A Warm Welcome to Janet Mullany

Janet Mullany, granddaughter of an Edwardian housemaid, was born in England but now lives near Washington, DC. Her debut book was Dedication, the only Signet Regency to have two bondage scenes (and which was reissued with even more sex in April 2012 from Loose-Id). Her next book, The Rules of Gentility (HarperCollins 2007) was acquired by Little Black Dress (UK) for whom she wrote three more Regency chicklits, A Most Lamentable Comedy, Improper Relations, and Mr. Bishop and the Actress. Her career as a writer who does terrible things to Jane Austen began in 2010 with the publication of Jane and the Damned (HarperCollins), and Jane Austen: Blood Persuasion (2011) about Jane as a vampire, and a modern retelling of Emma, Little to Hex Her, in the anthology Bespelling Jane Austen headlined by Mary Balogh.

She also writes contemporary erotic fiction for Harlequin, Tell Me More (2011) and Hidden Paradise (September, 2012).
Here's Janet's latest release:

The Malorie Phoenix by Janet Mullany 
BLURB: Benedict de Malorie, Earl of Trevisan, can never forget the masked woman he met one night at a London pleasure garden. The clever pickpocket stole his heart and his family's prized jewel – the Malorie Phoenix. But the family treasure reappears in Benedict's darkest hour, returned by its thief, along with the unexpected gift of his infant daughter. 

Believing that she is dying, Jenny Smith leaves her daughter in the custody of the baby’s blueblood father. Seven years later she finds herself in good health and alone, yearning for her only child. To raise enough money to support them both, she takes part in a daring escapade that requires her to impersonate a woman of quality. She fools the ton and Benedict himself.

When Jenny finds herself entangled in a murderous plot against Benedict, the father of her child, her carefully laid plans begin to fall apart. All she wants is her daughter back, but she never thought she'd fall in love with Benedict. Revealing her part in the plot means she will almost certainly lose Benedict and their daughter forever. But continuing to play her role puts them all in terrible danger.

Before treating us to an excerpt, Janet Reveals:
From where do you get inspiration and what inspired you to write The Malorie Phoenix?

The Malorie Phoenix is based mostly on a manuscript that finaled in the 2003 Golden Heart. I recycled the hero and the villain but I recycled the heroine from another ms. I’m very big on recycling, sometimes hunting through fragments to find one sentence I can’t bear to waste. I became fascinated with the idea of a heroine originally from a very poor background impersonating a gentlewoman. How could she get away with it? Why wouldn’t anyone recognize her? What would she need to know and how would she learn?

In a couple of sentences, describe the hero’s character.  What do you like best/least about him?

Benedict de Malorie inherited his title unexpectedly and under tragic circumstances, and on the worst night of his life discovered he had an infant daughter to care for. He’s determined to protect his name and family honor and do his best for those in his care. It’s only that he’s so proud and sarcastic (like most of my heroes) that stops him being absolutely unbearably perfect. And, oh yeah, he’s hot. What’s not to love … well, I don’t like that he’s an aristocrat. I prefer to write about commoners now, but then I was trying to crack the romance code.

And the heroine? How do you relate to her?

Jenny Smith is a survivor in a time when women and the poor are of little account and steals and lies to make a living. She makes the terrible decision to give her child into the care of the baby’s father when she thinks she’s dying. And later she’ll do almost anything to get her daughter back. I loved the idea of having a very low born woman masquerade as a woman of quality, and had to come up with a plausible backstory to make it possible.

What do you hope your readers come away with after reading your books?

A sense that they’ve been moved and entertained, and that the characters will stay with them for a while. And naturally that they’ll rush out to buy my backlist! I think one of the things we’ve lost with ebooks is that you can no longer press a book into someone’s hands and say “You must read this!” It’s a shame.

What do you think are the main ingredients for a successful book?

Strong writing. I can forgive a lot if the writing has style and flair. I tend to judge books by how well they distract me on my commute (by Washington DC Metro). If I miss a stop, that’s a very good book. If I get on the wrong line because I’m reading at the station and not paying attention and don’t notice until it’s too late, that’s an excellent book.

Have you ever suffered from writer's block?

I don’t suffer from writer’s block as such—I can always squeeze something out knowing I can go back and clean it up later. I think it’s important to keep the story going, if necessary jumping ahead and returning later. The most successful writers I know are ones who regularly write a couple thousand words a day: productivity is so important in genre fiction. A kitchen timer set for 20 minutes works for me, as does having music playing. It’s a wonderful feeling when the words just flow, but it can be hard to get to that point.

What is the best writing advice you have ever received?

I’ll turn this around by saying that hearing “You can’t do that in a romance,” and ignoring it and doing it anyway because I knew it was right was the best writing advice I gave myself. The other advice, which I knew instinctively, was to read, and read very widely, something I’d done for years before I started writing. It’s the way you develop your voice, and you get a feel for what works in fiction and what doesn’t.

What can we look forward to from you in the near future?

My next book is an erotic contemporary from Harlequin, Hidden Paradise in September 2012. It’s about an Austen-themed resort where people lose their inhibitions and their authentic Regency clothes. What happens at Paradise Hall stays in Paradise Hall!

What was your favourite book as a child/teen/adult? Are you currently reading anything?

I loved the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis. I still do, despite their heavy handed religious message (and sexism, racism, you name it). I’m currently reading Mrs. Robinson’s Disgrace: The Private Diary of a Victorian Lady by Kate Summerscale. It’s about how things were changing for women in the mid nineteenth century when the divorce laws changed, and how a middle-aged, middle-class woman kept a diary of her love affairs.

What is your culinary speciality?

I make very good bread. I find getting my hands in dough very calming and the process is always surprising and wonderful. I blogged about it here. http://riskyregencies.blogspot.com/2012/03/all-about-bread.html

Now A Taste of Janet:

She recognized him immediately although he had changed. The man who stood there was taller, a little broader in the shoulder, with a wary, damaged look in his eyes—a man who had reason to mistrust the world. His hair sprang back from his brow as she remembered, a streak of white where seven years ago she had seen the raw red of a burn.

"Ladies." He bowed. His voice was as she remembered, deep, resonant, beautiful.
 "You are come at a happy time, Trevisan. Look who has arrived this hour from the Continent!"
 He straightened, his golden eyes cold as he looked at her. "Indeed. The lost lamb is returned to the fold."
He looked down to one side as a small figure stepped from behind him. "Ladies, I should like to introduce my daughter, Miss Sarah de Malorie."
My friends call me Malorie.
His face softened as he placed one hand on the child's shoulder. She looked at them with solemn eyes beneath a cloud of dark curls.
Her eyes had changed color, now the same dark-rimmed golden eyes of her father, and her face echoed his, in a smaller and more feminine form—the promise of high cheekbones above childishly rounded cheeks. Jenny remembered the cloudy blue eyes of an infant who had just learned to smile, the wide stretch of her tiny pink mouth. Forgive me.
Beside Jenny, Mrs. Stanley sucked her breath in sharply. "Good afternoon." Sarah's voice was soft and sweet. She looked at her father for approval. None of the Stanley family moved. Jenny stepped forward. "Good afternoon, Sarah."Her daughter hesitated before an answering smile lit up her face. She tucked one foot behind the other and dropped a neat, elegant curtsy.
Forgive me.

Follow the rest of Janet's tour here

Janet's Links:  Website:www.janetmullany.com Twitter @Janet_Mullany Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Janet-Mullany-Author/144530775580812
  Amazon buy linkclick here

Thanks for having me visit! 
Thank you for dropping by. Pleasure to meet you!

Leave a comment for the chance to win a $20 Amazon GC

A Warm Welcome to Sherry Gloag

Multi-published author, Sherry Gloag is a transplanted Scot now living in the beautiful coastal countryside of Norfolk, England.  She considers the surrounding countryside as extension of her own garden, to which she escapes when she needs "thinking time" and solitude to work out the plots for her next novel.  While out walking she enjoys talking to her characters, as long as there are no other walkers close by.

Apart from writing, Sherry enjoys gardening, walking, reading and cheerfully admits her books tend to take over most of the shelf and floor space in her workroom-cum-office.  She also finds crystal craft work therapeutic.

Here's what Sherry has to say about the craft of writing -
Words and Jigsaws:

Writing a book is a bit like building a jigsaw puzzle.  If you fail to place the correct piece in the right place, whether you’re convinced you have put it in the only place that fit, your finished jigsaw puzzle will never look complete. 

 And so it is with words.
The word you choose can change your scene from good to stunning.  Or it can rob the scene of action, dropping it into an also-ran event that takes the story in the right direction but leaves the reader seriously wondering whether it’s worth the effort to turn the page over.  Even e-readers require you to rub your finger across the screen to read on!
The power or lack of a word can also make or break your settings.  Place your story in the Regency period of historical London and then use a modern idiom, and, obviously, you’ll lose your readers.
But it’s more subtle than that.  Here’s a very simple example-
He entered the room… or
He stormed into the room….
Both may be correct in their way, but which perks up your interest more?
Next, what kind of room is our hero entering?
Let’s place him in the Regency period, LOL. Why? Because I’m in the middle of writing a Regency romance! But he could be just as easily entering a bar, (there are hundreds of different kinds of bars!) or a library, perhaps a barn in a Western romance, but if it was a historical Western your word choice would be different again.  Same scene but different time periods, so you see, that simple choice suddenly becomes a little more complex.
He entered the ballroom, and all eyes turned in his direction.
Storming into the ballroom and ignoring the disruption he created, he headed straight for Anastasia.
The power of a single word can change the substance of your scene.  If it is a weak word, search for a strong one.  If that means re-writing your sentence, or two or three, then so be it.  If it means the wrong word will destroy the accuracy of your setting, search for the right one.  As I did in this sentence.  The only word I could think of was ‘truth’ but it was the wrong word, but I wrote it in anyway, then highlighted it and hit the thesaurus and came up with the word I wanted. ‘Accuracy.’
A single word can turn a sentence from ‘tepid into the hook at the end of a chapter that guarantees your readers will not put the book down to go to sleep, or get the family meal ready.  And if that ‘right’ word comes at the end of your book, after all those other ‘just right’ words, it may even guarantee your readers will be waiting with baited breath for your next book, and the next, and the next…
In the first two books of my Gasquet Princes series, From Now Until Forever and His Chosen Bride, published by Astraea Press, I had to spend a lot of time searching for words I considered added to the royal connotations of the stories.
Words are tools; some are more powerful than others.  Choose your tools, and your words, carefully.

Now for A Taste of Sherry

Buy

From Now Until Forever
Blurb: For Prince Liam, families meant bad news, unwanted commitments, and the loss of his personal freedom.  Love spawned white picket fences, slippers at the hearth with a wife and kids making demands, so why did those images disappear when he met Melanie Babcot?

Melanie Babcot fought hard to escape the horrors of her youth and vowed to remain single and free, so when paid to protect Prince Liam from insurgents why did her personal pledge fly out the window?

Excerpt: Liam Fitzwilliam Gasquet stared in amazement at the blooming patch of red milliseconds before the pain exploded in his arm. Some trigger-happy idiot had fired in his direction. Indignation didn’t have time to take root before another bullet kicked the dust at his feet.
Not ‘trigger-happy’.
Intentional.
The rebels had found the fourth and youngest son of Jean-Phillipe Gasquet, ruler of the tiny kingdom adjacent to the Swiss border. When had they discovered his whereabouts?
With a reluctant sigh, he faced the truth of it. They hadn’t ‘found’ him at all. They’d followed him.

His Chosen Bride

Buy

Blurb: Prince Henri Gasquet is happy to let his father, the king, choose his bride for him until he meets Monica Latimer.

Monica Latimer is not prepared to risk letting any man close enough to learn about her Gift. A gift that normally has men running for the hills when they find out about it.

Excerpt:
She lost track of time until the flames caught her attention once more. They flickered from orange to gold, to silver, to white.
A flurry of snowflakes masked the flames and for a second Monica watched the most beautiful, pristine snow-scene she’d ever seen. Her lips curved in longing. How she’d love to get a toboggan and slide down that slope. She knew where it was, and had done just that many times in her childhood, first with her parents and then, in clandestine manner, with her brother. Sneaking an old tin tray from the back of her mother’s walk-in pantry, she’d then grabbed Billy’s hand and they’d rushed out the back gate, heading for the lakeside track that led up into the hills.
Darkness, dense and thick with grief dropped over the scene. Startled and disconcerted by the strength of emotion emanating from the vision Monica shifted to her knees, ready to stand, when a voice, a deep male voice, sharp with fear called out her name.
“Monica!”
She knew she’d never heard the voice before, and yet—it was as familiar to her as the image she saw in her mirror each morning.
“Help me, Monica.”
Desperate for more clues, she searched the darkness within the flames until it sputtered and faded. With a curse she jumped up and ran for the phone. With her outstretched hand hovering over it she halted and let her hand drop to her side once more. What could she say? What would the police or rescue team think of her if she called them and told them she’d seen a vision of a man in distress?
They’d laugh in her face and classify her as a lunatic. Well, maybe not. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d contacted them with positive information but something—an instinctive gut reaction told her what she’d seen this time hadn’t happened yet.

Links: Read more about Sherry at her website and her blog  Buy From Now Until Forever here and His Chosen Bride at Astraea Press here 
Sherry's books are also available on Amazon click links
Many thanks for visiting today, Sherry. Enjoyed your article and it's always a pleasure to host you.     

Leave a comment for the chance to win a copy of Sherry's novel The Wrong Target click link to view the book

A Warm Welcome to Ginger Hanson

Ginger Hanson is a former college history teacher who found writing historical romance a natural outlet for her love of history. While Lady Runaway is her first foray into the Regency period, her two award-winning Civil War era historical romantic adventures were published in 2004. Ransom's Bride scored success as the winner of the 2005 Gayle Wilson Award Of Excellence and was a finalist in the 2005 Holt Medallion Contest. Tennessee Waltz was a finalist in the 2005 Maggie as well as the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence in the Historical category.

Ginger also has two published contemporary romance novels set in the fictional small town of Tassanoxie, Alabama. The series slid into ebook only format with a 2011 Christmas short story, A Christmas Diamond for Merry. Read more at Ginger's website link

Ginger says of her writing career:  I’ve written everything from a newspaper humor column to an aviation newsletter during my writing career, but mostly I wrote novels. For years I created fictional worlds and submitted my manuscripts hoping an editor would fall in love with my stories and offer me a contract. In 2004, an editor finally did and my first two historical romances were published.

Blessed with normal writer’s luck, my editor resigned, the line was cancelled, and I was orphaned. After a five year dry spell, the editor at Twilight Times Books offered me a contract for Lady Runaway, a historical Regency adventure romance. Several weeks later, I was also offered a contract for my first sweet contemporary romance, Feather’s Last Dance!

For the last two years, I’ve concentrated on stories in what became the Tassanoxie, Alabama, series. Ellie’s Song was released last January and the short story, A Christmas Diamond for Merry, became available in December 2011. I have a novella awaiting publication and several more stories for that series “awaiting completion.”

I love the flexibility and speed of the new world of digital publishing. It’s fun to know you can write short stories, novellas, or novels and get them quickly to the reading public. With that in mind, I plan to jump into self-publication this year and offer my first two Civil War historical romances as ebooks. Mostly, I look forward to the chance to write more stories, historical and contemporary, and connect with more readers.

BUY

Before we learn more about Ginger, here's  the blurb for Lady Runaway:

 Fleeing arrest by a spurned suitor, Lady Riana Travistock heads for London where she is knifed in a street brawl when she helps a man attacked by footpads. Luckily for Lady Riana, the victim of the attack is army surgeon Captain Devlin Carrington who takes her home to tend her injury.

When Dev cuts off her blood-soaked chemise to stitch the knife wound, a fortune in jewels spill out. Has he saved a lovely jewel thief only to watch her hang?

And a sample review: Familial relationships enrich and the conflicts excite, but the LOVE is memorable. Lady Runaway is a story to enjoy more than once. It is a KEEPER.
Long and Short Reviews link

Now Ginger Reveals:

From where do you get inspiration and what inspired you to write Lady Runaway?
Inspiration for a story can come from anywhere, a snippet of conversation, a picture, something I read, etc. My Regency romantic adventure, Lady Runaway originated in a dream scene that lodged itself firmly in my brain and I couldn’t forget it. The scene involved a young woman hiding in a London alley. She is pulling her hand, sticky with her own blood, away from her chest.

In a couple of sentences, describe the hero’s character.  What do you like best/least about him?   Captain Devlin Carrington, the younger son of an earl, wants to do something useful with his life. He chooses to be an Army doctor even though it’s not an accepted profession for an aristocrat’s son. This is what I like best about him, his willingness to go against society’s dictates.  What do I like least about him? His need for his father’s approval. Now this is a perfectly legitimate human need, but Dev will have to decide whether or not he should let this need rule his life. 

And the heroine? How do you relate to her?   I love Lady Riana Travisock because she’s a feisty and fun heroine, my favourite type! What woman can’t love a heroine who whacks the bad guy over the head in the first chapter? Now, how do I relate to Lady Riana? Very well since she’s smart, witty, and independent!

Who controls the story – you or your characters?
At the beginning of the process, I control everything because I’m the one creating the characters, their backstory, and the plot. Somewhere along the way, the characters take shape and start demanding more control and then I have to share!

What do you hope your readers come away with after reading your books?    My stories tend to be about second chances at love. Usually the heroine and/or hero have been hurt in their early relationships (who hasn’t) and now they have a chance to get it right. In Lady Runaway, both Dev and Riana have been involved in previous relationships and neither ended well. This story not only gives them another chance at a meaningful relationship, but also they both learn how to be true to their inner self.

What do you most enjoy about writing romance?
Writing stories that end with the characters experiencing love and hope give me great joy as a writer.

The best writing advice I ever received?
Writers have an endless source of words and that means there is no reason to hang onto every one you write as if it were made of gold! Believe me, they aren’t. Think of revision as reducing the dross to find the gold. 

What can we look forward to from you in the near future?   Right now, I’m at a crossroads in my career. As I mentioned, I have the reversion of rights for my first two historical romances and have decided to take the plunge into e-book self-publication. A window for change (stay where I am, change publisher, or self-publish) for my small town contemporary Tassanoxie series opened recently and I‘m wrestling with that decision.I also have a more traditional Regency romance on the back burner I’d like to finish writing this year. And I’d love to write some stories about pioneer female aviators! So many stories to write, so little time…

 
What would you most like to accomplish this year?   Publication of Lady Runaway and the Tassanoxie series put me into the world of e-books and small publishers. Promotion in this world is a different ballgame compared to traditional promotion. I had a lot to learn and I’m still learning, but this year I hope to use what I’ve learned from my research and various workshops to gain a wider readership. I’m fortunate to have built a small but loyal fan base over the years. (A friend/fan called me this morning to tell me she had a new Nook Color and her first purchase was one of my ebooks!) Their support has kept me writing. It also gives me hope that others will enjoy what I write. Thus, what I would most like to accomplish this year is to connect with more readers.

What was your favourite book as a child/teen/adult?    As a child, my favourite books starred the intrepid Nancy Drew! I risked being stuck in the corner, but I continued to tuck her books into my textbooks and read them during class. As a teen (and I’m showing my age here), I loved Mary Stewart’s romantic suspense novels. I believe the strong heroines drew me to these books. While I still read romantic adventure stories, I’m an eclectic reader who enjoys all types of books from romantic comedy to post-apocalyptic fiction and picking a favourite book is nearly impossible.

How about favourite writers?
That’s difficult, too, because I read so many types of books. Some of my favourite writers: Jayne Anne Krentz (I love how she writes in three time periods); Barbara Metzger is one of my favourite Regency writers with her intriguing use of stream of consciousness; J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books are a treat to read (I love her imagination); I’m a sucker for Jacqueline Winspear’s post-World War I mysteries featuring Masie Dobbs; and for sheer fun no one beats Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books. I keep way too many books around the house because I never know what I’ll feel like reading. I like to have choices. But I’m sure I’ll be able to reduce some of the bookcases once I get more books loaded into my iPad!

Are you currently reading anything?
I just finished Mary-Ann Tirone Smith’s Love Her Madly, the first in a series about a female FBI investigator. When I’m in iPad mode, I’m reading Maggie Shayne’s Fairytale and my nonfiction choice for this week is Harriette Wilson’s Memoirs, edited by Lesley Blanch. Since I judge RWA’s RITA each year, I’ll soon be reading a selection of the latest romance releases.

What is your culinary speciality?    Does breakfast count? I’ve been trying to reduce the amount of gluten in our diet and started trying out different types of flour in my pancakes. Had some real disasters, but a mixture of amaranth, oat, and teff is my current blend. 

And finally A Taste of Ginger 

Chapter One

Dorking, England1811

The heavy brass doorknocker banged against the front door, startling Lady Riana Travistock into dropping the two portmanteaus. They thumped to the bare wood floor at her feet while she frowned at the door. Since the last of the household servants had left yesterday, she would have to answer the summons. Stalking across the foyer, she paused long enough to curve her mouth into a polite smile before opening the door.

"My dear Lady Riana!"

The smile froze on her face. Sir Hector Stalkings was supposed to be in London, not Dorking. An unladylike expletive exploded in her brain. She tried to soften her smile, but her mouth felt as starched as the cravat around Sir Hector's thick neck. "Sir Hector, what a... pleasant surprise."

Peering beyond her into the shadowed hallway, his brown gaze swept the room, stopping at the bags bunched on the inlaid oak floor. "What I hear is true? You're leaving us?"

Gossamer wings of panic unfurled in her breast. She had hoped to escape Dorking without seeing her father's friend. "You heard correctly. Pennywise and I are booked on this afternoon's stagecoach."

"Thank goodness I returned from London before you left," he said.

Good manners forced her backward when he started through the door. The scent of the late June roses blooming along the front portico wafted into the hall behind cloying waves of his Canterbury violet perfume.

"Stricken," he said, "absolutely stricken to hear you and Mrs. Pennywise have been forced to leave your home."

The wings of distress flapped against her ribs with the power of a kestrel fighting to be airborne as he stepped into the foyer. Only years of deportment lessons kept its drumming beat out of her voice.

"Thank you for your sentiments, but Mrs. Pennywise and I quite look forward to this change in our lives."

"Look forward to the change! How can you? I hear Pennywise is to retire to her sister's home in Woking. And you have secured a teaching position in London. What a brave face you have put on this disaster." Sir Hector shook his head as he closed the front door. "'Tis a sad day when Lady Riana Travistock is reduced to teaching someone elses' brats."

He hadn't heard the complete truth, but no one in Dorking knew about the jewels except her and Pennywise.
Go to http://www.twilighttimesbooks.com/LadyRunaway_ch1.html to read more

Follow the rest of Ginger's tour at this link

SPECIAL 0FFER: Twilight Times Books is running the ebook version of Lady Runaway at a 50% discount from the Twilight Times Books web site (discount applied at chackout), also available at Amazon Kindle, Allromance, Fictionwise, OmniLit  for the week of Ginger's blog tour
Plus Ginger will be giving away a $10 Barnes and Noble GC and the choice of either a print copy of How I Wrote My First Book: The Story Behind the Story which includes “Ten Lessons I Learned from Writing Quest for Vengeance" by Ginger Hanson -or- a new paperback copy of Ransom’s Bride by Ginger Hanson to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
Don't forget to leave a comment for the chance to win a prize

Thank you for sharing with us, Ginger. It has been a pleasure to meet you!

                          I'd like to thank you, Megan, for inviting me to participate in your blog this week.

                                 I’d also like to thank readers who stopped by for sharing their time with me

Links: Find Ginger at her blog   her website   on facebook  at missmabeltalkstassanoxie
BUY Links: Fictionwise  amazon.com  amazon.co.uk twilighttimes AllRomance OmniLit