Jessica Jefferson and “Compromising Miss Tisdale”

Nov25

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A DAY WITH JESSICA JEFFERSON – THE MORNING

0615 – Most mornings I wake up with a writing hang-over. The difference between a writing hang-over and other hang-overs is that one is the unfortunate product of unadulterated fun, while the other is the product of actual hard work. I try not to write till my children are in bed so I might better keep up my guise as good mother. I’m convinced my kids are insomniacs, so I often don’t get out my lap top till about ten or later, which can easily lead to an all night writing bender. It’s a bit like my college days, except I’m old now and don’t rebound nearly as well as I used to.

I’m usually lagging behind so my eight-year old takes on the role of toaster chef and prepares our breakfast. By this time, my husband is long gone since he has to be at work about dawn o’ clock each day. He’s an engineer working in a non-engineer leadership role for a utility company doing something rather vague, while I am technically a nurse working as a non-nurse in a kind of consulting role doing something equally vague within a healthcare system. My kids have no real idea of what either my husband or myself do, and frankly I have trouble putting it into words myself. We’re certainly not being invited to present at career day anytime soon.

The worst part of my morning is spent arguing about clothing choices. My two-year old wants to wear her rain boots daily, but if I’m lucky, she’ll opt to wear pants. My eight-year old will “misplace” the clothes we picked out together the night before in lieu of some sort of inappropriate ensemble. She can take the most innocent looking clothes and somehow manage to make them look like one of those numbers pop stars wear on the MTV Video Music Awards. Oy vey.

Sometimes we make it on time, sometimes we don’t. Getting kids out the door in the morning can be challenging. Lunch needs packed, shoes need put on the correct feet. I’d never make it in government since I negotiate with the little terrorists on a daily basis. I barter using whatever I have on hand – fruit snacks, juice boxes, the promise of new Barbie dolls, whatever it takes to get them in the car.

Once in the car, the two-year old insists on buckling her own five point harness. That never goes well. Both children are rather independent and they’re just really bright kids. As adults, I’ll be glad they possess such qualities. But as far as children go – I’d give anything for a dopey little people pleaser.

The line to drop the kids off at school usually overflows out onto the road and I end up blocking traffic with my larger than necessary SUV. I hate driving such a large vehicle, but it was either that or a minivan in order to haul everything and everyone. For some reason, undoubtedly rooted in our vanity, the SUV makes us feel better about ourselves. It makes us feel as if we haven’t lost the last semblance of our youth. In reality, when you see a SUV you can pretty much guess there’s a family in there with parents who dress too young for their age and think their choice in vehicle makes them look far cooler than they actually are.

I drop the toddler at the sitter and she runs happily into her arms. It warms my heart knowing that she loves the babysitter and that she’s well taken care of, but also makes me insanely jealous at the same time.

Finally, I arrive at work, ready to start my day. Every once in a while I’ll pull into the parking garage, look in my rear view mirror and see that I may have forgotten to drop the toddler off at the sitter’s, but for the most part we all make it to our right destinations.

Who knew the life of a romance author could be this glamorous?

About Compromising Miss Tisdale

Ambrosia Tisdale is the very picture of propriety and the epitome of what a respectable young lady should be. Haunted by a memory and compelled by her family, she pursues perfection to a fault.

The Earl of Bristol, Duncan Maddox, has returned to London after years of familial imposed exile. As the second son, he has led a life filled with frivolity, leisure, and a healthy dose of debauchery. Now his older brother has died, leaving the family’s flailing legacy in Duncan’s unwilling arms.

At the behest of his uncle, Duncan is advised to do the one thing that could provide instant fortune and respectability – he must marry. But there is only one prospect who meets the unique requirements to solve all the Earl’s problems – the lovely Miss Ambrosia Tisdale. But securing the prudent daughter of a Viscount’s hand proves to be more challenging than this scandal ridden second son of an Earl has bargained for.

With scandal, extortion, treachery, and even love itself threatening to keep him from his goal, will Duncan succeed in compromising Miss Tisdale?

Excerpt

James tapped his finger to the cleft in his chin. “So, I am to assume that you need financial prosperity, respectability, honor, and security virtually overnight? That is your dilemma?”

Duncan chuckled at the absurdity of the situation. “In so many words, yes.”

He shrugged. “Should be simple enough.”

Duncan laughed outwardly now. “Simple? You call that simple?”

James arched an eyebrow. “Such a quandary is hardly original to noble men like us.”

“How do you figure?”

“Your predicament is nothing new. Men of our station have been combating that very issue for years. And the solution is hardly novel. I’m quite surprised someone with your acumen hadn’t thought of it earlier.

“Clearly, I am ignorant, so please-enlighten me.”

“You need to marry.”

Duncan deflated. “Is that all?”

“Well, you couldn’t just marry anyone. She must be rich, but not noveau riche. And her family must be prominent. She needn’t be from a ducal house necessarily, but with rivaling status in its age and reputation. And since you’re such a cad, your wife will need to be the picture of morality. We’re talking the personification of righteousness-no skeletons in the closet, no relatives from the other side of the blanket, no scandals amongst third cousins. The gossip rags must have nothing on her or her family.”

Duncan felt his nostrils flair. “Yes, simple indeed. So, where exactly do you suggest I find this rich Lady Madonna?”

A slow smile crept up James’ face. “You’ve already met her.”

Confused, Duncan thought for a moment. Then he smacked into the great stone wall of realization at just what it was his friend was implying. “Miss Tisdale? You’re suggesting I marry Miss Tisdale? The Miss Tisdale who you just finished telling me is waiting for the perfect husband–who no doubt has far more prestige and fortune than I? You’re cracked.” Duncan turned and started walking back towards the curtain.

About the Author

Jessica Jefferson makes her home in northern Indiana, or as she likes to think of it – almost Chicago. Jessica originally attended college in hopes of achieving an English degree and writing the next great American novel. Ten years later she was working as a registered nurse and reading historical romance when she decided to give writing another go-round.

Jessica writes likes she speaks, which has a tendency to be fast paced and humorous. Jessica is heavily inspired by sweeping, historical romance novels, but aims to take those key emotional elements and inject a fresh blend of quick dialogue and comedy to transport the reader into a story they miss long after the last page is read. She invites you to visit her at jessicajefferson.com and read her random romance musings.

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Cotillion Christmas Traditions: Susana Ellis and “A Twelfth Night Tale”

Nov21

Christmas Traditions is the theme of this year’s Ellora’s Cave Blush Cotillion Christmas series. Eight stories focusing on Christmas traditions during the Regency will be released digitally, and then in print version as two anthologies.

The eight stories in the series are:

10/10/13: Twelve Days of Christmas, Barbara Miller

10/17/13: A Christmas Caroline, Christa Paige and Vivien Jackson

10/24/13: Festive Persuasion, Charlene Roberts

10/31/13: Lydia’s Christmas Charade, Saralee Etter

11/7/13: Snug in a Snowstorm, Cynthia Moore

11/14/13: Helena’s Christmas Beau, Aileen Fish

11/21/13: A Twelfth Night Tale, Susana Ellis

11/28/13: Sense of the Season, Kate Dolan

Celebrate the Release Day of A Twelfth Night Tale!

Susana is giving away a fabulous sterling silver necklace and A Twelfth Night Tale Christmas charm bracelet (silver-plated). Click here for the Rafflecopter!

About A Twelfth Night Tale

A wounded soldier and the girl next door find peace and love amidst a backdrop of rural Christmas traditions.

Without dowries and the opportunity to meet eligible gentlemen, the five Barlow sisters stand little chance of making advantageous marriages. But when the eldest attracts the attention of a wealthy viscount, suddenly it seems as though Fate is smiling upon them.

Lucy knows that she owes it to her younger sisters to encourage Lord Bexley’s attentions, since marriage to a peer will secure their futures as well as hers. The man of her dreams has always looked like Andrew Livingston, her best friend’s brother. But he’s always treated her like a child, and, in any case, is betrothed to another. Perhaps the time has come to put away childhood dreams and accept reality…and Lord Bexley.

Andrew has returned from the Peninsula with more emotional scars to deal with than just the lame arm. Surprisingly, it’s his sister’s friend “Little Lucy” who shows him the way out of his melancholy. He can’t help noticing that Lucy’s grown up into a lovely young woman, but with an eligible viscount courting her, he’ll need a little Christmas magic to win her for himself.

Available

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Excerpt

A Blush® Regency romance from Ellora’s Cave

Chapter One

The Barlow Home

near Charlbury, Oxfordshire

23 December 1813

“It’s so kind of you to call, Lord Bexley. The flowers you sent are simply lovely, are they not, Lucy?”

Unable to miss the warning tone in her mother’s voice, Lucy sat up straight in her chair and smiled sweetly at their caller.

“Oh yes indeed. They are undoubtedly the most beautiful I’ve ever received, my lord.”

Of course, she did not mention that they were the first flowers she’d ever been sent by a gentleman. And considering that there were few opportunities to meet eligible gentlemen in the quiet little neck of the woods where the Barlows resided, the arrangement was quite likely to remain the only floral tribute to come her way.

Her caller beamed with pleasure. “They were the best I could find at the florist, but of course they cannot hold a candle to your beauty and sweetness, Miss Barlow.”

Lucy swallowed and forced herself to reply. “You embarrass me with your flattery, my lord.”

“Not at all,” he insisted. “You were quite the belle of the Christmas Ball last evening, Miss Barlow. I was much envied to be allowed the honor of two dances with you when so many gentlemen had to be turned away.”

The “Christmas Ball” was merely a small celebration at the local assembly rooms. Her mother had encouraged her to favor Lord Bexley, but in truth, Lucy herself had not found him objectionable. He was an accomplished dancer and quite distinguished-looking, in spite of the fact that he had at least twenty years over her. At eighteen, she was of an age to be out in society, and Lord Bexley, a wealthy widower from Warwickshire, was undoubtedly the most eligible gentleman in the county. Recently out of mourning, he was seeking a new wife and a mother to his three children, and as Mrs. Barlow kept telling her, Lucy should be flattered that he seemed to be favoring her for the role.

Well, she was flattered. Wasn’t she? The number of young ladies far exceeded that of eligible gentlemen, and she didn’t wish to be left on the shelf. With her family in financial difficulties and four younger sisters to be married off, Lucy knew she owed it to them to marry well and do what she could to find her sisters suitable matches as well.

She was prepared to do her duty and make the best of it, but somehow, when she thought of marriage and children, it was not the kindly Lord Bexley who came to mind. It was the face of the strapping, dark-haired Adonis with laughing gray eyes who lived on an adjoining estate with his younger sister—her bosom friend Jane—who had teased her unmercifully from the time she learned to walk. She couldn’t remember a time when she hadn’t been in love with Andrew Livingston—she’d even asked him to marry her at the age of five when he’d been twelve and about to leave for Eton. He’d laughed and quipped that it would be like marrying his sister, and she’d nursed a broken heart ever since.

She sighed as she frequently did when she thought of Andrew and his affianced wife, and her mother glared at her. Fortunately, Phillips wheeled in the tea cart and Mrs. Barlow’s attention was mercifully diverted.

“Please do the honors, Lucy. An excellent opportunity to practice your housewifely skills.”

Lucy flushed. Could her mother’s intentions be more obvious? But Lord Bexley did not seem to notice. He smiled kindly at her somewhat shaky inquiry as to his preferences, and thanked her graciously when she brought him his tea and a plate of cherry tarts.

“Quite charming,” he commented as he regarded her with obvious approval. It was unclear whether he was speaking to her or to her mother, and Lucy wasn’t sure how to respond.

Fortunately, there was a shriek followed by the sound of fierce arguing from the back rooms of the house. Lucy turned instinctively to the door, which was promptly thrust open and filled by the figure of her sister Lydia, who was breathing hard and wringing her hands in agitation.

“Do come, Lucy! Lila and Louisa are having one of their rows again, in the kitchen of all places. Lila broke one of Cook’s mixing bowls, and Cook swears she’ll leave if someone doesn’t stop them and you know you’re the only one who can, Lucy!” She flushed when she saw Lord Bexley and her mother’s angry face. “Oh…pardon me, I didn’t realize we had a guest.” She backed out into the hall, shooting Lucy a pleading look as she did so.

Relieved for an excuse to terminate the social call, Lucy muttered her excuses and scrambled out of the room. But not before she heard her mother’s mortified apology and Lord Bexley’s soothing reply that he found it quite agreeable to discover a young lady so accomplished in the maternal skills.

Goodness, he really was intent on courting her! She should be flattered. She was a sensible girl, and it was pointless to set her cap at Andrew Livingston, in any case. Lord Bexley would be an excellent match for her. His three daughters could not possibly be as troublesome as her two youngest sisters, after all.

She gritted her teeth and hurried to the kitchen, the ineffectual Lydia as usual trailing behind her. The second eldest Barlow daughter was as helpless as their mother at controlling the two youngest children. When Lucy married and left the house, as she would in time, her bookish middle sister Laura was going to have to take up the reins.

About the Author

A former teacher, Susana is finally living her dream of being a full-time writer. She loves all genres of romance, but historical—Regency in particular—is her favorite. There’s just something about dashing heroes and spunky heroines waltzing in ballrooms and driving through Hyde Park that appeals to her imagination.

In real life, Susana is a lifelong resident of northwest Ohio, although she has lived in Ecuador and studied in Spain, France and Mexico. More recently, she was able to travel around the UK and visit many of the places she’s read about for years, and it was awesome! She is a member of the Maumee Valley and Beau Monde chapters of Romance Writers of America.

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Susana’s Parlour (Regency Blog) • Susana’s Morning Room (Romance Blog)

Rue Allyn and “A True and Perfect Knight”

Nov18

“When life hands you lemons. . .”

Susana, thank you very much for inviting me back to share with your readers. I recently suffered a serious setback (sorry, the details involve others, and I respect their privacy) and am still trying to regain my balance. I know all that stuff about making lemonade and closing doors that cause windows to open. However, in the moment of receiving a life blow, I can’t say that I feel like doing much of anything, let alone writing a blog. Nonetheless, I made a commitment, so here I am, typing madly away to make my deadline. And luckily enough, I have a readymade use for even the worst experience. I give it, or some part of it, to my characters.

The concept for A True and Perfect Knight—a widow suspected of pushing her spouse (now dead by hanging) into treason falls for his best friend and a knight ordered to marry the woman he believes caused his best friend’s death—required that I show immediately how difficult my heroine’s life had become. She’d been bombarded with setbacks and tragedy, and there was more to come before she would see her HEA. As a sample take a look at the opening of A True and Perfect Knight.

Pre-order A True and Perfect Knight here.

Please leave a comment and share with me how you handle setbacks or sorrows.

“Rumor says that the bottom of a privy is more attractive than Roger’s widow.” Privately, Sir Haven De Sessions wished the widow to the devil along with the incessant rain.

“No noble woman could be that ugly, especially one from the court in Paris,” protested Soames, Haven’s second in command.

Haven thought of the execution he’d witnessed and felt his jaw clench. “If God is just, Genvieve Dreyford’s face will expose every coil and stain in her black soul. ’Tis only right that the true nature of the woman who led my best friend to treason show on her face.”

Soames shook his head at his commander’s remarks. “Do you suppose that is her?” He slanted his head in the direction of six sodden figures huddled some distance from the by-way.

Haven followed Soames’ glance. “Possibly. We have come almost a league from the castle. That is the distance the bailiff claimed he had taken the widow and her entourage when the new lord threw her out. But, I doubt…” His words trailed off as he peered through the downpour at the figure that stepped to the front of the pitiful group.

The woman stood tall and straight. Shoulders back, legs braced. She anchored herself, as if by sheer will alone she could defend the others. A young boy clung to her skirts.

Could this be the suspected traitoress who caused the downfall of his best friend, Roger Dreyford? Haven wanted to see her face, to see if she appeared as evil as he believed her to be. Distance and the obscuring rain defeated him.

“But what, Sir?”

Soames question shook Haven from his musings. “But I doubt a woman like Roger’s widow would stand out in the rain or tolerate such a humble abode.”

About Rue Allyn

Author of historical, contemporary, and erotic romances, Rue Allyn fell in love with happily ever after the day she heard her first story. She is deliriously married to her sweetheart of many years and loves to hear from readers about their favorite books and real life adventures. Learn more about Rue at http://RueAllyn.com.

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Cotillion Christmas Traditions: Aileen Fish and “Helena’s Christmas Beau”

Nov14

The eight stories in the series are:

10/10/13: Twelve Days of Christmas, Barbara Miller

10/17/13: A Christmas Caroline, Christa Paige and Vivien Jackson

10/24/13: Festive Persuasion, Charlene Roberts

10/31/13: Lydia’s Christmas Charade, Saralee Etter

11/7/13: Snug in a Snowstorm, Cynthia Moore

11/14/13: Helena’s Christmas Beau, Aileen Fish

11/21/13: A Twelfth Night Tale, Susana Ellis

11/28/13: Sense of the Season, Kate Dolan

Christmas Traditions

Christmas traditions can cover the gamut from big events to the little things like hanging the stockings year after year. In Helena’s Christmas Beau, Helena is a stickler for making certain some things are done—and done right. Her Christmas season begins with “stir up day”, when the puddings are made, giving them time to ripen properly before the holiday meal. And there is a ritual to the day that involves everyone in the household, lest it bring bad luck to the family. Traditions and rituals are all well and good, until you run into someone who can’t see the purpose in them!

What inspired you to start writing?

I was always writing when I was a child, and by eight or nine I had announced I wanted to do it when I grew up. When I was twelve, I heard S.E. Hinton wrote The Outsiders at the age of seventeen, so I started my first novel. I think I got three chapters in. It took a lot of spurts of starting and stopping before I submitted my first novel anywhere, and finally came down to seeing everyone else succeed to make me push hard enough to sell my first novella.

What advice would you give to writers just starting out?

Don’t be afraid to change critique groups until you find a group you can work with. Feedback is necessary to improving your writing, but don’t let them change your voice! Write, rewrite, polish then submit.

What comes first: the plot or the characters?

Each story is different. Sometimes I come up with a plot idea or a trope, then think about who would work best in this setting. My main focus at the start is the conflict. What will make it difficult for them to get together at the end? That line of thought finalizes the plot and characterization.

About Helena’s Christmas Beau

Blush sensuality level This is a sweet romance (kisses only, no sexual content).

Facing her second Christmas since the loss of her fiancé, Helena relies on her favorite traditions to bring back the joy of the season. Yet from stir-up day to bringing in the greenery on Christmas Eve, her cousin’s brother-in-law, Duncan, is underfoot, questioning her every action.

As Duncan plays along with the outdated rites, he realizes how much he’s missed Helena’s laughter. When he hears she plans to re-enter the Marriage Mart next spring, he is struck with jealousy. Is he falling in love, or simply under the spell of the holiday season?

A Blush® Regency romance from Ellora’s Cave

Available

Ellora’s Cave • Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Kobo • AllRomance eBooks • Sony

About the Author

When Aileen Fish was eight or nine, she told the mom next door that she wanted to be a writer, but she hated writing her stories down. At twelve, she wrote her first novel after reading The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Well, she wrote most of it. That writing it down part got in the way again.

Aileen’s early works as an adult included a parallel-world Young Adult fantasy based on Native American mythology, which she wrote with the help of Ray Faraday Nelson in the Writer’s Digest Novel Writing Workshop. Her short fiction at that time was primarily dark fantasy, and her first sale was “Saturday Night” in the Summer 1991 issue of After Hours Magazine.

Obviously, Aileen has trouble remaining in the real world. Even as she ventured into romance, there was always a paranormal twist. She has tamed the inner beasts and demons into short periods of submission, which allow traditional historical romances to escape onto the page. Oh, and she no longer has that problem with finishing a story. Now, it’s a matter of finishing fast enough for the next hero to get his turn.

Guest Author: Hetty St. James

Nov11

Hetty St. James is the perfect embodiment of an Irish-German Aries. Hard-headed, opinionated, stubborn—all those good things! But for the most part when I latch on to an idea, there is some basis in fact to bear it out. For instance: I have a NOOK (with a Kindle app on it, thanks to Google!) but I much prefer print books. Fortunately, I don’t yet need large print, but at those book signings where I’ve had both regular and large print versions, the latter have always sold more copies than the former!

For some fifteen years, I was a volunteer reader at the Cleveland Sight Center, and taped books of all kinds for their closed-circuit radio station, and a few for the Library of Congress Talking Books program. This led me to learn more about large-print books, and why they’re so important to the readers I most want to cultivate. I’ve worked (and volunteered) with senior citizens who do not have e-readers or computers, so the world of Kindle and/or NOOK is a foreign one to them. They do, however, like to read, and value large-print above other media.

Thanks to Georgette Heyer, I love the Regency era, and it is my first choice to write about. I didn’t know, however that her books were commonly known as ‘romance’ novels, until I wrote my first book in 1988. It’s a Regency titled Bertie’s Golden Treasure and it was only then that I discovered the genre of ‘romance’. It came as a big surprise to me. Of course it took eighteen years to find a home for the poor girl, because it’s told in first-person. But finally, the Cotillion imprint of Ellora’s Cave liked it enough to publish it, in both e-book and print in 2007.

Two years ago, they acquired a novella titled Wagered Kiss, which is also part of that year’s anthology, Christmas Kisses. Most of the people I know do not have e-readers, so they were happy to hear of the print versions of each of these stories. A goodly number inquired about the possibility of large print.

So, when I decided to self-publish, I naturally thought first about print and large-print as well as e-books. So my current project is a combination of the three: each of the three stories is available individually in Kindle format, while the three together form A Regency Christmas Collection in regular or large print.

These three stories are about as different from each other as it’s possible to be. The first was written in 1989, because I wanted to contribute to Signet’s Christmas Regency anthology! Hah! I was so new to it all that I didn’t realize that would never be able to happen, as I was not a Signet author. But I still liked my story—The Duke’s Christmas Gift—even if it didn’t quite fit the category requirements. Actually, almost none of my books fit well, because they tend to go off in their own direction.

But it’s those detours that can enliven one’s journey, don’t you think? A Castle Cramlye Christmas is about a family with the centuries-old tradition of everyone gathering for the holidays, until they don’t. This particular year, circumstances intervene, and most of the family are unable to gather with their matriarch. It’s a sort of slice-of-life story with a happy ending, although there’s not a lot of excitement there.

But that’s okay. The final story, Pongo Finds Love, has enough excitement for several stories, with masques, hidden identities, all swirling around the outrageous fop, Pongo (whose real name is Oswald) and his search for his own Pongerella.

The Elegant Runaways is a novelette. In an era when marriages may be determined by guardians rather than the two persons most involved, one young heiress rebels when told she’ll marry a Duke. She’d prefer to find her own husband, thank you very much. So she sets out to find one.

There are other incomplete novels and novellas and even a mystery series in my computer, all set in the Regency period. I find myself drawn to this period of history because of the inherent civility of the time. My formative years were spent with my grandparents, who were 60 years older than me, and of a strong religious bent. Good manners and language habits were pounded into me on a daily basis. Therefore, I’ve always been drawn to history, and especially that of the British Isles. There was no profanity or violence in my world as a youngster, and I much prefer books that avoid those elements, even now. This explains my love for the traditional Regency novels.

I’ve been writing for more years than I care to think about, and have no plans to ever quit! I’m also addicted to photography and classical music, especially opera. This photo was taken at the premiere of a script I wrote for an operatic production titled Puccini: The Man and His Music in January 2008.

Website

Available

Kindle

The Duke’s Christmas Gift • A Castle Cramlye Christmas

Pongo Guthridge Finds Love • The Elegant Runaways

The Regency Christmas Collection

Large Print

The Regency Christmas Collection

Cotillion Christmas Traditions: Cynthia Moore and “Snug in a Snowstorm”

Nov7

The eight stories in the series are:

10/10/13: Twelve Days of Christmas, Barbara Miller

10/17/13: A Christmas Caroline, Christa Paige and Vivien Jackson

10/24/13: Festive Persuasion, Charlene Roberts

10/31/13: Lydia’s Christmas Charade, Saralee Etter

11/7/13: Snug in a Snowstorm, Cynthia Moore

11/14/13: Helena’s Christmas Beau, Aileen Fish

11/21/13: A Twelfth Night Tale, Susana Ellis

11/28/13: Sense of the Season, Kate Dolan

An Author’s Reflections: Cynthia Moore

What inspired you to start writing? My favorite books when I was a child were Nancy Drew mysteries, Cherry Ames nurse stories and Charles Dickens novels. I remember immersing myself in these books to the point that I felt I was living the life described inside the pages. I thought about how wonderful it would be to write my own story filled with characters and situations from my own imagination.

What advice would you give to writers just starting out? When I first started writing novels, I would be very concerned that every sentence I put down on the page was perfect. This caused me to worry so much about the content that very little of the story was ever written down. Instead, I kept deliberating the pros and cons in my head. Now I have found that if I write what I’m thinking without worrying about the structure, I can always go back later and fine tune the words and the sentences. At least I have something to work with and it’s not just floating around inside my brain.

What comes first: the plot or the characters? When I come up with an idea for a story, the characters and their personalities drive the plot. In other words, if my heroine is fiercely independent, the plot will involve an equally strong-willed hero who vows to change her attitude so that she realizes she needs him in her life. From there, I set up the circumstances and the entanglements of their journey until they reach the ‘happily ever after’ ending.

Are you working on something at present that you would like to tell us about? A few months ago, I was asked to submit a work of poetry or a short story into a gothic-themed art show. I had never written anything in the gothic genre before but I did manage to produce what I felt was a very moving two page story. I have taken that short piece and made it into a prologue for a full-length novel. I hope to be finished with the story before the end of the year.

What are you reading now? My maternal grandmother was an avid reader. She discovered Betty Neels stories in the early eighties. She gave me a few of her books and I was immediately hooked on them. Her novels are of the few works that I am able to read over and over again without ever losing interest. I’m presently reading her story Tangled Autumn for the fifth time.

About Snug in a Snowstorm

Lady Isabella Porter and Lord Gerard Malden have known each other since they were children. Isabella thinks of Gerard as someone who teased her unmercifully and made her feel inadequate as a young girl. This is a very unfortunate state of affairs for Gerard because he has loved Isabella for many years.

A sudden, fierce snowstorm and misplaced notes informing both of a change of plan mean Isabella and Gerard are forced to spend the Christmas holidays together in very unusual circumstances. Gerard realizes he must use the time he has been given with Isabella to change the opinions she formed as a girl so she may look upon him with favor and, if he is fortunate, lasting affection.

Available

Ellora’s Cave • Amazon • Sony • Kobo

Excerpt

An Excerpt From: SNUG IN A SNOWSTORM

“Open up, Jasper!”

Isabella hastily opened the door. “May I be of…Gerard?”

“Yes, it’s me.” He moved past her and shut the door. A dusting of powdery snow fell from the collar of his heavy coat. He stared at Isabella with obvious exasperation. “What in blazes is going on? The front porch is covered with bags of all sizes, Jasper is not here to answer the door and you greet me wearing the cook’s apron.”

“It appears the note that informed you of the change in plans never reached either.” Isabella made a point to hide her feelings of relief when she realized Gerard would be on hand to assist her with this rather astounding state of affairs. For some reason that she would think about later, she was hesitant to be in a position of obligation to him.

“What note?” Gerard shook the frozen slush from his caped coat and placed the garment on top of her recently discarded pelisse.

“It seems that your sister’s baby decided to arrive early. Your parents were informed of the fact and they left for London yesterday. Apparently a missive was dispatched to each of us telling of their intentions. I never received anything and obviously neither did you. I arrived here a short time ago to find only a caretaker in residence, his wife who is sick with a bad cough, and a groom to take care of the horses. We are all tired, cold and hungry. I plan to fix a meal for us tonight and will return to my home tomorrow morning.”

“Quentin is in charge?” Gerard reached up to loosen his cravat and then he removed his other garments, leaving on only his shirt, breeches and boots.

“Yes. What…whatever are you doing?” Isabella glanced at him and then could feel herself begin to blush as she noticed the outline of Gerard’s muscular chest clearly visible through his shirt. She hastily looked toward the floor and in doing so got a glimpse of his firm thighs encased in formfitting breeches. She quickly refocused her gaze and attempted to study the frieze of dancing cherubs that decorated the domed ceiling above them.

“The snow is coming down quite heavily, no one is going anywhere for a few days. It’s obvious you need assistance. I’ll bring the bags up to your rooms. My valet has gone with my coachman to the stables. He should join me momentarily.” He turned toward the door.

“Wait.” Isabella’s voice shook as she realized she was stuck in close quarters with Gerard for an extended period of time. Well, she wouldn’t concern herself with the awkward situation now. There were many things to be seen to first. “I need my herbal supplies to fix a special tea for Mrs. Quentin’s cough.”

Gerard held the door open and indicated that she should precede him. “Take whatever you need.”

Isabella was momentarily astounded as she observed the pile of bags that were gathered on the porch. Equally surprising was the sight of the thick white blanket of snow that was rapidly covering everything outside. She refocused on the bags and glimpsed the black leather handle of the satchel she required. She hastily moved forward to pick it up. “My groom should also be available to help you.”

Gerard bent over to grab a few of the cases. “Don’t concern yourself, Isabella. Because of the scarcity of servants, I’m sure all of us are going to have to pitch in and do things we normally don’t do while we are here.”

Still, Isabella hesitated, somewhat unsure of how to act with Gerard at present when their roles were changed in such an extreme manner. “Well, I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”

Gerard followed her into the house. “I know where to find you. Let’s try to make the most out of this Christmas together.”

“Yes, yes, that would be wise.” Turning away to make her way down the hallway, Isabella frowned in confusion as she replayed Gerard’s last words in her mind. Was he planning some kind of mischief to make the holiday more memorable? She certainly wouldn’t put it past him to do something to put her in an embarrassing position once again. Perhaps that was why she was hesitant to be under any obligation to him. She took a deep breath as she entered the kitchen. There was no time to worry about Gerard and what his plans were at present.

About the Author

I’m a native Southern Californian. When I was very young, I discovered my local library and the exciting potential of escaping the real world inside the pages of a good book. As a teenager, I became a huge fan of British literature. After reading most of the Victorian classics, I came upon Regency period novels in 1987. It was love at first read. Since my chance introduction to this wonderful era in time, I have read over three thousand fiction novels and own a large collection of research books on the period.

Rue Allyn and “One Day’s Loving”

Nov4

The Shy Heroine

I love series books, especially when a family (yes, metaphorical families are fine) is involved. What I don’t like is when every family member feels like the same person with a slightly different appearance. You know the type—they talk alike, walk alike, even make love alike. Every man is the MOST handsome and every woman is the BRIGHTEST beauty. I don’t know a single family where all the relations are exactly alike.

When I set out to write my Wildfire Love series about the Alden sisters of Boston the first two books, One Moment’s Pleasure and One Night’s Desire, came easily because Edith (the oldest) and Kiera (the middle child) were both bold. Edith was more of a planner than Kiera and a bit less of a risk taker. Edith was attractive, but not beautiful. She knew how to present herself. Kiera never had to worry about her appearance. She was stunning in a potato sack. These women let me know right up front who they were and what they wanted.

Not so with their youngest sister Persephone Mae. As the youngest, she’d always been sheltered and protected by her siblings. She grew up shy and unassuming and a bit on the dowdy side. When circumstances leave her on her own to deal with the disasters caused by her grandfather’s will, she’s forced to come out of hiding. But getting her there wasn’t easy.

Have you ever dealt with an extremely shy person? Someone who is too awkward and/or ignorant to be able to express what he/she wants. Someone who lacks the experience and confidence to act assertively. I feel for the shy ones in life because all too often they are ignored or derided and they don’t even realize they don’t have to put up with ill treatment.

Because she’d been sheltered all her life, Mae had no idea what she was capable of. For her, simply traveling from her home to the attorney’s office for the reading of the will was a challenge. She went, despite her worries. Once I got her out of the house, I wouldn’t let her go back to hiding until she recognized that a shy, retiring life wasn’t what she wanted or needed. I won’t spoil all the fun by telling you how Mae changes her life. I will tell you that despite all the difficulty of dealing with a shy heroine, I think she’s the most courageous of the three Alden sisters. She is absolutely not a mirror image of her siblings, but is her own woman.

Please leave a comment and let me know if you like heroines who are shy, feisty or somewhere in between.

If you’d like to know more about Mae and discover the answers to some of the questions raised here you may read a longer excerpt at http://rueallyn.com/2c3ODLexcerpt.html.

One Day’s Loving will be released on November 18, 2013 and is the third book in the Wildfire Love Series. Freedom or love? Courage or comfort? Unless Mae Alden meets the terms of her grandfather’s outrageous last testament she will lose everything. She’s ready to sacrifice all creature comforts to preserve her principles, but is she willing to lose her one chance at love?

Available

You can find the first two books of the series here, or you may pre-order One Day’s Loving here.

About the Author

Contacts

Website • Blog • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon Author Page

Readers’ Treasure Blog Hop: November 1-4

Nov1

The following authors are each offering a prize for some lucky reader. Susana’s consists of a lovely wooden book box with lots of great treasures (see below). Click here for the Rafflecopter.

lovely wooden book box • Mary Queen of Scots ornament (from Scotland) • Ellora’s Cave playing cards • thumb drive • heart note pad • post-it note pads • A Twelfth Night Tale Christmas bracelet (silver-plated) • Treasuring Theresa key chain • silver ball key chain • high heeled shoe bookmark (Kristina Knight) • flashlight key chain (Constance Phillips) • four pens • aromatic pencil (peppermint) • fizzy bath crystals (from Scotland) • heather-scented soap (from Scotland) • bookmarks • signed cover flats • magnets

Participating Authors

Readers’ Treasure Blog Hop

From the time I learned to read, I’ve been obsessed with reading. I even got in trouble with my second grade teacher because I was reading a book on my lap instead of attending to her arithmetic lesson. Sorry, Mrs. Stover and all my subsequent math teachers, but words are so much more compelling than silly numbers!

Words have a magical power to help me convert the colorful images in my mind into stories that (I hope) others find entertaining. At a very early age—maybe six or seven—I used to tell stories to my younger sister while we were doing dishes. I used to climb up the tree we called “the treehouse” and imagine it was a real treehouse—I always wanted one after we read a story in first grade about Trudy’s treehouse—and serve tea and cakes to imaginary guests. I’d go into the old barn—we lived out in the country on a farm—and pretend it was my house and make up stories. When I was mowing the lawn with the riding mower, I’d be Nancy Drew zipping along in her “roadster.” When my little sisters came along,—I was already a teenager by then—I’d tell them stories about the soap suds’ families while giving them baths. They still remember that today, even with children of their own!

Reading opens up worlds that a young girl living on a somewhat isolated Midwestern farm doesn’t see. I’m sure that’s what sparked my interest in foreign countries. I can’t remember when I didn’t have the travel bug.( I went on my first overseas trip at 17.)There’s just something about walking down a street between buildings constructed in 500 or more years ago, or exploring the maze constructed by Henry VIII or standing in the very spot where Anne Boleyn lost her head. It’s not just in my head, however. I’m convinced there’s something in the air—spirits or snippets of emotions or something—that grips me and takes me back to the years gone by.

And so began my interest in history—not the dates and the battles that seemed to predominate history classes—but in historical people—how did they live, what did they think, what made them tick? I’d love to go back in time and see for myself how it really was, but without that option, historical novels are, for me, the next best thing. I started with Georgette Heyer, moved on to Jean Plaidy, and went on from there. It became an obsession with me, but decidedly an enriching one. Besides the historical knowledge that I’ve absorbed, it’s also given me the ability to correlate current events with the past. After all: those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat it.

So yeah, I’m a historical nut, but I read pretty much everything: paranormals, futuristic, suspense, contemporaries. They all satisfy my mind’s yearning for new worlds, new characters, new stories, new insights. For me, a world without imagination is a world without soul.

What about you? Tell me about your reading experiences.

About A Twelfth Night Tale

A wounded soldier and the girl next door find peace and love amidst a backdrop of rural Christmas traditions.

Available for Pre-order (Release Date: November 21, 2013)

Ellora’s Cave • Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Kobo

Excerpt

A Blush® Regency romance from Ellora’s Cave

Chapter One

The Barlow Home

near Charlbury, Oxfordshire

23 December 1813

“It’s so kind of you to call, Lord Bexley. The flowers you sent are simply lovely, are they not, Lucy?”

Unable to miss the warning tone in her mother’s voice, Lucy sat up straight in her chair and smiled sweetly at their caller.

“Oh yes indeed. They are undoubtedly the most beautiful I’ve ever received, my lord.”

Her caller beamed with pleasure. “They were the best I could find at the florist, but of course they cannot hold a candle to your beauty and sweetness, Miss Barlow.”

Lucy swallowed and forced herself to reply. “You embarrass me with your flattery, my lord.”

At eighteen, she was of an age to be out in society, and Lord Bexley, a wealthy widower from Warwickshire, was undoubtedly the most eligible gentleman in the county. Recently out of mourning, he was seeking a new wife and a mother to his three children, and as Mrs. Barlow kept telling her, Lucy should be flattered that he seemed to be favoring her for the role.

“Please do the honors, Lucy. An excellent opportunity to practice your housewifely skills.”

“Quite charming,” he commented as he regarded her with obvious approval. It was unclear whether he was speaking to her or to her mother, and Lucy wasn’t sure how to respond.

About the Author

Contacts

Web site • Email • Facebook • Twitter • Linked In • Pinterest • Google+ • Goodreads

Susana’s Parlour (Regency Blog) • Susana’s Morning Room (Romance Blog)

Cotillion Christmas Traditions: Saralee Etter and “Lydia’s Christmas Charade”

Oct31

The eight stories in the series are:

10/10/13: Twelve Days of Christmas, Barbara Miller

10/17/13: A Christmas Caroline, Christa Paige and Vivien Jackson

10/24/13: Festive Persuasion, Charlene Roberts

10/31/13: Lydia’s Christmas Charade, Saralee Etter

11/7/13: Snug in a Snowstorm, Cynthia Moore

11/14/13: Helena’s Christmas Beau, Aileen Fish

11/21/13: A Twelfth Night Tale, Susana Ellis

11/28/13: Sense of the Season, Kate Dolan

Interview With Saralee Etter

Susana: Tell us a little about yourself.

Saralee: I love to read, and always knew that writing was the only career for me. What could be better than to think up stories all day long? I day-dreamed constantly, so it seemed ideal.

Sadly, however, I couldn’t see a way to make a living writing the romantic and exciting stories that filled my head. Instead, I wrote other things: Newspaper articles, public relations releases, legal briefs.

Now I’m beginning to share the stories that I’ve been dreaming about for so long. They’re mostly light-hearted and fun. I’m an armchair time-traveler, so writing stories set during the English Regency period is the perfect way to enjoy history, romance, and delightful adventures all at once.

Susana: How long did it take you to get published?

Saralee: About 5 years from the time I began writing my first novel. As I mentioned above, I’d been writing newspaper articles and other non-fiction material, but that kind of writing is very different to writing a novel! I had to learn a whole new skill-set.

My first novelistic attempt was a sprawling historical romance/comedy/adventure/spy/mystery/ thriller I called “Death in a Powdered Wig.” The entire 128,000-word epic now lives in a three-ring binder on a shelf in the basement – where it will stay.

I wrote one other complete novel before Cerridwen Press (now Blush) published my traditional Regency romance, A Limited Engagement, in 2007. When you read Lydia’s Christmas Charade, you will meet Anthony Moore, one of the characters from that book. I liked young Anthony so much that I really wanted to tell his story, too.

Susana: What hobbies do you enjoy?

Saralee: I’m an avid reader, always with my nose in a book. I prefer to feel the weight of a book in my hand, but I also read a lot on my computer or phone (no ebook reader yet, but hope to get one soon). I enjoy making things with my hands – sewing, making beaded jewelry, and crocheting. I’m learning to knit.

Cooking is another fun activity. I love looking at recipes! There’s something so wonderful about beautiful food in lovely settings. Luckily, I live right near a family-owned you-pick vegetable farm as well as a large orchard, so I’ve got access to plenty of delicious fruits and vegetables.

Readers: What kinds of stories do you like to read? Light-hearted and happy ones, or the kind that make you weep and sigh? I know people who like both kinds.

Also, I’d love to know if you share any of these interests, or if you have other hobbies or activities that are fun to do.

About Lydia’s Christmas Charade

Dutiful, practical Lydia knew that her father, a wealthy commoner, planned to announce her engagement to a nobleman at their Christmas house party. But she didn’t expect her prospective fiancé to be in love with another woman!

Anthony wasn’t usually so reckless. But something about the unknown lady’s sweet manner and pansy brown eyes made him want to share a bit of juicy gossip with her. Everybody knew Lord Danville needed to marry an heiress to save his family from financial ruin. Nobody but Anthony would mention it to the heiress herself.

To fix the mess he’s created, Anthony must woo Lydia on his noble friend’s behalf—and Lydia will have to decide between duty and desire.

Available

Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Ellora’s Cave • Kobo • Sony

Contacts

Website • WordPress Blog (new!) • Facebook • Twitter

TJ Brown and “Summerset Abbey”

Oct28

The author will be awarding autographed copies of books two and three of the series, A Bloom in Winter and Spring Awakening to two randomly drawn commenters during the tour (open internationally). Click on the banner above to follow the rest of the tour and increase your chances of winning. Click here for the Rafflecopter.

About Summerset Abbey

Reminiscent of Downton Abbey, this first novel in a new series follows two sisters and their maid as they are suddenly separated by the rigid class divisions within a sprawling aristocratic estate and thrust into an uncertain world on the brink of WWI…

Rowena and Victoria, daughters to the second son of the Earl of Summerset, have always treated their governess’s daughter, Prudence, like a sister. But when their father dies and they move in with their uncle’s family in a much more traditional household, Prudence is relegated to the maids’ quarters, much to the girls’ shock and dismay. The impending war offers each girl hope for a more modern future, but the ever-present specter of class expectations makes it difficult for Prudence to maintain a foot in both worlds.

Vividly evoking both time and place and filled with authentic dialogue and richly detailed atmosphere, Summerset Abbey is a charming and timeless historical debut.

Available

Barnes & Noble • Amazon

Excerpt

A lump rose in her throat as she caught sight of the ornate casket, draped with a full spray of lilies, carnations, and palm fronds. The only reason she was here, clutching Rowena’s and Victoria’s hands in hers instead of shrinking into the background with the other servants, was the kindness of the man who lay inside. After Prudence’s father had died, her mother, who had worked at Sir Philip’s estate as a girl, had been sent to attend to Rowena and Victoria’s ailing mother. When his wife died, Sir Philip asked her to stay on to help raise the girls, and Prudence, exactly between his daughters in age, became part of the family. Prudence, who volunteered her time at several different poorhouses in the city, knew exactly what happened to young girls left alone in the world. She would forever be grateful to Sir Philip for not allowing that to happen to her.

She blinked away her tears and occupied herself by looking at the rest of the congregation. Only a few looked familiar. Among them were Rupert Brooke, the high-strung and handsome young poet; Ben Tillett, the iron-jawed union leader; and Roger Fry, the controversial artist responsible for bringing London’s shocked attention to postimpressionism some years prior. These were some of Sir Philip’s friends, a motley collection of artists, intellectuals, and misfits.

Because the Earl had arranged the funeral, most of the people in attendance were his peers, men from the House of Lords and others from the cream of London society.

Sir Philip would have hated it.

The beautiful gold arches and polished marble of St. Bride’s Church gleamed, just as they had the few times the family had attended church. Sir Philip had chosen St. Bride’s because, as he used to say, “Sir Christopher Wren built the kind of church that God might actually enjoy.”

Gradually, Prudence became aware of a young man staring at her from across the aisle. Her eyes darted in his direction, then away. Moments later, unable to help herself, she glanced back to see whether he was still looking at her. He was. She turned slightly and stared fixedly at the bronze candelabra to the left of him, her cheeks burning.

Victoria leaned around her to whisper to Rowena. “Look, Lord Billingsly has noticed our Prudence.”

“I’m right here,” Prudence whispered, and gave both their hands a hard squeeze for emphasis.

She didn’t look his way again.

Once the service started, Prudence sank into a well of grief that threatened to drown her. The waves of it lapped at her from all sides, covered her head, and made sight almost impossible. Inside, her heart broke and a waterfall of sorrow poured from the cracks. On one side, Victoria sobbed quietly, while Rowena’s stiff resolve buoyed her from the other. She clung to their hands as the service passed in a blur of speeches.

They remained that way until it was time to get into the ornate black and gold funeral carriages that would take them back to their home in Mayfair for the reception. Behind the carriages stood a line of motorcars; most of the wealthy guests had long given up their carriages for the convenience and speed of automobiles. The Earl himself had several, and Sir Philip’s sleek Eton-blue Belsize sat idle in the carriage house, but the Earl insisted on traditional horse-drawn carriages.

“Miss Tate will ride in the staff carriage.” The Earl’s voice brooked no opposition and his square jaw firmed. Prudence knew that look. Rowena’s pretty face held the same expression when she got all stubborn about something.

Victoria’s eyes widened. “Prudence rides with us.”

“Nonsense. The Duke of Plymouth wishes to join us and there isn’t enough room.”

Prudence placed her hands on Victoria’s shoulders. Tension vibrated through the young girl’s slender body and Prudence’s stomach knotted, sure that Victoria was going to throw a fit, the kind she used to throw when the family still called her baby and she wanted the biggest sweet in the shop. Even at eighteen, Victoria wasn’t above a tantrum or two if she thought the situation warranted it. But her waiflike face suddenly fell and her lower lip trembled.

“It’ll be all right,” Prudence whispered. “I’ll go back with the staff and meet you at home.”

About the Author

TJ Brown is proud of her two children but coming in a close second is the fact that she parachuted out of a plane and beat the original Legend of Zelda video game. Her young adult historical about Harry Houdini’s illegitimate daughter came out in June from Balzer+Bray. She also writes adult historicals under TJ Brown. She resides with her husband and way too many pets in Portlandia.