June Update: New Books and Old

By in Life, My Books, News, Romance of the Turf, The Sport of Baronets, The writing life, Website

Happy June! This month has been…a lot. But in a good way. 🙂

The biggest news is that How to Ruin a Duke is now available! This duo of new Regency novellas from Grace Burrowes and me released on June 11. This is the second time Grace and I have worked together, and I loved it just as much as our first collaboration (the now-retired The Duke’s Bridle Path, which included my novella Desperately Seeking Scandal). My novella features a luthier heroine–she builds and repairs stringed instruments–and a hero who does a little bit of everything, especially avoid his past. Grace’s story includes a duty-bound duke who becomes the subject of scandal–and the lady who just might be behind his undoing.

In other news, I’ve got the rights back to The Sport of Baronets. That novella is the first story in the Romance of the Turf series, which includes HEAs for the talented but troubled Chandler family at the heart of the Regency horse-racing world. The Sport of Baronets is Hannah and Bart’s story, an enemies to lovers tale with a bit of inspiration from the Sherlock Holmes story “Silver Blaze.”

Having the rights back means this: at first, the book was released through a publisher (in this case, Sourcebooks). Since it’s been out for several years, they’ve agreed to return the right to publish the book, so now I can release it on my own. The Sport of Baronets will be unavailable for a while as Sourcebooks removes the current edition from sale and I work on a new one. Look for a rerelease of The Sport of Baronets in September–just in time to get you ready for the final Romance of the Turf story, His Wayward Bride, in October.

Yep, this is finally an update on His Wayward Bride! Jonah and Irene’s story has been a long time coming, as you’ve seen hints in the earlier Romance of the Turf stories about Jonah’s mysterious missing bride. Where has Irene been throughout the Romance of the Turf series? At last, you’ll find out–and there’s a big connection to Mrs. Brodie’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies.

As always, this book will be able to stand on its own for readers who are new to the series. But if you’ve read the earlier Romance of the Turf books, you’ll notice that all the ongoing plot threads are tied up. I’m planning on either October 15 or 22 as a release date for His Wayward Bride. If you’re subscribed to my newsletter, you’ll be notified when the release date is set and the book is available.

Outside of the book world, Little Miss R turned 11 this month (!!). That’s not particularly little anymore, but I’ve become used to calling her that online, and Medium Miss R doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. She’s home with me a lot this summer, which has delayed the deadline for His Wayward Bride but has been a delight. She still likes me and wants to be with me, which I’m not taking for granted as we move through the tweens!

To spend as much time as possible with my girl this summer, I’ve stepped back from regular posting on my Facebook page. I’m still active in my readers’ group on Facebook, and I’d love to welcome you to be a member there for weekly giveaways and new posts nearly every weekday. I’m also popping up on Twitter sometimes, but in August, I’ll take a complete online hiatus.

That’s all the news for now! How’s your summer going–or winter, if you’re in the southern hemisphere?

May Update: Summer, New Releases, and That One Print Edition

By in Author interviews, Delightful me, Guest post, Life, My Books, My delightful family, News, The writing life

It’s summer! At least, it is according to the school calendar here. Little Miss R has finished elementary school (!!) and begun her summer break, so I’m in a scramble of day camps and playdates as I work toward my next deadline. (It’s for His Wayward Bride, and I should be able to share more info soon.)

This month marked the release of A Novella Collection, which pulls together four stand-alone novellas at a discounted ebook price. I’ve just reviewed and approved the final proof for the print edition, so I’d expect that to go live early next week. The print edition is going to be a lovely trade paperback–I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy.

I’ve also just received the ebook edition of How to Ruin a Duke, beautifully formatted by writing partner Grace Burrowes. For this title, the print edition will go up first–maybe even early next week! Then the ebook will come out on the official release day, which is June 11.

For self-published works–which this is–it’s not possible to put up a print edition for pre-order. It’s available for purchase as soon as the link goes live. So that’s why I don’t have a print link for you yet, but as soon as I do, you’ll be able to order the print edition.

Yesterday I recorded a podcast with author Julia Kelly and her sister Justine, the co-hosts of You’re Never Going to Read This. Every episode is warm, fun, and a little cheeky. I heartily encourage you to get caught up! My episode with the sisters will air sometime in June, perhaps around the middle of the month. We talked about everything from my new releases to the book club I’ve accidentally founded within my family, and there are LOTS of book recommendations.

And finally, my Facebook readers’ group enjoyed a book club discussion of Lisa Kleypas’s Devil’s Daughter earlier this month. The book club is a quarterly affair, but I’ll be offline in August (see above re: summer and the child care struggle). So the group voted to wait on the next book club until November rather than cramming in another discussion ASAP. Apart from our formal quarterly book club, we share weekly what-are-you-reading recommendation posts, and I post giveaways and sneak peeks at what I’m working on. If you haven’t yet joined the group, I’d love to see you there!

April Update: Surgery, Yet More Travel, and Book News

By in Delightful me, Life, My Books, My delightful family, News, Novella, Romance of the Turf

Look at me, squeaking in the April update under the wire! It’s still April for a whopping 13-ish hours, as of this posting, and the reason I’m posting so late in the month is because of what a crowded month it was.

I began the month with a long-needed outpatient surgery; nothing major, but it kicked my energy to the curb for a while as I recovered. I’m still not back to 100%, but I have the hope of being more than 100% (at least, what my 100% has been for a while) in the long term. We shall see.

Last week, my mom and I drove to Louisiana—about 800 miles—to visit my grandmother and other relatives in the area. We’d been planning to wait until the end of the school year, which is another month away, but one of my aunts had cancer surgery in mid-April and we thought she might need a hand. I did help her with an organization project (and play with her adorable parrots), but she’s actually doing really well! What good news.

And my grandmother, at age 92, has bounced back from a number of health issues and is currently doing well too. She’s sharp enough to complete destroy my mom and me at progressive rummy—which is pretty much a family tradition, because she has ALWAYS completely destroyed EVERYONE at progressive rummy. “Just lucky,” she excuses. Hmm. Funny how the same person is always lucky. 😉

I brought a virus home with me and am currently sore-throated and scratchy-voiced. But! My typing fingers are doing fine, and I have lots of fun book news to share.

First of all, four of my backlist novellas are being bundled into a box set—so if you’d like to collect them all, you can get them much more cheaply than buying each one individually. This bundle is creatively called A Novella Collection, and the cover is quite lovely, don’t you think?

Soon after that, How to Ruin a Duke will be published! This novella duo by Grace Burrowes and me tells two linked stories about a scandalous novel and its impact on a couple in trade (that’s my story—the heroine builds stringed instruments) and the unfortunate ducal subject of the novel (that’s Grace’s story—which I absolutely love, and I think you all will too).

And finally, Shana Galen and I are running the first-ever sale on our duo, Mrs. Brodie’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies. For just one more day, you can get the ebook for 99 cents, down from its regular price of $3.99.

Our Mrs. Brodie stories can stand on their own, but we also had fun connecting them to other books. My novella, “The Way to a Gentleman’s Heart,” features a cook heroine and a second chance with her first love, and it introduces some characters who will play a big part in His Wayward Bride–the last Romance of the Turf book, out this fall.

And…that’s it for April. Whew! What has this month been like for you?

March Update: Planes and Automobiles, but No Trains

By in Life, My Books, News, Research, The romance genre, The writing life

Dear readers, I feel as if I’ve spent half the month of March on an airplane! This has been a month of much travel for me, with two trips to North Carolina. In between, Little Miss R had spring break, so there hasn’t been much of what I’d call a “normal” schedule this month. Now that things are a bit calmer, I can happily report that it’s all been lovely. Here’s what’s up.

The first trip to NC was purely for family, while the second was to present at Duke University as part of the UNSUITABLE lecture series. Check out the official-looking poster for the event! Using my novella “The Prodigal Duke” as a sort of case study, I spoke with a fabulous, engaged audience about historical research methods–especially Vauxhall Gardens and tightrope walking. The tightrope-walking heroine of The Prodigal Duke was inspired by a real-life wire-walker named Madame Saqui, and we all had a great time looking at historic images and talking about the balance between history and fiction.

What else happened this month? Why, something new has popped up for pre-order: my June novella duet with Grace Burrowes, called How to Ruin a Duke. Grace and I worked together for the now-retired novella duo The Duke’s Bridle Path in 2017 (Desperately Seeking Scandal was my novella in that duo), and I’m so glad we could write together on another project. With all my travel, I’m not quite done with my novella yet, but Rowena and Simon’s story is coming together nicely. I hope you’ll all enjoy meeting them in June, along with Grace’s couple!

Also coming soon: a boxed set reissue of some of my older novellas. Reissuing a collection will allow me to create a print edition for those of you who prefer that format, and the collection will represent a discount over buying each novella separately. This box set will be posted soon on my site and my social media accounts, so check in on Facebook and Twitter and you’ll get the latest scoop. You can also subscribe to my newsletter for big news like new releases.

Thanks for reading–and if you’re traveling this month, may you be safe and well!

February Update: Books and Travel

By in Delightful me, Life, My Books, Roguish Runners, Royal Reward, The writing life, WIN

Well, it’s official: winter has arrived. The calendar said it was here in December, but only in February have we had the kind of chilling, biting cold that calls for hot chocolate and school cancellations. Little Miss R recently had a day off school due to wind-chill temperatures. (My sister’s family lives further north and has had SIX off this year. As in, 2019.)

Working from home as I do erodes the boundaries between “at work” and “away from work,” so when Little Miss R has an unpexpected day off, I feel pressure to get just as much done as ever. But she wants to play! She’s far too extroverted to settle with a stack of books all day. We compromised on some playtime, then some worktime for me while she snitched a device and FaceTimed with her friends (the modern equivalent of stretching the phone cord from the kitchen down the hallway, as I did so many times).

Speaking of work…one change since last month’s update is that I’ve regretfully bowed out of one of the planned novella projects for this year. I hated to do it, because I knew I’d love working with the other authors. I felt like I was letting them down, and myself too.

But I’m trying to be more realistic about what I can do, given the limitations of my energy. I need to think about what I can get done, not what I want to get done or what I think I should get done. It’s an ongoing process of reality checks and realizations. Perhaps I’ll get there one day.

Anyway, you’ll still be getting a new story from me in June and again later on in the fall—maybe October. And before then, of course, is the release of Lady Notorious on 2-26. I’ll be around the Internet in a few places to share excerpts and giveaways, including Limecello’s blog, The Drawing Room Facebook group, and Vanessa Kelly’s Clan Kendrick Facebook group. If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, I’ll always post the latest hops and stops there.

Looking ahead to March, I’ll be going twice to North Carolina. The first trip is purely to be with family, to attend my littlest niece’s baptism. The second time I go, I’ll be presenting for Duke as part of the “Unsuitable” series examining the role of women in popular culture and fiction. I believe these events are open to the public, so if you happen to be in the Raleigh-Durham area on March 22, I’d love to see you! More info here: https://sites.duke.edu/unsuitable/events/

And now, I have a giveaway to offer. As I looked through my stash of author copies, I realized I have one print advance copy of Lady Notorious without a home. I’d love to get it into a reader’s hands before publication day on the 26th!

If you’d like that reader to be you, just leave a comment on this post. In accordance with the site privacy policy, please note that your email address will be stored, but it will never be shared, and the only reason it will ever be used is for me to contact you if you win. 🙂 I’ll choose the winner at random from among all comments left by Monday, February 18, at noon ET and will leave a comment myself to name the winner. International entries are most welcome. What other fine print should I add? Void where prohibited, must be 18 or over, must love books…all right, I’ll leave it in your hands now.

Thanks for reading, gang. There would be no books without you, so you’re all my Valentines.

January Update: New Year, New News

By in Delightful me, Life, My Books, News, Royal Reward, The writing life, Website

Or maybe it makes more sense to say “New year, new approach”? I hadn’t realized how much time had slipped by since I updated my blog, but it’s been six months, which is not too good. Especially since I released a book during those six months. My deepest apologies to Mrs. Brodie’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies.

What happened over the last six months? Well, I’ve been triaging. I have chronic health issues that limit my time and energy. Unfortunately, over the last year, the problems have gotten more severe. If I only have the ability to update one site, I’ve chosen to post news on Facebook (I now have a readers’ group as well as an author page) rather than here on the blog. It’s easier to interact with readers on Facebook. Talking with readers, to put it in Marie Kondo terms, sparks a lot of joy for me.

But I do want my website to be the ultimate source for news on my books, which means I need to do more with it. Which also means I have to be smarter about how I work, since I’m unable to work more.

I’m trying out some methods to help me be more mindful of how I spend time. Tracking my reading. Chunking projects rather than working for tiny pieces of time. Getting help with graphics. Creating more detailed plans for my works-in-progress.

In a lot of ways, I suspect the year itself will be a work in progress.

Regardless, I’ll keep you all posted, and in several different ways:

  • For of-the-moment news like sales, follow me on social media. I’m mainly on Facebook and Twitter, though I do hop over to Pinterest to make boards for each of my books. And if you follow me on BookBub, you’ll get alerted to sales and new releases, as well as recommendations of books I’ve loved.
  • For big news like new releases or a whole flock of sales all at once, be sure you’re subscribed to my newsletter. Subscribers get exclusive excerpts, trivia, and giveaways. Just sayin’. 🙂
  • And here on my blog, I’ll post about bigger picture stuff. What’s in the works, whether any plans are changing, all that good stuff. I don’t want to overcommit, so let’s say once a month. How’s that?

Ta da! That’s the goal and a plan. And here’s the big picture news as of today.

My final Royal Rewards novel–Lady Notorious—is coming out next month, on February 26. This is the love story of Cass and George, both of whom appeared in the previous book in the series, Lady Rogue. I’m very happy with how their story turned out; they strike sparks on the page as they solve a murder mystery and fall in love.

But since I’m being frank, I’ll admit: I’ve never had a harder time writing a book. I didn’t feel well the whole time I worked on it, and I had to ask my saintly editor for an extension on the deadline. (She really is a saint, and I love her, and I hope her fondness for Lady Notorious means readers will love it too.)

It’s become clear to me that I can’t keep working at the pace I was attempting, but I’m not sure what that will mean going forward. For 2019, you might not notice any difference at all! I have two novella projects lined up for this year–a duo with the wonderful Grace Burrowes in June and an anthology in October with some of my other dear writer friends. In late spring, I might be putting out a box set of previously published novellas, to give you all a chance to grab these stories at a discount.

Another project, His Wayward Bride, is taking a while as I began a major rewrite at the end of last year. The new direction is working well, but I don’t want to promise a specific release date yet. It’ll be this year, I’m 99% sure…but saying 100% seems like tempting fate!

So, that’s what’s up with me. How are things with you?

A New Look for Lady Notorious

By in My Books

Recognize this lady in blue? It’s the cover art for Lady Notorious, my February 2019 book. But when I was on the way to the Romance Writers of America conference last week, my editor let me know the cover art was going to change! It seems the blue cover was too similar to the cover for the previous book in the series, Lady Rogue.

On the final cover, Cass, the unofficial Bow Street Runner who’s the heroine of Lady Notorious, will appear in bright orange. What do you think of the new cover art?

The new look is starting to pop up on retail sites. I still need to update my website! Since the change was made late in the publication process, I have coverflats and magnets with the blue-gown version of the art. Those will be turning up in prize packages over the next few months, and maybe we can call them “limited collector’s editions.”

Desperately Seeking Scandal is Available Again!

By in My Books

Hey everyone! I’m happy to announce that the novella Desperately Seeking Scandal is available again! This first appeared in the collection The Duke’s Bridle Path, which Grace Burrowes and I wrote last year but which has since been retired. For a while, you haven’t been able to get Ada and Colin’s story, but now it’s at all your favorite ebook retailers.


This was a fun one to write, with a fake relationship, an advice column, and a touch of enemies-to-lovers seductiveness. I hope you’ll enjoy reading it! Of course, if you’ve read The Duke’s Bridle Path, you’ve already got this story, but I won’t protest if you want to get it again for the reissue’s gorgeous cover art.


Coming soon for you, I’ve got a brand-new story! Shana Galen and I are cooking up a Regency duo called Mrs. Brodie’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies. It will be coming your way this September and though it isn’t yet up for pre-order, we’ve got lovely cover art to share.





Shana’s story links into her Survivors series, and mine connects to my Romance of the Turf series. We’re excited to tell you more soon!


But wait, is there more cover art to share? Why, yes. Yes, there is. My most recent release, Lady Rogue, continues the Royal Rewards series, and I recently completed revisions on its follow-up. Lady Notorious, out at the end of next February, tells the story of unofficial Bow Street Runner Cass Benton and blithe ducal heir George, Lord Northbrook.


The book features early photographic experiments, a tontine, dog training, secret identities, and a secondary romance I truly loved writing. You can find lots of pre-order links here. And check out the cover art, which does a great job capturing the book’s mystery and Cass’s sense of mischief.





Isn’t that lovely? I got the first look at the cover art while I was still writing the book, and I was able to put that scene–including the gorgeous blue gown–into the story.


To keep up with all the book news, you can check out my newsletter or find me on BookBub. Give me a follow and you’ll be notified of new releases and ebook sales! I’d also like to welcome you to my readers’ group on Facebook, where I offer weekly giveaways and love to chat about what’s new in my books and in historical romance.

Lady Rogue Cover Art and Page

By in My Books, Roguish Runners, Royal Reward

I haven’t been online much for a few weeks, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been working! My next novel for Kensington Publishing Corp., Lady Rogue, is now through revisions–which means we’re on track for publication on April 24, 2018. Check out the lovely cover art:

I’m excited for you all to meet Isabel, a widow discovering her sense of adventure as she rebuilds her life. She finds her match in Callum Jenks, the blunt Bow Street Runner we first met in Passion Favors the Bold.

Lady Rogue straddles two series, or at least that’s the way I’m thinking about it right now. (The marketing of the book is still TBD.) While it ties up some final plot threads from the Royal Rewards series, it also introduces a new cast of characters I’m calling the Roguish Runners. Their stories will continue in a second book, probably out in 2019. It’s wild to be looking so far ahead, isn’t it? But since the second book isn’t written yet, I’m glad for the time!

Before Lady Rogue, I’ll have other releases. First among them is The Duke’s Bridle Path, a novella duo with Grace Burrowes. I adore her writing and am so glad to be working with her on this project. I’ll post an excerpt from my novella, “Desperately Seeking Scandal,” as soon as I can wiggle a little more time away from Little Miss R. Her summer childcare ended at the beginning of August, and school doesn’t start for more than a week yet, so there’s lots of mommy-daughter quality time going on. Great for the heart; not so fabulous for the website updates. 🙂

Release day for Scandalous Ever After!

By in My Books, Romance of the Turf, Scandalous Ever After

For those of us in the USA, it’s a holiday–and for everyone, it’s a day for new books. At last, my new historical romance Scandalous Ever After is available! Kate and Evan’s love story is a sexy friends-to-lovers tale set in the horse-racing worlds of Newmarket and Ireland.

Evan might just be one of my favorite heroes that I’ve written. He has what we’d today call depression–as well as rock-solid loyalty and a wicked sense of humor. And Kate? Oh, she can more than keep up with him! I’m delighted that Scandalous Ever After received a STARRED review from Booklist, which said it is “de rigueur for Regency romance fans.” Mischief managed.

Read more reviews and Chapter 1 on my website here.

In connection with the release of Scandalous Ever After, I’ll be touring some of my favorite bookish sites. Here’s a list of spots where I’ll have a post or interview, with links to be added as posts go live:

July 4: BookPage
USA Today HEA

July 6: Sourcebooks Casablanca
EverAfter Romance

July 7: Lenora Bell’s blog

July 13: Limecello

July 14: Fresh Fiction

July 26: Harlequin Junkie

See you around the Internet!

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