Perfect Present Winner!

Thanks to everyone for a great day of blogging yesterday. The winner of their choice from my backlist is:

ELI!!

Congratulations, Eli! Please email me on anna @ annacampbell.info (no spaces) with your choice from my backlist (if you prefer something in Turkish, I have MY RECKLESS SURRENDER, UNTOUCHED and CAPTIVE OF SIN in translation) and your snail mail details.

The Perfect Present!

by Anna Campbell

I LOVE getting presents!

Yeah, I guess that makes me really unusual.

But I also love buying people presents. I love matching up the perfect gift with the right person.

Recently I was in Brisbane, which counts as the big smoke for me now I've moved to the Sunshine Coast, and I had a stack of birthday presents to buy. I was happy as a pig in mud. And even if I do say so myself, I think I picked up some beautiful, completely apt gifts for my friends.

Friends, even if you don't agree, don't tell me!

As many of you know, this year also marked a significant birthday for me (oh, thirty is such a lovely age, snork!). I collected a swag of lovely presents including some beautiful bouquets. Actually for me, flowers are a perfect present. I always love them.

One of my absolute favorites is the subject of today's blog. Recently I had wonderful Bandita Anna Sugden and her delightful husband to stay at my place in Australia. I've had a Bandita drought this year because I didn't make it to America for RWA Nationals so it was such a thrill to host our English Bandita and feed her to the koalas at Australia Zoo (Steve Irwin's place) which isn't far away.

By the way, no koalas were harmed in the devouring of my English visitors!


Actually, given koalas are herbivores, no English visitors were harmed either. I only put that in for a bit of dramatic tension. And speaking of dramatic tension, how shocking is this picture of Anna and me fighting off a vicious, blood-sucking kangaroo in the jungles of south-east Queensland? Scary, huh? I bet you have nightmares tonight!

Anna and Keith arrived bearing gifts, including one of the loveliest presents I've ever received. It's a commemorative teacup from Queen Victoria's 60th jubilee in 1897 - hey, how cool they did royal souvenirs back then! For a history geek like me, they couldn't have come up with anything nicer!

The teacup is really pretty - transfer printed with the British coat of arms of the lion and the unicorn and lovely roses, thistles and clover to symbolize England, Scotland and Ireland as the United Kingdom. Isn't it lovely?

Something that blows my mind is that this fragile piece of china is 114 years old and it's in perfect condition. I suspect it's been sitting in someone's granny's china cabinet as a treasured object since it was made.

Right now it lives in my bedroom and it never fails to make me smile. Think of how the world has changed since 1897 and yet this little piece of beauty is as fresh as the day it was made. That's one of the reasons I love old things - they give you such a window on the past.

Thank you, Anna Bandita and her lovely husband. You couldn't have come up with a better present! I hope you realized when you gave it to me quite how much I adored the cup and saucer.

So when was the last time someone gave you the perfect present? Or you gave someone else the perfect present?

Seeing we're in a gift-giving mood, I'm awarding one lucky commenter their choice from my backlist today. If you need help choosing a book, check out the books page on my website: http://annacampbell.info/books.html Good luck!

*********************

Don't forget we're kicking off Trick or Treat in the Lair with a BIG announcement on October 14, with a special treat to follow on Halloween. The Golden Rooster is poking into the corners to find out what's going on. He even asked Ermingarde the Dragon what was coming(from a safe distance, of course). But Ermingarde doesn't know, either.

Best-Laid Schemes Winners

Thank you so much to everyone who kept the blog going on Saturday when I was off having a wonderful time at the Brisbane Writers Festival!

Just to let you know I've swung by and answered all the comments - what fun to hear about all your best-laid schemes going oft agley!

The two winners of their choice of my backlist are:

MARYBELLE

SONALI

Congratulations, girls! Please email me on anna @ annacampbell.info (no spaces) and let me know which book you'd like. If you need help to choose, please check out my books page: http://annacampbell.info/books.html

Best Laid Schemes...

by Anna Campbell

Welcome to the launch of...

What's that you say?

NO LAUNCH????

Guys, so very, very sorry but we were meant to have one of the infamous lair launches today (in fact people have started calling the Banditas the ladies who launch).

We had the cabana boys on standby. Extra margaritas. Deck chairs lined up with Sven on duty for massages. We'll just have to have a party anyway!

Sadly, publication of THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF GHOST ROMANCE which I was so looking forward to introducing today has been delayed until late next year. You'll all have to wait to meet Calista and Miles and Isabella and Josiah. Goodness me, they'll have to wait for their happy endings too which is MUCH harder on them, I'm sure!

I was all geared up to tell the world about "The Chinese Bed", my story in the anthology, including a contest on my website (thank you to the people who have entered - you're already automatically entered in the replacement contest where I'm giving five people their choice from my backlist).

Do you know where the quote "the best-laid schemes" comes from? It's a poem by Robbie Burns called To a Mouse, on Turning Her up in her Nest with a Plough:

But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane,
In proving foresight may be vain;
The best-laid schemes o' mice an 'men
Gang aft agley,
An 'lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!

Hmm, not sure if the cabana boys count as mice or men - Paolo looks scared most of the time. And after a few margaritas, I'll feel neither grief nor pain!

Hic!

Actually I think the mouse in the poem has come along to offer her condolences. Either that or Ermingarde hasn't been undertaking her rat-catching duties the way she's supposed to. Sheesh, you can't get good help these days!

I had originally planned on doing a giveaway of the anthology here today (another best-laid scheme that went agley). But hey, why should you suffer? Two commenters today will win their choice from my backlist (which explains the covers illustrating the blog). If you're not sure which book you'd like, please check out my books page on my website: http://annacampbell.info/books.html

Just tell me about a best-laid scheme of yours that went astray and you'll go in the draw.

Speaking of best-laid schemes, I'm away at the Brisbane Writers Festival this weekend so I may only be around sporadically (no, not because I'm drowning my sorrows in a barrel of margaritas or a barrel of cabana boys - you guys have SUCH naughty imaginations!). But I WILL get back, promise!

Now, where did that mouse get to?

Romancing Ashley March!

by Anna Campbell

I've got a treat for you all today, including two wonderful prizes for you and a friend at the end.

Ashley March is one of a bunch of wonderful new historical romance writers who have hit us over the last few years. Booklist singled Ashley out as a rising star of historical romance and praised her 2010 debut SEDUCING THE DUCHESS:

"With its addictive combination of richly nuanced characters, elegant writing spiced with a soupçon of wicked wit, and abundance of sizzling sexual chemistry, March's exceptional debut is literary gold."
Ashley's second book ROMANCING THE COUNTESS came out 6th September and is already garnering widespread praise.

Here's the blurb for ROMANCING THE COUNTESS:

Sebastian Madinger, the Earl of Wriothesly, thought he'd married the perfect woman-until a fatal accident revealed her betrayal with his best friend. After their deaths, Sebastian is determined to avoid a scandal for the sake of his son. But his best friend's widow is just as determined to cast her mourning veil aside by hosting a party that will surely destroy both their reputations and expose all of his carefully kept secrets... Leah George has carried the painful knowledge of her husband's affair for almost a year. All she wants now is to enjoy her independence and make a new life for herself-even if that means being ostracized by the Society whose rules she was raised to obey. Now that the rumors are flying, there's only one thing left for Sebastian to do: silence the scandal by enticing the improper widow into becoming a proper wife. But when it comes to matters of the heart, neither Sebastian nor Leah is prepared for the passion they discover in each other's arms....
You can find out more about Ashley and her books and read excerpts on her website: www.ashleymarch.com

Ashley, congratulations on the release of your second historical romance ROMANCING THE COUNTESS. Can you tell us about this story?

Thank you, Anna, and thank you so much for hosting me today here at The Romance Bandits! You guys always know how to have fun. ;) ROMANCING THE COUNTESS is about an earl and his best friend’s wife who are drawn together after their spouses—who were having an affair—die in a carriage accident. The heroine Leah, who knew of the affair and kept it secret for a year, is ready to move on with her life. However, Sebastian, the Earl of Wriothesly, is shocked to discover the betrayal of both the wife he loved dearly and the best friend he considered closer than his own brother. Yet when Leah begins to engage in reckless behaviour, Sebastian has to get past his grief and anger to keep her from revealing the affair to all of Society in order to protect his son.
Goodness me, you’ve been busy! We have two novellas to talk about as well as ROMANCING THE COUNTESS. Firstly, can you please tell us about ROMANCING LADY CECILY and how it relates to your other historical romances?

I’m hoping to become busier. ;) ROMANCING LADY CECILY actually serves as a sort of prequel to ROMANCING THE COUNTESS. In RtC, the hero’s dead wife’s name is Angela. ROMANCING LADY CECILY is the story of Angela’s best friend, Lady Cecily. RLC is an e-short of about 15,000 words and has its own HEA with Lady Cecily and her hero.

Sounds great. I also notice you have a contemporary novella coming out in November in an anthology with Bernadette Marie and Tiffany James. Can you please tell us about this story and also how it felt to leave the Victorian era and dabble in the 21st century?

Oh, thanks so much for asking! This will be my first contemporary work, so I’m very excited to see how readers respond to this different style and voice. Each of the novellas in the SWEET TALK ME anthology feature a heroine that works in an occupation related to food—and actually, they work specifically with desserts, hence the title. My novella in the anthology, titled ‘Forbidden Desserts’, is about a former ballerina turned pastry chef and the engaged owner of the restaurant who doesn’t want to face his attraction to her.

I had a lot of fun writing this contemporary novella. I tend to write emotional and sometimes angsty historical romances, so the lighter contemporary allowed me to experiment with a different type of voice. Depending on the success of the anthology and the feedback I receive, I have plans to write a series of full-length contemporaries in addition to my historicals soon. *crosses fingers*

What’s next for Ashley March?

This week (on September 6th) I just started a fun new reader-interactive experiment where readers get to help me write a novella on my website at www.ashleymarch.com! Over the next 10 weeks, readers will vote on how the chapter for the next week develops, and will get to read the chapter based upon their vote after I write it. At the end of the experiment (which hopefully readers will find as much fun as I believe it will be!), I plan to edit the novella and self-publish it. The idea behind this is a preface to a new project of mine I plan to start in 2012 called Romance with Heart, which I’m calling right now a reader-interactive romance charity adventure.

Ooh, sounds intriguing. Can you tell us about your writing journey?

Oh, boy. I’ll give you the short (or somewhat short) version. After finishing my first romance in 2006 and realizing it was truly horrific, I gave up the idea of writing and resigned myself to working a 9-to-5 for the rest of my life. Then in 2008, after reading a wonderful romance written by someone else I was inspired to try again. I finished my second manuscript that year, then completed my third manuscript, which later became SEDUCING THE DUCHESS, my debut, in 2009. I sold SD in a three-book contract to NAL Penguin in December 2009 and SD was published as my first book in October 2010. I have been very, very fortunate.

I know you have two young children. How do you fit your writing around your family commitments? Any hints for time management?

I used to work full-time, but fortunately I’m now able to be a SAHM, which has always been a dream of mine. Funnily enough, I find I have less time to write now than when I was working (as I could write during my lunch break, etc.) Right now I mostly write in the evenings after the girls have gone to bed—usually from 7 or 8—and stay up to somewhere between 12am or 2. If I didn’t love what I do so much, not just the writing but also interacting with readers, I honestly don’t think I’d be able to do this day in and day out. I love sleep. Unfortunately, I don’t have any hints for time management. I’m trying to figure out a way to inject enough caffeine into my veins directly so I NEVER have to sleep. ;)

Ashley, do you have anything to ask the Banditas and Bandita Buddies?

As you can see, I obviously need help with time management, especially with two young children in the house (mine are currently 27mo and 10mo). What tips would you give for either making the most of your free time or, if you’re already as bad at it as I am, figuring out how to stay awake longer?

One random commenter will be chosen to win a copy of my newest book, ROMANCING THE COUNTESS, and will get a chance to send a copy of my debut, SEDUCING THE DUCHESS, to a friend (open internationally, of course)! Also, find out how to win the ROMANCING THE COUNTESS Book Tour Grand Prize of 50+ romance novels by visiting www.ashleymarch.com!

Oh, I love this phone a friend contest. How cool is this? Spreading the good oil is always, uh...GOOD. (Hmm, maybe I should become a writer. I clearly have a gift for description.) Get commenting, people, and good luck!

Shadow Kin Prize!

by Anna Campbell

Thanks to everyone for a great day in the lair yesterday. M.J. had a wonderful time and hopes to come back to see us for her next release. Don't you love debut authors (and not just coz they're crunchy!)?

The winner of the copy of SHADOW KIN is:

LINDA!

Congratulations, Linda! Please email M.J. on mel @ mjscott.net (no spaces) with your snail mail details and she'll get your book off to you. Happy reading!

Better Late Than Never Booty!

Well, I got there eventually! Thank you to all my Bandita sisters who held the fort for me for last Wednesday's blog and thank you to everyone who swung by to leave a comment!

I'm delighted to announce that the person who won their choice from my backlist so they can check out just how awful the fathers in my books are is:

JANET!

Congratulations, Janet! Please email me on anna @ annacampbell.info (no spaces) with your choice from CLAIMING THE COURTESAN, UNTOUCHED, TEMPT THE DEVIL, CAPTIVE OF SIN, MY RECKLESS SURRENDER or MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION and I'll get your book off to you.

If you need help in choosing which book, please check out the books page of my website: http://annacampbell.info/books.html

Bad Dad!

by Anna Campbell

Recently I read a wonderful Molly O'Keefe book called THE SCANDAL AND CARTER O'NEILL, the last in her 'Notorious O'Neill' trilogy (by the way, Molly is an amazing writer and if you haven't read her, rush and grab one of her fantastic stories).

In the author bio section, she has a really cute disclaimer:

Despite how it may appear in her books, Molly O'Keefe has a wonderful mother. She has no experience with bad mothers and cannot explain why many of the mothers in her books are so awful. Molly never intended for her own mother to get those dirty looks at the grocery store.

This made me giggle because I realized I should make a similar disclaimer in the front of my books, but not about mothers. About FATHERS!

My father was a wonderful man, brave, principled, smart. And not at all like the fathers who feature in Anna Campbell stories.

I was thinking about the dads in my books and ouch, they're a rotten lot!

Your Honor, I present exhibit 1, the late Duke of Kylemore in CLAIMING THE COURTESAN. Drug addicted, alcoholic, cruel, psychotic, and a slave to his base passions. Nup, he's not likely to win father of the year any time soon. Mind you, his wife's not too great either but I'm talking about dads here. Verity's dad isn't nearly as mean but then he dies and leaves her completely defenseless so even he demonstrates a few shortcomings!

Exhibit 2 : in UNTOUCHED, Matthew's dad does the dying thing but otherwise is pretty OK, but the uncle left in loco parentis is another psycho killer type. Sheesh! And while Grace's dad eventually sees the error of his ways, he's pretty cold and ruthless with her when she's younger.

Exhibit 3: in TEMPT THE DEVIL, the bad dad is actually the HERO! Ose Noes!

Erith returns to London at the start of the book to make up for his numerous sins against his children and of course then he puts their future in jeopardy when he falls in love with a courtesan. Ose Noes with sugar on top!

Exhibit 4 (yeah, there's going to be six, so sue me! Oh, no I've already got a court case on my hands with the dad thing. Maybe DON'T sue me!): in CAPTIVE OF SIN, there's a bad stepfather and a bad dad. Charis's mother marries after her admittedly very nice first husband kicks the bucket and husband number two is a shocker. A drunkard and a lech and a wastrel. And then poor Gideon, who already has enough to cope with after his torture in India, had a father who thought his younger, intellectual son was a complete waste of space and set out to fix that problem with violence. Bad dad indeed!

Exhibit 5: two of the dads in MY RECKLESS SURRENDER aren't actually that bad or at least they have decent reasons for their behavior. But there's Lord Burnley - he definitely qualifies to live in infamy in this villains gallery of bad dads. I think an amoeba would be a better father than this guy!

Exhibit 6: MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION has TWO bad dads, both of whom are far more interested in their own agendas than in their children's welfare. Oh, and one more equivocally bad dad in Godfrey Demarest who is indulgent to his daughter but a bit of a rotter otherwise.

So I'd like it on record here and now:

Dad, I apologize wholeheartedly for all these wicked fathers, uncles and stepfathers who abound in my books. None of them were inspired by you, although I certainly was when I set out to follow my dreams and become a writer.

Actually I think bad dads are a staple of fiction not because as writers, we have suffered through so many bad dads, but because awful parents put our heroes and heroines against it. Fairytales use the same motif for the same reason.

Someone with a rotten parent (or even two, like Kylemore) gains reader sympathy immediately. It's a bit like making our heroes and heroines orphans. I've read blog posts and other pieces asking why so many orphans abound in romance fiction. Again, it puts the reader onside from the get-go.

And just for something different, the book I'm current writing features a very heroic dad for my lead guy and an OK dad for my heroine. Sheesh! What is the world coming to?

So do you have any favorite bad dads in your romance reading?

And if you'd like to explore the Anna Campbell school of bad dads, I'm going to give away a book today to someone who comments. Your choice from the backlist (just click on the title in the blog if you want to checkwhich book you'd prefer) mailed with a fatherly smile and an avuncular bookmark.

(Just a proviso - I'm at the Romance Writers of Australia conference right now so may be a bit slow getting back to comment but I promise I will, cross my heart and hope to die!)

Island of Prizes!

Wow, another great day in the lair yesterday! Thanks to Helen Brenna (for being such a great guest and giving us THREE books to give away) and to all the Banditas and Buddies who called around to say hello.

Helen has chosen her winners, so congratulations to:

SHEREE!

PAT COCHRAN!

CLAUDIAGC!

You win your selection from Helen's backlist (prizes don't include THE PURSUIT OF JESSE, HER SURE THING or REDEMPTION AT MIRABELLE). For a list of her books and information about them, please visit the books page of her website: http://www.helenbrenna.com/New_Books.php Please email Helen on helenbrenna @ comcast.net (no spaces) with your choice and she'll get your prize off to you! Happy reading!

Island Magic with Helen Brenna!

by Anna Campbell

Oh, be still my beating heart!

Well, not that still. Because then I'd be dead, right?

We have a saying in Oz that you wouldn't be dead for quids (quids is an old slang term for a pound note). And today, I have such a wonderful guest for you all that you wouldn't be dead for quids either!

I've come fairly recently to Helen Brenna's books - via a recommendation to read her RITA-nominated NASCAR story FROM THE OUTSIDE. I'm not that into racing cars but man, I got seriously into tortured and sexy racing car driver Roberto Castillo.


Since then I've read everything from Helen that I can lay my hands on. I've fallen in love with her wonderful series about a resort island in the Great Lakes called Mirabelle. As I said to her when I closed her fabulous THE PURSUIT OF JESSE a few days ago, I finish her books wanting to go to Mirabelle and then there's that cruel moment when I realize it's not REAL!!! Boo hoo.

Helen's books are unforgettable emotional reads about forgiveness and redemption and finding one's rightful place in the world. She has won an impressive number of prestigious awards including that most prestigious award of all, the Romance Writers of America RITA Award for THE MOON THAT NIGHT.

We're very lucky this year - in July, August and September, we get THREE Mirabelle books released back to back. THE PURSUIT OF JESSE, HER SURE THING and REDEMPTION AT MIRABELLE.

Here's the back cover blurb for HER SURE THING, Helen's August release:

Grace Andersen Kahill, the pastor's trouble-making daughter, left Mirabelle Island at seventeen and never looked back. When a devastating accident ruins not only her successful modeling career but also her marriage, she comes home to Mirabelle. She never expected to rediscover herself not through the lens of a camera, but through the eyes of Sean Griffin.

Sean, Mirabelle's doctor, has orchestrated for himself the perfect life. That is, until two new arrivals on Mirabelle upset his proverbial apple cart. A son he never knew existed and ... Grace.

The son, he'll deal with. Somehow. The woman, on the other hand, might just end up breaking his heart.

And don't forget, if you click on the covers in the blog, it takes you right to that book on Amazon.

For more information on Helen and her wonderful books, check out her website:

www.helenbrenna.com

Without more ado, here's Helen! And she's got some news for us!


I’m so excited I can hardly stand it. Today is the day I’m unveiling an illustration of my very own fictitious Mirabelle Island!

But let’s back up for a sec. Actually, let’s back up five whole years to when Mirabelle was born in my mind.

It all started, as so many books start, with a “what if?” What if two people, childhood sweethearts, were torn apart by something as simple as he couldn’t stay in the small town in which they’d grown up together and she couldn’t leave?

A lot of things had to come together to make this a compelling story. I needed a place with a strong sense of community, with history, maybe even a place the heroine’s ancestors had settled, all of which bound her to home. I needed a place that a reader could love, but I also needed that reader to empathize with the hero and the intolerable sense of confinement he felt while growing up. Mind you, none of this was conscious or purposeful. My writer’s brain was just doing its thing when it dawned on me that I needed an island. Not a sand, surf and palm trees kind of place. I needed something different. I needed Mackinac Island, Michigan.

Ever heard of The Grand Hotel? Mackinac is the place where the movie SOMEWHERE IN TIME was filmed. With cobblestone streets, Victorian B & Bs and horse drawn carriages, it’s a place filled with history, a place I could easily imagine Sophie, my heroine.

The only problem is that I couldn’t imagine Noah, my alpha hero living there and I wasn’t entirely sure how their story was going to end. Were they staying or leaving? Then, too, I don’t write quaint and quiet stories set in tearooms and grand hotels. I write contemporary romances with alpha heroes and strong heroines, so I needed some reality.

What I needed was a little bit of Madeline Island, the largest of the Apostle Islands chain located on Lake Superior just off Wisconsin’s northern shore. Madeline is bigger than Mackinac, so there’s space for log cabins, horse ranches, secluded bays and lighthouses, acres of untouched forest, and even a few brew pubs.

That’s how Mirabelle Island was born. A place of stark contrasts. Cold, brutal and isolated in the winter. Sunny and idyllic in the summer. Old virgin forests on one end and homemade fudge shops on the other. The Mirabelle Island Inn with its classic French restaurant a few blocks from the Rusty Nail, a bar that has seen better days. This is, basically, a picture of what’s been on the white board in my office for the last five years. The bare bones of Mirabelle Island …

Well, that one book about Noah and Sophie led to six more stand alone Mirabelle stories, and just as my books have evolved and grown so has my vision of the island. I wanted readers to see what I see in my mind, and so I commissioned an artist to illustrate Mirabelle.

To coincide with THE PURSUIT OF JESSE, HER SURE THING and REDEMPTION AT MIRABELLE, three new Mirabelle Island books releasing July, August and September, I’m “unveiling” the illustrated map here and on my web site. Voila!

It still needs a legend and some geographic titles, but what do you think? Does Mirabelle Island look like some place you’d like to live? Read about, I hope?

To celebrate my back to back releases, I’d like to give away three copies from my backlist today, so check out my website at helenbrenna.com to see which title you’d like. And stop by my website again in another week or so to see the finished map.

Many thanks to Anna and all the Bandits for having me here today!

You heard right, Bandita Buddies. That's THREE people to win their choice from Helen's backlist! Hmm, wonder if she'll let me enter. There's a couple of older titles I still haven't managed to find. Perhaps I can enter under an alias...

OK, OK, I won't cheat (mainly because you'd find me out, you're all so clever!).

Good luck and get commenting, people!

A STAR-CROSSED VISIT!

by Anna Campbell

It's my great pleasure today to introduce a fresh face to the lair, wonderful Avon historical romance author Jenny Brown!

Jenny's debut LORD LIGHTNING garnered glowing reviews and a lot of buzz in Romancelandia, including two Romantic Times Book Reviews Reviewers Choice Award nominations. Her second book in the Lords of the Seventh House series, STAR CROSSED SEDUCTION comes out 30th August. Rush to pre-order it!

Here's the blurb for STAR CROSSED SEDUCTION:

Lovers or Enemies?

Captain Miles Trevelyan, on leave from active service in India, is heading out for a night on the town when he rescues a beautiful pickpocket from arrest. She's the perfect choice for a few days of dalliance--beautiful, cunning, and completely disposable.

But Temperance has no intention of becoming the plaything of a man who wears the uniform of the solders who murdered her lover. Disarming Trev with a kiss, she escapes. But her sultry kiss opens the two Scorpio adversaries to an obsessive attraction that neither can elude--or possibly survive.

You can find out more about Jenny and her books (and see astrological charts for her characters!) on her website: www.jennybrown.net

You can find a brand-new excerpt from STAR CROSSED SEDUCTION here: www.jennybrown.net/home/SCSexcerpt.php

Welcome, Jenny. It's great to have you in the lair at last - I feel like I've been waiting forever to talk to you here about your wonderful stories. STAR CROSSED SEDUCTION is the second in your Lords of the Seventh House series which started with the fabulously well-received LORD LIGHTNING. Can you tell us about this new story and the inspiration behind it?

When I sold LORD LIGHTNING, my editor wanted it to be the first in a series where the hero’s astrological sign would play a part in the story.

Scorpio was the obvious sign to do next. No other sign screams sensual, emotionally moving romance like Scorpio.

But Scorpio has a very mixed reputation. Sexy, yes. But also manipulative, secretive, resentful and transgressive. Scorpios aren’t so much into sex as a recreational activity as they are into sex as a way to control other people. What turns them on is emotion, not sensation. If giving you multiple orgasms will bind you to them for life, they’ll do it. If withholding sex will work better—that works for them, too.

So how was I to make my hero heroic?


The answer lay in exploring the gift Scorpio may confer: intense loyalty, deep psychological insight, and the ability to heal the most painful psychological injuries.

When a Scorpio gives his heart, his loyalty to his loved one will motivate him do whatever is necessary to protect that person, even to sacrificing their lives.

This pointed me to my hero: A dedicated soldier descended from a line of soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for King and Country. And since astrologers know that Scorpios often do best when paired with others of their sign, I made my hero and heroine both sexually alluring, magnetic Scorpios, each of whose lives is dominated by loyalties that have given them secrets they have no choice but to keep hidden.

Captain Miles Trevelyan is on leave from active service in India and looking for nothing more than an evening’s pleasure when circumstances force him, much against his better judgement, to step in and rescue a beautiful pickpocket from a well-deserved arrest. Once in his custody, the streetwise Temperance, who has learned how to use her sexual allure to gain control over men, distracts him with a seductive kiss, intending to make her escape by diverting the handsome captain’s blood away from his brain to a less observant organ.

But their kiss opens them both to feelings they’ve never before experienced and Temperance finds herself unable to break free, even though the man who has aroused such passion in her wears the same uniform as the officer who killed her ex-lover, a failed revolutionary. Drawn into a battle of the sexes where each pits their seductive skills against the other, Trev learns he has finally met the one woman strong enough to meet him where others fear to tread. But he faces a devastating choice. Will he remain true to King and Country, or give up everything to save the strong and vulnerable girl who’s won his heart?

Ooh, sounds delicious! You use astrology as a major theme in your historical romances. How did you become interested in this ancient art?

I don’t actually remember when I discovered astrology, but I know it was before I was nine as I was recently going through some family papers and found a cartoon I’d drawn in a letter I sent home from camp at that age which showed a wizard pointing to an accurately drawn astrological chart. My fuzzy memory is that I first encountered astrology in a newsstand magazine, possibly DELL HOROSCOPE.

When I was in my 20s someone taught me how to cast charts (this was before software made it easy.) So I began to draw charts for everyone I met, and learned more about how to interpret them from books and classes.

What’s next for you?

My next book is the Pisces book in the series. It’s tentatively titled PERILOUS PLEASURES.

While the first two books of the series, LORD LIGHTNING and STAR CROSSED SEDUCTION are connected to each other, this third book goes off in another direction. Set in 1803, it pairs a handsome, wealthy, idealistic Scottish lord, who has taken a vow of chastity in order to be initiated into the secrets of an ancient healing tradition, with the ugly, cynical daughter of the courtesan he must kill if he is to avenge his sister’s murder.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

I have such a strong streak of Sagittarius on my own chart that there’s nothing I’d rather do than give advice.

What I’d suggest—which is the best advice I received from another, brilliant writer, and of course, ignored—is that aspiring writers finish at least five books before they seek publication. There as so many benefits of doing this. The most important is that your first book is never as good as you think it is, and writing more will give you either the experience you need to make the first book better or provide you with a much better book—one that might let you break in with a big advance and strong publisher support. The other benefit of writing a lot of books before you publish is that with a stash of books to draw on, you can deliver subsequent books more quickly, which will also help you build up your audience.

Unfortunately, like Temperance, the impulsive heroine of STAR CROSSED SEDUCTION, who ignores the warning Eliza, the astrologer we first met in LORD LIGHTNING, gives her, most of us ignore all the advice we’re given no matter how good it might be.

Jenny, that's all fascinating! Thanks for being our guest today. Do you have a question to get the conversation going with our Banditas and Bandita Buddies?

What’s the best piece of advice someone has given you? Did you take it? What was the worst? I’ll be giving away a copy of LORD LIGHTNING to a randomly chosen commenter.

OK, people, let's all be STARS and comment to win this great prize. Good luck.

Note: Jenny will forward the prize once her book hits the stands on 30th August.