d made, and the crisp tang of linseed oil reached his nose. Pen squeezed a dollop onto a wooden palette and then plugged the hole with a tack before placing the bladder of paint back into her container.

“After some great discussions of art, the men wanted a demonstration, so I did some painting for them.” She withdrew another bladder and pricked it, this time eliciting a bright green. “Then I encouraged them to try, and over a period of weeks, I discovered some interesting things.”

Green was replaced by yellow. “I already knew, you see, that the very act of painting made me feel better. I’d been pouring out my emotions onto the canvas since I’d picked up my first paintbrush. Thankfully”—she flashed him an eye-rolling grin—“the melodramatic canvases of my youth have long since been destroyed.”

Blue paint now joined the others on the wood. “Anyway, as the men created their own works, I started noticing symbolism in some. Others were able to externalize their emotions through their art, and once they were on the canvas, separate themselves from the feelings enough to talk about them.” Purple joined the mix. “And for some, painting simply improved their moods enough to make it through their day.”

He crossed his arms and lowered his chin. “You expect me to . . . paint my feelings?”

What made it so fun to write, aside from how I get to use painting and symbolism, is that is a turning point scene. It is near the middle of the book and Penelope and Gabriel have been working through some dark things and are making progress in their goal to discover what has been causing his struggles. But something happens during this session that makes Penelope turn a hard eye on herself and you start seeing the vulnerabilities and hurts that she is hiding…and how Gabriel is going to be able to help her just as much as she can him.

The most difficult was the beginning. I really worried about how the reader would see Gabriel…I wanted to show his difficulties without making him seem weak, because he’s not.

As the mother of two young boys—whom you call, in fine Regency fashion, the Heir and the Spare—how do you squish in writing time?

By not sleeping! The boys are 4 and 18 months, and VERY active! A challenging age for me to really get anything done while they are awake… I tried getting up early to write before they got up, but it was like they had a sixth sense…the earlier I got up, the earlier they got up! Now, my husband goes to bed with them at 8:30 and I sit down to write. It’s not ideal, as it’s really my poor husband who sacrifices his time with me, but we can see a time ahead when the boys go to school where I can shift to more daytime writing and have my evenings free to spend with my family again.

In honor of your counselor heroine, Lady Penelope Bridgeman, what’s your favorite trick for managing stress (especially during deadline crunches)?

A hot bath and a good book! I’m SO lucky to have a jetted tub, and it’s my favorite place to relax. I also dabbled in a little yoga while writing SWEET MADNESS. I’m not sure if it helped my stress level much, but it certainly did help me stretch out my spine and muscles that were tight from so long sitting in a chair writing!

What’s next for you?

Vacation! My first book sold shortly after the Heir was born, and the second was written right after the birth of the Spare—while my husband was finishing up his masters on top of his full time career! He graduated right after I finished SWEET DECEPTION and we’d barely had time to enjoy a breather before I jumped into SWEET MADNESS. My family and I are looking forward to a couple of weeks on the beach together during the month of May. Then I’ll get started on my new series…

Excellent! Enjoy that vacation, Heather, and thanks again for visiting today.

Now, readers, we have a question for you: what’s YOUR favorite tip for managing stress? Share it below for a chance to win Heather’s upcoming book, SWEET MADNESS. 

One winner will be chosen at random from all commenters on Saturday, March 30. This giveaway is open internationally, and the winner can choose print or ebook (if an ebook is available in the winner’s territory).

And if you haven’t entered the monthly contest yet, be sure to do that too, because Heather’s giving away her first two romances over there!

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Heather Snow is an award winning historical romance author with a degree in Chemistry who discovered she much preferred creating chemistry on the page, rather than in the lab.  She lives in the Midwest with her husband, two rambunctious boys and one very put upon cat.

Website: http://www.HeatherSnowBooks.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/AuthorHeatherSnow
Twitter: http://twitter.com/HeatherSnowRW
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/HeatherSnowRW/
Reader Salon Blog: http://HeatherSnowBooksReaderSalon.blogspot.com

Order SWEET MADNESS: Rainy Day Books • Amazon (Kindle Edition)
 • Amazon (Mass Market Paperback) • 
Barnes and Noble
 • Books-A-Million
 • IndieBound

 • The Book Depository • 
Walmart

If you’ve stopped by the website contest this month, you know what a fan I am of Shana Galen‘s historical romances. Her books are a delicious blend of adventure, passion, humor, and–of course–romance. On March 5, Shana will release IF YOU GIVE A RAKE A RUBY, the second in her Jewels of the Ton trilogy. It’s been earning great reviews, with both RT Book Reviews and Night Owl Reviews naming it a Top Pick!

While I wait impatiently for her new book’s release, I asked Shana if she’d be willing to join me for an interview about her work. Delightful lady that she is, she agreed–and even offered an international giveaway! One commenter on this post will win a signed copy of IF YOU GIVE A RAKE A RUBY. Stick around to learn more about Shana’s new book and get all the giveaway details.

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Shana, thanks so much for joining me!

Hi Theresa! Thanks so much for having me today.

You’re known for lacing your romances with mystery and adventure. What drew you to start writing that kind of story?

It was a gradual process. I didn’t start out to write that sort of book, but I would get bored as I was writing more traditional Regency scenes in drawing rooms and at Almack’s. I’d want some excitement and would end up having my characters kidnapped or running from pistol-wielding thugs. Finally, I stopped fighting that aspect of my books and embraced the fast-paced adventurous aspect.

IF YOU GIVE A RAKE A RUBY is the second book in your Jewels of the Ton series. The first, WHEN YOU GIVE A DUKE A DIAMOND, introduced a mystery element along with its delicious romance. How much did you have to plan out the continuing plot threads, and how much did each book’s plot grow on its own?

I don’t plan much at all. In fact, it was my editor who challenged me to think of a more interesting plot twist in When You Give a Duke a Diamond. Initially, the diamonds really were diamonds. But once I expanded that mystery, the other parts of the series plot sort of fell into place. And, still, everything except the most general aspects of the overarching mystery grew out of the writing of the story.

The hero and heroine of RUBY—Warrick and Fallon—both deal in secrets for a living, but in very different ways. How did you turn a patriot and a courtesan into the perfect matches for one another?

Very carefully—almost more carefully than turning a duke and a courtesan into perfect matches! Fallon and Warrick are secretive because they’re damaged and because the truth of what they hide is dangerous. Because they have both been through traumas, they understand one another in ways others couldn’t. But that doesn’t make falling in love easy. They have to learn to trust one another and realize they need one another.

What was your favorite part of the book to write—or what scene most made you want to tear out your hair?

I liked the very first scene with Fallon and one of her admirers. She kicks his butt, and that is always so much fun for me to write. I knew I would write that scene long before I knew anything else about the book.

The heroines of your Jewels of the Ton series are known as The Three Diamonds: fascinating women with mysterious (and surprising!) pasts. In honor of the Three Diamonds, will you share something mysterious or surprising about yourself?

Oh, I have lots of secrets! One is a secret project you may have read and not even known I was the one who wrote it! That’s all I can say…

Intriguing! All right…what projects are coming up next for you?

In September, the next book in what has become my Lord and Lady Spy series will be out. It’s titled True Spies and continues the story of Sophia and Adrian from Lord and Lady Spy, as well as introducing a new couple who must fight to save the Barbican group from the man bent on destroying it and England with it.

Sounds wonderful. Shana, thank you for being here today!

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Readers, it’s your turn to answer a question. Giving a rake a ruby worked for Warrick and Fallon; now we want to hear about your gifts! Please leave a comment telling about the best or most surprising gift you ever got–or the gift you most wish you would get! One random commenter will win a signed copy of IF YOU GIVE A RAKE A RUBY.

This giveaway is open internationally and will remain open until noon ET on February 26, 2013. The winner’s name will be posted in the comments; the winner will be contacted using the email address submitted with the comment.

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About Shana:  Shana Galen is the bestselling author of fast-paced adventurous Regency historicals, including the RT Reviewers’ Choice The Making of a Gentleman. Her books are published all over the world and have been featured in the Rhapsody and Doubleday Book Clubs. She taught English at the middle and high school level off and on for eleven years. Most of those years were spent working in Houston’s inner city. Now she writes full time. She’s happily married and has a daughter who is most definitely a romance heroine in the making. Shana loves to hear from readers: visit her website at www.shanagalen.com or see what she’s up to daily on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ShanaGalen) and Twitter (@shanagalen).

You can also download Shana’s author app for Android or Apple and check out her blog posts with the Sisterhood of the Jaunty Quills. And if you haven’t entered this month’s contest yet, stop on by–Shana’s giving away copies of WHEN YOU GIVE A DUKE A DIAMOND and LORD AND LADY SPY to one winner, open internationally!

Order IF YOU GIVE A RAKE A RUBY:
Print: IndieBound • Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Books-A-Million
Ebook: Kindle • NOOK • Kobo

Happy Valentine’s Day! Hope you’re feeling the love today. Actually, I hope you are every day. Why stop with February 14^th?

I have a little extra for you today: love letters shared by Alex and Louisa, the hero and heroine of SEASON FOR SURRENDER. This is part of the “Sealed with a Kiss” series run by the awesome ladies of Romancing Rakes for the Love of Romance and Ramblings from This Chick. Every day in February, they’ve been running letters by historical romance authors, and today it’s my turn. You can read Alex’s letter here and Louisa’s here.

If you’ve read SFS, you’ll spot a few references to the plot—including the odd way Louisa signs her letter. If you haven’t read SFS, there’s a giveaway going on with each letter. I’m offering two signed copies, one at each site. Go forth and enter!

Psst: I made these conversation hearts at http://www.cryptogram.com/hearts/. Such a fun web page; I’ve been playing with it creating serious work-related images with it all week. If you make a heart over there, share your message! I don’t think the comments will let you post an image (grr), but you can post the text.

If you’ve been following this blog for a while–or if you just like the Archive pull-down at left–you might remember that last year, I took part in a Christmas-story blog event run by Danielle and Rita, the fantastic ladies of Ramblings from This Chick and Not Another Romance Blog. Given the theme “11 Mamas Plotting,” I cooked up a happy ending for Gloria, the widowed sister of Season for Temptation‘s hero. (You can read that short story under the “Extras” tab of this site.)

Well, Rita and Danielle are at it again! This year, the Christmas event has been expanded to include 23 days, dozens of romance authors, stories every day, and (as the French say) beaucoup de giveaways. Check out the full lineup here.

As you might have guessed, there’s a reason I’m mentioning the Historical Christmas Eve event today. As you might also have guessed, that reason is: my story is up today. I was given the topic of “A Wardrobe Malfunction on Christmas Eve,” which was a lot of fun to write. The story, “Of Malfunctions and Mulled Wine,” includes all-new characters, and the first line is:

No member of Lord Winter’s family was excused from playing Sardines on Christmas Eve.

To read all the rest of the lines, stop by Ramblings from This Chick. While you’re there, you can enter to win a signed copy of SEASON FOR SURRENDER. There’s also a grand-prize giveaway going on at this page. I sneaked another signed copy of SFS into that prize box, so you have two chances to win a book from me during Historical Christmas Eve.

Enjoy the stories! And if you have a wardrobe malfunction this Christmas Eve, I hope it turns out as well for you as it does for Tobias and Helen.

Folks, hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving last week. (If you’re from the US, that is. If you’re Canadian, sub in “last month,” and if you’re from another country, just roll around in thoughts of your favorite holiday.) We had some out-of-town visitors, and we ate well, played lots of games, and ate well some more. Lots to be thankful for.

I was in charge of making the pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, which is risky, because:

1. I make a terrible pie crust, and
2. See #1.

Here’s what we wound up with: a glorious pumpkin pie, custardy-creamy and full of sweet spices–and no crust whatsoever. If you’re crust-impaired like me, give this a shot for your next pumpkin pie, because it holds its shape really well on its own.

I don’t know if that cheat clever trick works with any other sort of pie. So for our next round of visitors (this week!), I decided to turn the job over to the pros. Viz:

Me: I’m going to order a few bakery pies for the upcoming week. For a fruit pie, do you want apricot?
Mr. R: That’s ok with me.
Me: Or peach?
Mom R: That’s fine too.
Mr. R: Either one. Any kind of fruit is good.
Mom R: Right.
Me: Ok, how about strawberry or blueberry, then?
Mr. R and Mom R, in unison: No.

Ahem. Fine. Apricot it is.

Now that the uber-important question of pie is settled: we’ve got a couple fabulous events to look forward to this week!

Tonight, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books is hosting the Sizzling Book Club chat about SEASON FOR SURRENDER. It’ll be a text chat in a special window on the SBTB home page; just stop by at 9 ET and you should be able to join in. I’ll join the chat at 10 ET, so if you’ve got any questions for me, fire ‘em my way. (And if you haven’t gotten a copy of the book yet, the Kindle edition is on sale for $1.99. Holy moley.)

Coming up this Friday, November 30: the Romancing the Holidays gala! Victoria Alexander, Vanessa Kelly, Grace Burrowes, and I will be posting all day at The Romance Dish. There will be reader prizes galore–you can check out the list on The Romance Dish–and some donated-book bundles for libraries of women’s shelters. But we need your help to give all this excellent stuff away. Stop by holiday-gala.com by Friday to sign up for your own chance to win, and you can nominate your favorite library or shelter too.

Whew. Lots of fun stuff going on. I wish you the pie of your dreams this week, and I hope to see you at the chat tonight and the gala on Friday!

 

So. I have some things to tell you.

First of all, I’ll be taking part in two blog parties next month! I’m really delighted to be in such great company. Check it out:

1. With fellow historical romance authors Victoria Alexander, Grace Burrowes, and Vanessa Kelly, I’m running the “Romancing the Holidays” event. We’ll be hosted by the awesome ladies of The Romance Dish all day on November 30, and we’ll be offering festive posts and giveaways galore. To be eligible for prizes, stop by holiday-gala.com and sign up before November 30. Bonus? There’s a “giving back” element to this event: you can sign up your favorite library or shelter for a chance at a box of donated books.

2. With eleven other romance authors, I’m joining the “Twelve Days of Romance” feature on Happy Ever After, USA Today’s romance blog. Each weekday from November 5-20, an author will chat about favorite Christmas stories and offer a holiday book giveaway (plus a bonus giveaway!).

Look at the lineup of authors and giveaways planned:

Nov. 5 – Molly O’Keefe (All I Want for Christmas Is You, in the anthology Naughty and Nice, out Nov. 5)
Nov. 6 – Robyn Carr (My Kind of Christmas: A Virgin River Novel, out Oct. 23)
Nov. 7 – Leah Braemel (I Need You for Christmas in the Carina Press Red Hot Holiday Anthology, out Dec. 3)
Nov. 8 – Cari Quinn
Nov. 9 – K A Mitchell (Wish List in the Carina Press Red Hot Holiday Anthology, out Dec. 3)
Nov. 12 – Ruthie Knox (Room at the Inn in the anthology Naughty and Nice, out Nov. 5)
Nov. 13 – Jaci Burton (The Best Thing in the anthology Romancing the Holiday, out Dec. 3)
Nov. 14 –  Anne Calhoun (Breath on Embers in the Carina Press Red Hot Holiday Anthology, out Dec. 3)
Nov. 15 – Theresa Romain (Season for Surrender, out Oct. 2)
Nov. 16 – Samantha Hunter (Hers for the Holidays, out Nov. 13)
Nov. 19 – Stefanie Sloane (One Perfect Christmas in the anthology Naughty and Nice, out Nov. 5)
Nov. 20 – Jill Shalvis (Under the Mistletoe: A Lucky Harbor Novella, out Dec. 3)

I’m not sure how I sneaked into these two events (pleading? eyelash-batting?), but I’m totally honored. Hope you’ll stop by The Romance Dish and Happy Ever After next month to check out all the posts!

Oh—I’ve got a little more news, too. Go look here: http://theresaromain.com/books :D

More info coming soon!

Today I’m delighted to welcome Vanessa Kelly to the blog for a chat. Vanessa’s a fantastic author of historical romance—in fact, Booklist has called her one of the genre’s “new stars.”

Vanessa and I both write for Kensington Zebra, and this year, we both had Christmas releases out on the same day! Her new book is HIS MISTLETOE BRIDE; mine is SEASON FOR SURRENDER.

To celebrate our festive new novels, we met for a Skype chat recently—and wound up talking about the challenges of Regency Christmas research, what inspired our characters, and how the stories changed as we wrote them. Read on for part 1 and for a giveaway of Vanessa’s new book! Then be sure to hop over to Vanessa’s blog for part 2 of the chat and another giveaway.

Thanks for joining me, Vanessa!

Vanessa: How did your series evolve into a Christmas based series?

Theresa: It started by chance, as so many things do in writing! When I was working on my debut, SEASON FOR TEMPTATION, I wanted to tell the story of a relationship that grew and changed over the course of about 6 months—roughly from the end of one London season to the beginning of the next. Christmas fell smack in the middle of that, so when my editor bought the book, she thought the Christmas scenes could be highlighted and it could become a Christmas release. And so it did (in 2011).

When I started writing the next story in the series—my new release, SEASON FOR SURRENDER—I didn’t shape it as a Christmas story; it was simply set during the fall. My editor asked if the autumn house party could become a Christmas party, and you know what? It easily could. It was a story about forgiveness and learning one’s worth, and those topics fit well with the holiday season.

How about you? HIS MISTLETOE BRIDE is your first holiday story, and you’ve mentioned that that happened by chance, too. How was it different from writing your other three historical novels in terms of plot or research?

Vanessa: HIS MISTLETOE BRIDE is the last book in my Stanton Family series and I initially intended it to have a dash of adventure and danger, like my other books. I like an element of risk in my stories—real plot driven stuff. For this book, I’d already latched onto a crazy idea that wouldn’t let go.  I knew from the start that I wanted a Quaker heroine, and from there I took it one step further.  One of my favorite old movies is High Noon, an iconic Western starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly.  Wouldn’t it be cool, I thought, to have a Regency High Noon?  That meant I had to have some bad guys, and those bad guys turned into a band of dangerous smugglers using the hero’s estate for their smuggling runs.  This gang would present all sorts of challenges for the hero and heroine since they would have very different ideas on how to solve the problem.  I initially envisioned an ending—a kidnapping—that would have forced my heroine to make a very stark choice.

Theresa: A Regency High Noon—I love it! That’s apt, because your hero is a soldier (the Regency lawman) and he winds up having to decide between keeping strictly to the rules or bending them for the greater good—which completely goes against his training. And then you gave him a gentle heroine with nerves of steel to match his own.

Vanessa: That’s right.  But then my editor suggested I write a Christmas book instead. *sob* There went my dastardly smugglers and my high stakes plot! But then a friend suggested I turn the idea on its head—keep the smuggling plot as a point of conflict between the hero and heroine, but for a different set of stakes. So my smugglers morphed into poverty-stricken villagers who were forced to turn to a life of crime to support their families. That would naturally gain my heroine’s sympathies and force my hero to rethink his tough-guy way of doing things.  It became a challenge for him—to make a choice between obeying the law or obeying his conscience and compassionate instincts.  That fit in very nicely with the Christmas theme of peace and reconciliation.

As for research, I spent quite a bit of time looking for material on Christmas during the Regency era. I suspect you already know that sources on holiday traditions during that time are rather thin. But once I drilled down I found some really interesting stuff to include in the book. In the end, the Christmas theme turned out to be a whole lot of fun and allowed me to create wonderful scenes—decorating parties, family events, games, and a lot of smooching under the mistletoe!

What about you?  Did you have challenges with your research?

Theresa: Yes, there are far more sources and traditions dealing with Victorian Christmases (thanks, Charles Dickens!) than there are for Regency holidays. Some traditions, like Christmas trees, were just beginning to catch on in society. But others, like kissing under mistletoe, have been around for centuries.

The thing I enjoyed the most was learning how important those post-Christmas days were during the Regency. Nowadays, December 25 is the big shebang, and the days that follow are an afterthought. But in the early 1800s, Christmas was just the beginning of 12 days of festivity, and Twelfth Night was at least as big a celebration as Christmas itself.

What was your favorite research tidbit as you were working on this—either the smuggler plot or the Christmas elements? Or, for that matter, writing your first American heroine, and a Quaker to boot?

Vanessa: Yes, I really enjoyed creating a Quaker heroine and giving her a tough-guy soldier for a hero—that was a fun set up for conflict.  And studying the history and traditions of Quakers during the Regency period was fascinating.  I think we have some fairly rigid and one-dimensional ideas about them.  I wanted to create a well-rounded portrait of a heroine who is committed to her beliefs but is also funny, feisty, and very much in love with her new husband.

As for some favorite research tidbits, I love the fact that a Regency Christmas was truly a celebration of the entire Season, with much of the good stuff happening between Christmas Day and Twelfth Night. Twelfth Night is a pretty cool celebration with very interesting traditions, including the custom of choosing a King and Queen to oversee the party, dancing, and games. And let’s not forget the Twelfth Night cake, a huge, elaborately decorated confection brought out with much fanfare. The cake had a small bean baked into it and the person who got the bean was appointed King (or Lord of Misrule, in some traditions). There are some bizarre period accounts of accidents involving party-goers who inhaled the bean, usually because they had too much to drink! I incorporated that little Regency oddity into the Twelfth Night celebrations in HIS MISTLETOE BRIDE.

Theresa: Overindulging during the Christmas season? Surely not!

Vanessa: Ha! Hard to believe, eh? That sort of action happens in your book, too. Your hero—a lovely example of the reformed rake—has to deal with some guests who are perhaps a tad too interested in bad behavior. Did you find that Xavier had some challenges to overcome in that respect? He’s acquired a reputation as a rake and cynic, but I thought he really yearned for something else—especially during the holiday season.

Theresa: Xavier thinks of himself as “a fake of a rake.” He will do whatever it takes to get and keep society’s attention, because his whole identity is wrapped up in that. But over time, he realizes that putting on a front all the time means he can never relax, and he can never let anyone know what he’s truly interested in. Until, that is, he meets heroine Louisa. She begins the story with a bone to pick with him—he had a hand in a past family scandal—and that means she doesn’t take his charm or promises or flirtation for granted. Since she doesn’t, he soon allows himself to be honest and genuine with her.

Your story is a “marriage of convenience” tale, while I might call mine “enemies to friends to lovers.” Did the matchup of characters come first for you in HMB, or did the plot shape their personalities?

What’s the answer? You can find out in part 2 of our chat on Vanessa’s blog. I’m giving away a signed copy of SEASON FOR SURRENDER over there—open internationally!

Please leave a comment here for a chance to win a copy of Vanessa’s new release, HIS MISTLETOE BRIDE. As if the rave reviews weren’t enough to make you want to read this, I can personally vouch for its sweet, sexy festive awesomeness. This giveaway is open internationally.

To enter, just let us know: what most tempts you to overindulge? Is it a favorite food or drink? An entire season of True Blood on DVD? Anything goes! This giveaway will be open until 5 pm ET on October 11. One random commenter will win HIS MISTLETOE BRIDE.

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Order HIS MISTLETOE BRIDE in print: Amazon  ·  B & N  ·  Book Depository  ·  B-A-M  ·  Chapters  ·  IndieBound

Order HIS MISTLETOE BRIDE in digital format: Kindle  ·  NOOK

Vanessa Kelly writes Regency-set historical romance for Kensington Zebra.  Her latest book, My Favorite Countess, was nominated for an RT Reviewers’ Choice Award, and she was named by Booklist as one of the “new stars of historical romance.”  When not penning stories about aristocratic rakes and feisty misses, she’s writing contemporary romances with her husband, under the pen name of VK Sykes.  You can find her on the web at www.vanessakellyauthor.com or at www.vksykes.com.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vanessakellyauthor • https://www.facebook.com/VKSykesBooks

Twitter: http://twitter.com/VanessaKellyAut • http://twitter.com/VKSykes

My blog tour for SEASON FOR SURRENDER continues this week, as I hop to six different spots around the Internet. Today I’m in two places at once (you don’t know how long I’ve been wishing for that ability!). Here’s the lineup for the week:

September 24: Manga Maniac Cafe–interview
September 24: In the Hammock Book Reviews–SEASON FOR SURRENDER excerpt, part 1
September 25: Book Lovin’ Mamas–SFS excerpt, part 2
September 26: Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell–SFS excerpt, part 3
September 27: Romancing Rakes for the Love of Romance–SFS excerpt, part 4
September 28: Book Whore–SFS excerpt, part 5

My first stop today is over at Manga Maniac Café, where the delightful Julie interviewed me, and I rewarded her kindness with a shameless pun. Sorry, Julie! (Not really. I’m shameless.) A signed copy of my debut, SEASON FOR TEMPTATION, is up for grabs over there.

As for all the excerpt posts this week, here’s where the favoritism comes in. I worked with Lit Connect, a truly lovely author service, to plan that part of the blog tour. When the marketing director suggested we unroll a chapter over the course of the week, I knew exactly the one I wanted to choose, because it’s my favorite of the book.

The excerpts you’ll be able to read this week are taken from Chapter 12, “Containing a Most Seductive Fiction.” This was one of the hardest chapters to write; I must have gone through a half-dozen different takes on the scene before I was even semi-happy with it.

Why so difficult? Because it’s the most pivotal scene in the book. Up to this point in the story, the hero—that scamp, Lord Xavier—has realized that there are problems with his reputation and his life. This is the chapter in which he finally begins to transform and create a deep bond with the heroine, Louisa.

I probably like this chapter so much because of that struggle–and since I like it, I wanted to share it with you this week. Each of the 5 excerpts this week is consecutive, and all together they make up about 2/3 of the chapter (the final 2/3, for the curious).

At each excerpt stop this week, you can enter for a chance to win a signed copy of SEASON FOR SURRENDER. So go forth, and happy reading!

…is the topic of my post today on Ramblings From This Chick. This is the first stop in the SEASON FOR SURRENDER blog tour, and hostess extraordinaire Danielle has set up a beautiful post. I’m excited to start chattering about Louisa and Alex’s story! Stop by Ramblings From This Chick to find out:

1)    What Jane Austen thought of rakes (no, I don’t mean the garden tool), and
2)    What Alex’s friends thought of him (no, it’s not entirely complimentary).

While you’re there, do tell: who’s your favorite rake from a book or movie? You can also enter to win a signed copy of my debut, SEASON FOR TEMPTATION.

I’ll be giving away copies of SEASON FOR SURRENDER later in the tour, so please follow along. (Or you could always just order a copy or seventeen for yourself; I won’t mind.) The full blog tour schedule is on the News page, and starting next week, I’ll be gallivanting to a different spot on the Interwebs nearly every day.

And release day? Why, it’s October 2: two weeks away. Ha molte grazie per chiedere. (In other words: thank you for asking. Yes, there’s a reason for the rogue Italian phrase….you’ll know when you read SEASON FOR SURRENDER!)

Happy Friday, everyone! Today I have a special guest: the marvelous Vanessa Kelly, and her equally marvelous upcoming romance, HIS MISTLETOE BRIDE. It’s an absolutely lovely holiday-set Regency historical romance, full of Vanessa’s trademark awesomeness: a smart heroine, a delicious hero who desperately wants to do the right thing, and a cast of characters that shine with wit.

Today Vanessa’s sharing a new excerpt from HIS MISTLETOE BRIDE, which doesn’t come out until this October. But guess what? This month, you can click over to the Contest page and enter to win a signed advance copy. The winner will have the chance to read HIS MISTLETOE BRIDE more than a month before everyone else.

Ready for that excerpt? Me too. Here we go…

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Phoebe, recently come from America to London to meet her British relatives, is attending her first ball.  Unfortunately, things are not going well.  Earlier in the evening she quarreled with Lucas, and now she finds herself on the receiving end of some very unpleasant attentions from Lord Castle, a terrible rake. She manages to hold him at bay until Lucas arrives on the scene.  But when Lucas announces to the room at large that Phoebe is his fiancé and demands that Castle apologize to her, Phoebe is caught completely off guard.

Phoebe stared at Lucas as the floor seemed to tilt under her feet.  The heat of the room stifled her, but the dazed wooliness in her head resulted from the stunning announcement Lucas had just calmly delivered.

Lord Castle gaped at Lucas.  “Miss Linville is your fiancée?”

His disbelief certainly echoed hers.   She wondered if Lucas was drunk.  There seemed no other explanation for his astonishing behavior, especially after the scene in the library.  Flushed, she raised a hand to her perspiring forehead, feeling dizzy.

Her movement brought Lucas’ head around and their eyes met.  He frowned, his worried gaze sweeping over her, searching for the cause of her distress.  His eyes were clear, and he appeared as sombre and sober as a magistrate.   With another stab of shock, she realized he was serious.  About everything.

He gave her a fleeting smile of reassurance, then directed another challenging stare at the viscount.  That stare was so cold and so eerily calm that a whisper of premonition shivered down her spine.  Phoebe had never witnessed a man in a killing mood, but she imagined he would look much as Lucas did right now.

Lord Castle broke the suffocating tension by jerking his attention to Phoebe and letting out a sardonic laugh.  “Well, this is wonderful, to be sure.” He bowed to her, clearly intending mockery rather than respect.  “My dear Miss Linville, allow me to offer you my congratulations.  Your engagement will surely be the talk of the town, and I mean that in the best possible way.”

Lucas narrowed his eyes to frozen gray slits, while Phoebe almost groaned.  Shaking off her paralysis, she grabbed his sleeve.  “We must go.  We are attracting attention.”

A quick glance around her confirmed it.  Several men and women had paused to watch, evidently anticipating an amusing scene, or even a brawl.

Lucas gently removed her hand.  “I’m still waiting for Lord Castle to apologize to you.”

Phoebe wanted to shake him.  “I do not need an apology.  The wrong Lord Castle has committed is against himself.”

Lucas glanced down at her.  As he studied her face, his eyes flared with an admiring heat that made her heart thump and the blood rush to her cheeks.  His mouth kicked up in a different sort of smile, one that seemed to curl around her with a lick of fire.

Lord, her wits had gone begging if he could affect her so greatly in such embarrassing circumstances.

“You may not need an apology, love,” he said, “but I do on your behalf.  And we’re not leaving until I get it.”

Perhaps she was losing not just her mind, but also her hearing.  Lucas could not be making a declaration in the middle of a ballroom filled with strangers.  It was simply too outrageous a notion to contemplate.

Lord Castle barked out an ugly laugh.  “Really, Merritt, you and your fiancé are more amusing than the acrobats at Astley’s.  Perhaps you should consider joining the circus.”

Something snapped in Phoebe’s head.  She stepped in front of Lucas and glared up at the viscount.  “You, sir, are a poltroon, a braggart, and a…a loose fish,” she stormed.

Lucas, Lord Castle, and Mr. Dash froze in unison.  Uncle Arthur often used those same words to great effect, and Phoebe had every intention of adding them to her vocabulary from now on.  “You have bothered us long enough, Lord Castle.  I insist you take yourself off before I really have something to say about it.”

She seized Lucas again, trying to drag him away, but he refused to budge.

“Phoebe,” he said, the warning clear.

Her frustration spiralled, exploding through her body.  Some great force outside her control took hold, and she jabbed Lucas in the arm as hard as she could.

*          *          *

Vanessa, thanks so much for sharing your excerpt! Friends, aren’t Phoebe and Lucas a great pair? I enjoyed this book so much, and I’m so glad one of you will get to read it early. For ultimate handiness, here’s that link one more time: you can enter to win an advance copy of HIS MISTLETOE BRIDE on the Contest page. And here on the blog, do tell: what’s your favorite thing about a party? Or about the holiday season? (If we talk about winter, maybe it’ll seem less hot outside. Maybe?) 

But wait, there’s more!

Since Vanessa and I both have books out on the same date (October 2), we thought it would be fun to visit each other on the same day. So today on Vanessa’s blog, I’ve shared an all-new excerpt from SEASON FOR SURRENDER. There’s a giveaway over there, too, for a signed advance copy of SFS. Please join us!

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Pre-order HIS MISTLETOE BRIDE:  Amazon • Kindle • Barnes & Noble • Nook • IndieBound

Vanessa Kelly writes Regency-set historical romance for Kensington Zebra.  Her latest book, My Favorite Countess, was nominated for an RT Reviewers’ Choice Award, and she was named by Booklist as one of the “new stars of historical romance.”  When not penning stories about aristocratic rakes and feisty misses, she’s writing contemporary romances with her husband, under the pen name of VK Sykes.  You can find her on the web at www.vanessakellyauthor.com or at www.vksykes.com.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vanessakellyauthor • https://www.facebook.com/VKSykesBooks

Twitter: http://twitter.com/VanessaKellyAut • http://twitter.com/VKSykes