July 3, 2009

Tomorrow is the Fourth of July. As a kid, it was always one of my favorite holidays—the fireworks, having my dad home from work, backyard cookouts with plenty of desserts. What’s not to love?

As an adult, I still love the 4th, but I also think what a hassle to fight all the traffic to see a few fireworks. And it’s so hot outside. Houston is having a long, hot summer. Maybe I can have the backyard cookout in September…

I do have a friend who’s booked a hotel downtown, within walking distance of the fireworks. She and her boyfriend plan to order room service, walk to the fireworks, enjoy the show, and then walk back. Sounds like a plan to me.

So what are your plans? And are any of you lucky enough to live in one of these places? According to an article I read, these are American’s Best 4th of July Celebrations.

1. National Independence Day Parade - Washington, D.C.

What: The National Independence Day Parade takes place in the nation’s capital, the most fitting place to celebrate the 4th of July. Bands, giant balloons, floats, equestrian teams, celebrities and dignitaries all participate in the parade for quite a spectacle.

Where: On Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th Street.

When: The parade starts at 11:45 am on July 4th.

Tip: After the parade, spend the day celebrating and watch the impressive nighttime fireworks display at the National Mall.

2. Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Show - New York City

What: The Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Show is the nation’s largest and longest Independence Day pyrotechnic display. This year the fireworks show is returning to the Hudson River location, where it was originally created.

Where: The 26-minute display will be set off from six barges positioned between 24th and 50th Streets on the Hudson River.

When: The fireworks display will begin at 9 pm EST.

Tip: If you can’t make it to the Macy’s fireworks show, tune in to your local NBC station to catch the broadcast version. The on-air version also features a celebrity line-up and performances from top recording artists.

3. Boston Harborfest - Boston, MA
What: Boston Harborfest is a week packed with patriotic activities leading up to a big day of celebration for the 4th of July. Harborfest pays homage to the colonial and maritime history of the American Revolution with reenactments, historical tours and costume-filled festivities.

Where: Though events are spread throughout Boston’s historic center, the Harborfest website recommends starting your festivities at City Hall Plaza at One City Hall Square, Boston, MA 02201.

When: Harborfest 2009 runs from Tuesday, June 30th through Sunday, July 5th. On the 4th of July, the Flag Raising Ceremony and Parade takes place from 9 am - 10 am, and fireworks start at 9 pm.

Tip: July 1st is Children’s Day and July 5th is Chowderfest, where restaurants across Boston compete for the title of Boston’s Best Chowder.

4. Gridlock 4th of July at the Queen Mary - Long Beach, CA

What: Touted as California’s largest fireworks display, Gridlock at the Queen Mary is a day full of 4th of July festivities that end with a dramatic pyrotechnic show. During the day, enjoy live music from over 15 popular bands while exploring the Queen Mary from stem to stern.

When: July 4th, 2009, from 10 am until 10 pm. The fireworks show begins at 9 pm.

Where: The Queen Mary is located at 1126 Queen’s Highway, Long Beach, CA 90802.

Tip: If you get too tired to go home after all the festivities, you can book one of the Queen Mary’s original hotel staterooms for the night.

Whatever your plans, have a safe and happy 4th!

July 2, 2009

My dearest Readers,
In honor of my “Save the School of Gallantry Campaign,” I decided to introduce all of you to the inspiration behind Madame de Maitenon. Yes, my silver haired retired courtesan and headmistress of the School of Gallantry. Meet Ninon de L’Enclos. I stumbled across her name during some research I was conducting for another story and the more I unearthed about this woman, the more I realized I HAD to create an equally fascinating character.

Ninon de L’Enclos was born in Paris in 1620 and came from an interesting family. Her father had been exiled from France for participating in a duel and when her mother died, she decided to enter a convent. Of course, she didn’t last very long and a year later, she left the convent and decided to strike out on her own using her wit and her body to make her fortune. How did she decide to go from convent to courtesan? It may surprise you to know that the one thing Ninon wanted above all else was to remain unmarried and independent. That left a woman only one of two choices back in those days. The convent. Or the life of a courtesan. She figured out pretty quickly that there wasn’t all that much fun to be had at the convent…

Ninon, once she went out into the world, actually became quite known for her passionate involvement in the literary arts, not just the sexual arts. She interacted and encouraged writers such as Moliere and even left money from her estate for her accountant’s son, Francois Arouet. Better known as Voltaire. Voltaire has Ninon to thank for his education. Without it, who knows what he would have turned into.

It was, however, the older Ninon that ultimately fascinated me. She took on many lovers throughout the years, but never more than one at a time and involved herself with powerful, wealthy men, such as the King’s cousin and dukes. Perhaps the most heartbreaking, yet fascinating of stories is about her son. Ninon involved herself with a wealthy, powerful man and bore him a son. This man took the son from Ninon and asked that she never disclose herself as being the boy’s mother. She agreed and watched her son grow up from a distance. Imagine her astonishment when her fully grown son appears at her door one day and ardently pleads to her if she’d take him into her bed. Ehm. Yes. Talk about awkward. At first, she simply denied him and brushed him off, hoping that his pride would simply squash whatever hopes he had. But her son was so obsessed and in love with her that he simply would not give her any sense of peace. Ninon was beside herself and knew she simply had to reveal the truth to him. To get him to stop. When she revealed the truth, her son quietly left and that same day committed suicide by impaling himself upon his own sword. It was a tragedy that haunted Ninon for the rest of her days.

Such tragedies, however, often leads to great wisdom. (Don’t we all know that…) She thrived upon using her experience at every turn. When she wasn’t bedding her current lover, she held literary events and discussions with aristocratic men having to do with philosophy, life, love, and yes, even sex. It was a “school” of sorts she had created and she had quite the following of men. In the early stages of creating my books, I decided to take these “discussions” of hers with men and turn it into an actual school. Hence the creation of the School of Gallantry.

Without a doubt, Ninon was known for her quips and wit. She had great sayings like, “Much more genius is needed to make love than to command armies.” (Ain’t that the truth) And my my favorite “The resistance of a woman is not always a proof of her virtue, but more frequently of her experience.” These fabulous quotes of hers gave me ideas upon ideas as to how my imaginary school should be run as well as the sort of quotes I wanted to see at the beginning of each chapter within my books. Hence the lessons. Call it a tribute, if you will, to the fabulous Ninon.

What is perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Ninon and why I created an elderly courtesan for my series as opposed to a young one, is that the older Ninon got, the more sought after she became by men. Unlike most courtesans who were forced to retire due to age and lack of beauty, Ninon’s circle of admirers grew because they simply could not get enough of her wit and charm. Even women flocked to her for advice. One of my favorite stories about Ninon is when she was approached by a gentleman who desperately wanted to bed her but she really didn’t care for him. So she told him, “When I turn 80.” The man was so obsessed with her, that he waited, and when she turned 80, he showed up at her door saying it was time. Ninon was so amused by the man, she decided to bed him after all. Indeed, her approach toward men and toward life, the amount of wealth and power she acquired in her lifetime is beyond the comprehension of even a modern woman. I hail her for this alone. Ninon died at 84 and left her vast fortune to friends and admirers.

So there you have it. Ninon AKA Madame de Maitenon.

Cheers and much love,
Delilah Marvelle

July 1, 2009

My Dearest Readers,
When I was in high school, I had a dream. I was going to be the next Stephen King.

Heh. Yeah. Stay with me. I knew my ideas were fabulous and I knew all it would take is for an editor to look at it and they would offer me up the moon and the stars and best of all, a contract. I had my girlfriends read everything I wrote. And they kept telling me, “This is fabulous! It’s SO funny! Hilarious!” Seeing it really wasn’t supposed to BE funny, I immediately changed course realizing I actually had a better handle on being funny than scary. I also figured adding a romance into it would even make it better since that is what I loved to read.

I then entered college as an English major. I was going to be teacher and write during the summers. Even then I was a smart girl who knew I wasn’t going to make jack and that I needed a job to support the “creative” one. Throughout all of college I wrote historical romances. One right after another. And kept submitting. And submitting. And submitting. And kept getting rejected and rejected and rejected. In the meantime, I got married. I had two kids. I joined RWA. I got critique partners. I honed and honed and honed my writing. And kept writing and getting rejected. I eventually racked up over 200 rejections and had written over 40 books in those 11 years of trying to get published.

When I finally sold my first historical romance, MISTRESS OF PLEASURE, and my second book, LORD OF PLEASURE, I was beside myself. It didn’t feel real. To FINALLY arrive at a destination I had been traveling toward for 11 long years seemed like a mirage. Which fortunately, I quickly snapped out of. Because after all, most of my friends are all published and unpublished writers and the stories they all have told me throughout the years made me realize I had to fight with fists up for myself every step of the way. I knew publishers did little to no promotion for their authors, so I spearheaded my own promo, ready to be more than just an author. And even though I was budgeting very well and spending countless hours networking and promoting on websites and blogs, doing tons for free, I still ended up spending $7,000 on my first book. Which was way more than my advance. But hey, every business starts in the red. Right?

Then the reviews started coming in about my series set in 1830 London England about a school that educates men on the topic of love and seduction. People loved it! Wow. It got nominated for awards. Wow. Readers are e-mailing me raving. Wow. Readers from France, Austria and from all over the U.S and the world. Wow. It just kept getting better and better. I was beginning to feel as if every penny I spent was all worth it (even though my family and I weren’t going on any vacations and were eating out of cans).

Come contract time, I’m ready. Or so I thought… Mistress of Pleasure, though completely sold out and unavailable anywhere (unless it’s a used copy, some going for a ridiculous amount of $40.00 on amazon), hadn’t done as well as my publisher had hoped. So without waiting for the second book to come out to see if the series was even worth saving, I get a rejection from my editor citing lack of sales.

I have to say this rejection felt more personal than any of the other two hundred and some rejections I’d received. Because it was no longer “Your book isn’t good enough” it became “Your sales aren’t good enough.” Since when is an author supposed to be a market guru AND a fabulous writer? Eck.

I love this series. The men in it make me laugh and it broke my heart to think that my readers will never get a chance to read about Lord Brayton, my glorious male virgin. Then I realized something, maybe the series doesn’t have to end. Maybe readers can save it.

Ah. Herein lies the purpose of my post. I am challenging everyone to help me do something that’s never been done before. Save a series from a death sentence. Can it be done? Who knows. But I eat challenges for breakfast and I hope you do too. Please join me in saving my series. Come August 4th, tell everyone you know (yes, even you’re 72 year old grandfather) to buy the book, Lord of Pleasure. In doing so, you’ll have a chance to win one of three $50 Visa Gift Cards. How? Check out my website for details at www.DelilahMarvelle.com

That said, thank you for all the support everyone has already shown me. To all you readers out there, thank you for supporting us writers. To all you writers out there, don’t ever give up on your writing. The moment you do, you give up on yourself. Which is why I’m not giving up on my series.

Cheers and much love,
Delilah Marvelle

June 30, 2009

Young love. The memories.

The nostalgia of that cute, tanned boy with the fast boat that summer at the lake… Or the sweet boy at camp with the science kit, the nerdy glasses and the endearing smile… Or the smoking hot boy across the tracks with the motorcycle, the fake ID and the Dean Winchester grin…

Sometimes nostalgia is blissful in a sigh-worthy, “ahhhhhh…” kind of way. And sometimes it slices and cuts with recrimination over the one who got away.

For The Earl’s Pleasure is the latter sort of book. A story where a decade in the past everything went horribly wrong for two people on the verge of adulthood and they’ve been trying to recover (and forget their other half) ever since. When extreme circumstances occur, a narrow chance at reconciliation, redemption and a love that has always blazed hotly is set into motion. Of course, sometimes that means skirting the angel of death…some people just can’t get a break…

Any nostalgia for something fun in your youth? During your coming of age? Hailing Judy Blume? Thinking about a summer fling or a fun flirtation?

For The Earl’s Pleasure releases into the world today! I’ll pick one commenter (at random!) and send a $10 Amazon gift certificate your way in celebration.

*Partial cross posting from the Avon Romance blog

June 29, 2009

I have a book to finish by tomorrow, and I’ve been working lots of hours to get there. Many of them in the kitchen, where I keep the dog food and cat food. And I realized something … my pets have some interesting habits. I have two Labrador Retrievers, pictured below with my two sons. The dogs are Ranger (yellow) and Nick (black).

We keep two large bowls full of water for these guys (the dogs, not my sons) and I noticed that when one goes for a drink, the other one does, too. Every time. And they’ll stand there for several minutes, emptying one of the 2-liter bowls.

They get a little dab of canned food with their dry food for their evening feeding, and so they’ll often skip their morning meal and wait for the good stuff. (Hey, if they were hungry enough, they’d eat it, right?) If they hear the word “walk,” they make a mad dash for the back door, practically knocking down anyone in their path. They leave the cats alone for the most part, but if one of the cats moves suddenly, or runs, both dogs pounce. Not viciously at all - they just can’t resist a smaller critter that’s moving fast.

Nick is a thug, but Ranger is a little bit shy, sometimes nervous. He’s wary of visitors to the house. He’ll bark at them for maybe 3-4 minutes (really annoying!) but then warm up to them. Totally. Like he will lick their hands (or their legs if they’re wearing shorts, which is really popular!) But Ranger is also nervous about the toaster. I don’t have a lot of counter space, so we keep the toaster in a cupboard. When it comes out, Ranger heads for the basement. He has connected the toaster with the smoke alarm (long story and we have a new toaster now, anyway). Ranger doesn’t care about that. It scared him once when he was a puppy, and he refuses to be anywhere near a toaster any more.

The cats have just as many foibles. They hang out outside, but only one of them on our porch. The other will sit on the next-door neighbor’s because they don’t really like to be together. When I pull up in the car - even if I’m parking across the street - they start “talking” to me and rolling around on the ground to… I guess, to welcome me home. But do they recognize my car? Do they know it’s me before I even get out? Or do they do this for every car that happens to pull up and park across the street? I’m going to have to check this out.

We have a cat door, but neither of the cats like to use it. I have no idea why - it gives them all the freedom they could possibly want. But as I write this blog, Bob is sitting in front of the door, staring at the door knob as though it might open itself and let him out. (This is, of course, right after Bob came up and draped himself over my keyboard. I think the only reason he left is because my laptop is too warm).

The cats each get a dollop of canned food at night. They know it, and they come in and start swarming around the refrigerator at about 8:00. I guess this is more an issue of training than habit, although it’s turned into a habit for them.

What habits have your pets developed? I would love to draw one of your replies and send the winner a copy of Wild, my January release. Anyone?

June 27, 2009

I’m a quote junkie. I admit it. I have inspiring words to the left of my computer. If I look to my right I have some more. What I like about quotes is in a few short words they motivate and inspire.

I think most of us strive to be the best we can be…but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded.

Here are a few favorites of mine:

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act but a habit. Aristotle

This thing we call failure is not the falling down; it’s the staying down. Mary Pickford

Each of us makes a difference. It is from numberless acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. John F. Kennedy

I’m asking for your favorite quote(s). Why?

Because I need more to add to my collection….AND because I’ll be picking a winner from everyone who comments. That person will win a copy of my July Silhouette Special Edition Your Ranch or Mine? which will be out on the shelves next week!

June 26, 2009

Anyone else been watching Top Chef Masters? 

We have, because, well, we would watch Top Chefs Pour Cereal. And also because it’s summer and there’s not much else on the air. If you haven’t watched it, it’s four master chefs (usually chef/restauranteurs) competing for a donation to the charity of their choice. There’s usually at least one “young gun”  and at least one seasoned professional. 

Not only is it just good fun watching the cooking and crazy challenges, but I like the dynamics of the competition. So far, its been the older, more experienced chefs that are taking home the prize money. I’ve got to admit, I can appreciate a field where youth and beauty aren’t everything. I like to think that writing is like that too. Sure, it never hurts if you’re a former beauty contestant like Lisa Kleypas. But with a a few exceptions, we don’t have many author child stars. (Yeah, yeah, there’s that guy who wrote Eragon, but we’re not going to count him.)

Many authors improve with age. Earnest Hemmingway wrote Old Man and the Sea when he was fifty-two. (Okay, so I didn’t love it, but apparently those Pulitzer people did.) One of my favorite writers is Elizabeth Peters is eighty-two and still going strong. After thirty-one years she decided to end the brilliant Amelia Peabody mystery series because the characters were getting too old. She herself is still going strong. 

I love that writers get better with age. That no one cares if we look old. (Though bio pics that our clearly our high school yearbook picture from 1989 will open us up to ridicule.) And thank goodness I can work in my stained, nine-year-old t-shirt from Target. I may be humiliated to open the door for the UPS guy, but at least none of you see me looking like that. 

So do you have any favorite older authors? 

June 25, 2009

Every June my husband attends a work-related conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida. It’s a family-friendly affair, so that means our daughter and I get to tag along and pretend to be ladies of leisure in one of the wealthiest cities in the world.

Sure, June is considered “off season.” The privileged have flown their winter mansions for cooler digs up north or in Europe… or wherever people with deep pockets go when the heat index is 110. But for us, it’s a little vacation from reality where we can soak up the Palm Beach sun and have a nibble of the good life.

Since we just returned yesterday and I’m still buzzing from the trip, I thought I’d give you my own personal tour of what I love most about Palm Beach.

This is Royal Palm Way, the gateway to Palm Beach. Such a majestic entry into the beautiful city.

I never tire of gawking at the mansions that line Ocean Boulevard (which is also known as “Billionaire’s Row”). Good thing, because the hotel is located at the end of South Ocean Boulevard, just north of the city of Lake Worth. To get to Worth Ave, you must travel a six-mile stretch that is bordered on the east by the Atlantic Ocean — and mansions– and on the west by the Intracostal Waterway (separating Palm Beach from West Palm Beach) — and mansions. Six miles of the most unfathomable real estate. Every time we drive it, one of us utters, “Who lives in these houses?!”

Well, to name a few: Marjorie Merriweather Post – Post Cereal heiress, socialite, philanthropist and wife of E.F. Hutton; Donald Trump; and the Kennedys have all lived there at one time or another.

This is a photo of the infamous Palm Beach Kennedy compound, which was known as the “Winter White House” in the 1960s. It’s located at 1095 North Ocean Boulevard and is reportedly worth around $16 million.

This is Mar-a-Lago (located 1100 South Ocean Boulevard). It was built by Marjorie Merriweather Post and recently sold by Donald Trump for $100 million dollars.

Personally, I love this house.

Also, I love the color of the water. It’s so blue. This is a shot of the beach off Ocean Boulevard.

This is Worth Avenue. The east coast Rodeo Drive.

This is my favorite restaurant, Ta-boo. It’s located on Worth Avenue. Ta-boo offers delicious food and the most gracious, welcoming service. The warm people and promise of a great meal keep us coming back year after year. That’s my car reflected in the door. I shot this photo as I was driving away after lunch.

More of the gorgeous coconut palms that epitomize south Florida.

And then there is the amazing hotel. Staying at any Four Seasons is an event (the day we arrived there was a wedding and the flowers alone were like something from a fantasy – the most voluptuous pink, lavender and white roses I’ve ever seen… wish I could’ve snapped a photo, but my camera wasn’t handy). There’s a fabulous pool and newly renovated spa, and the beach. Even if we chose to never venture outside the hotel, it would be a wonderful vacation… Alas, we can’t resist the allure of Palm Beach…

Now, we’re back to real life and counting the days until next year’s get away. What’s your favorite escape?

June 24, 2009

The Coffee House
A Histori-Skit by Sarah Parr
(The following piece and characters are entirely fictional, only the issue was real. Enjoy.)

London, Medford Hall
A lecture hall with two podiums before an audience of about a hundred there stand a man and a woman.

Introduction: Since the public fiasco last month, coffee houses have been under increased scrutiny. This afternoon, Elizabeth Haverstrom and Marcus Northingfrom will debate the issue. ~ Mr. Harold Tutherton, Esq

Elizabeth: Ladies and gentlemen of the London Well Being Society. London is being destroying at its foundation by the permeation of the coffee house throughout the city. Currently there are well over 2,000 of the odious structures. Rather than taking a meal with family, their lure keeps men out late, returning too exhausted for even the slightest conversation. It has even been reported that consumption of the’ nasty puddle water’ turns men impotent!

Marcus: (Shaking head.) Poor ignorant Elizabeth. This uproar is a pointless din. No medical evidences have arisen to show coffee dries properties of the spirit. In fact, according to numerous sources, there has been an increase in the number of births and a rise in the population. As for staying out late, the majority of coffee establishments offer meals for only a few pence. Is it any wonder after a day of hard labor a man would choose a meal that is readily available? This is no crime.

Elizabeth: You are a poor judge, sir. Living the sad and lonely bachelor life, you would be uninformed of the trials of marriage. Coffee houses are filled with debauchery and scandal. Even the most exclusive establishments have become disreputable.

Marcus: And yet they are used as penny posts, where anyone except turned-nose-snobbists like yourself, might have a letter delivered conveniently. Coffee houses are necessary for male interaction. It is there newspapers are read and discussed, not to mention business transpired.

Elizabeth: Business of a foul and disgusting nature, not that you would know the difference.

Marcus: (Turns from the audience to face her fully) Edward Llyod’s coffee house on the corner of Abchurch Lane has become a fixture in the shipping business. Many are used for the auction of goods, as evident in any newspaper. You must admit, coffee houses are a far better refuge than alehouses or taverns.

Elizabeth: (Ignoring him.) You can still get drunk at a coffee house. Then there is the issue of gambling, a plague, destroying lives and crippling the economy of the Empire.

Marcus: If you are referring to my loss of the one thousand pounds last year…

Elizabeth: (Whirls, squares across from him.) It would have secured our future. You promised both father and me to keep that money safe.

Marcus: Elizabeth, I’m sorry. I had hoped to make it back double fold, to buy you the home you wanted.

Elizabeth: That can’t happen now.

Marcus: You never opened my letters. I recovered the money and bought the house. I still want to marry you.

Elizabeth: (Stares at him for a long breath.) We are here to debate the future of the coffee house.

Marcus: (Crosses to her and takes her hands, kissing them). By the end of the millennium you’ll find a coffee house on every corner. Diversity in drink will be offered. People will drive up and order directly from their coach windows. Empires will be grown from the coffee plant.

Elizabeth: (Narrows her eyes, tightens her grip and nods). But not by us.

Marcus: (Searches her face and also nods). Agreed.

True to his word, Marcus prospered without frequenting another coffee house, becoming a successful masthead salesman. He and Elizabeth married and raised three children, living comfortably all their years. The popularity of the coffee house died off towards the end of the Georgian period. It lingered throughout Europe until near the end of the millennium where it was again popularized in Pike Place Market by Starbucks. Today three of Marcus and Elizabeth’s descendants are baristas.

Sarah Parr writes Georgian Historical Romance Adventure for Kensington. Check out her debut, Renegade at www.SarahParr.com

Anne (a reader not the JQ) is the winner of Tera Lynn Childs’s books Oh. My. Gods. and Goodess Bootcamp!

Anne, email Tera at tlc@teralynnchilds.com with your mailing address and how you’d like the books signed. Congrats!