This month, Rita-winning author Karen Templeton kicks of the latest Harlequin Special Edition series: THE FORTUNES OF TEXAS…WHIRLWIND ROMANCE. Her book, FORTUNE’S CINDERELLA, is the first of six books in the continuing saga of one of the compelling Fortune family.

* So glad you could join us today, Karen, where did you get the idea for FORTUNE’S CINDERELLA?

From Harlequin’s editorial department, actually. <g> Since FC is part of the ongoing Fortunes of Texas continuity series for Special Edition, I was given a brief overview of the storyline, as well as the character types, which I then expanded on to make them “mine.” Kind of like an actor getting a script (only I then had to write the script, too!).

* Tell us about the hero of the book? Why will we fall in love with him?

Interestingly, I tend to write mostly blue-collar or “everyday” heroes, so writing a rich dude is a stretch. A fun stretch, but a stretch. Scott Fortune was originally supposed to be on the alpha side, too…but that’s even more of a stretch for me than the wealthy thing! It’s the betas that make my knees weak! However, there’s a lot to be said for the alpha protective streak, too…and boy, is Scott protective. To the point where he’s willing to put his posterior on the line with his family in order to take care of the heroine – and how can you not fall in love with someone who does that? But what makes him even more swoon-worthy is that, for all he’s used to manipulating people and events to make things go his way, he quickly learns that the business of love doesn’t work that way…and that sometimes you have to let things unfold however they’re going to. You know, let the other person call the shots some times? A good man, that Scott.

* Tell us about the heroine? Why is she the perfect woman for the hero?

Christina Hastings really is a modern-day Cinderella, a snack bar waitress living in a seedy apartment complex (with her trusty sidekick, Gumbo, a hound who lives to love) while she’s struggling to finish up her college degree before she turns eighty. But although she has little in the way of material things, she’s got enough spirit for ten people…as well as an unshakeable conviction that if you don’t go after what you really want in life, what’s the point of living? Which makes Scott – who’s spent way too many years doing what’s been expected of him, not necessarily what’s best for him – reassess a thing or six. And fall in love in the process.

* What life lessons do your H/H have to learn before they can find their happily-ever-after?

This story is all about letting go of preconceived notions, of who we are and what we think we deserve…or not. That you can’t talk the talk about life being too short to go after your dreams, and then be afraid to take a chance on what could be the biggest blessing you’ll ever know.

* Is there any particular significance in the setting?

Since the entire series has been set in and around fictional Red Rock, Texas, I didn’t get to make up that part. J However, I did find a whole lot of symbolism in those wide open spaces, especially for big-city boy Scott – who decides to trade all those imposed expectations for what, in comparison, feels like infinite possibilities.

* If this is part of a continuity, tell us about your experience working on connected stories with other authors.

In my case, working with the other authors – Marie Ferrarella, Judy Duarte, Nancy Robards Thompson, Susan Crosby and Allison Leigh – was an absolute delight. We have a great time brainstorming plot points and character details with each other, and in my mind at least, this is going to be the Best. Series. Ever. LOL!

* What was the most difficult scene for you to write?

Oh, man – the first three chapters? Take an entire family, add a huge supporting cast, toss in a tornado and an aftermath hospital scene with literally three dozen speaking parts…oy. I *never* write opening scenes with that many people, but in this case, because I was setting up the whole series, I had no choice. All I could do was try to visualize it from a cinematic standpoint, then write it all out as succinctly as possible. Early feedback has been very positive, but shoot me if I ever willing do something like that again! <g>

* Can you share if there were any real-life inspirations for a particular scene or character in the book?

Gumbo! We have our own little hound mix – named Petey – who looks like somebody stuck a beagle head on a corgi body. And he’s every bit as nuts – and as lovestruck – as Gumbo. And the Art Department even put a dog who looks like him on the back cover. Score!

* What do you feel are some of your strengths as a writer and how did those show up in this particular book?

I realized early on I have a pretty good ear for speech patterns/syntax, which make it easier to “hear” my characters – and once I do, they pretty much tell their own stories. It took no time at all to hear Christina, although Scott took a bit more work. But once I did, their dialogue – especially in their first big scene together, when they’re trapped in the rubble after the tornado – just flowed. Very fun scene to write.

* Any interesting tidbits of information you discovered while researching this book?

Yeah. That San Antonio – the general area where the book is set – rarely gets tornadoes. Oops. So we all had to work that fact into the overall storyline to make it plausible!

* Why will readers enjoy this book?

Because Scott is yummy and Christina is adorable and Gumbo is a hoot and a half. <g>

Please leave a comment or ask Karen a question for a chance to win a copy of FORTUNE’S CINDERELLA!

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Since 1998, two-time RITA award winner Karen Templeton has written more than 35 heart-tugging, family-centric romances for Harlequin. An east coast native, she’s called New Mexico home for more than 25 years, where she lives with an ever-changing number of her five sons, two dogs, two cats, and the world’s oldest Beta fish.

I have four Special Editions coming out in 2012. All of them are set in Texas: three are in a
fictional town outside of Dallas (I’m calling it Celebration, Texas). The other one is part of the popular Fortunes of Texas series and it’s set in the fictional town of Red Rock,Texas, which is supposedly 20 miles east of San Antonio.

It’s the first time I’m writing about Texas. I’m excited to be spending so much virtual time there because a have quite a bit of family in the Dallas area. I’m vaguely familiar with the state – enough to know it’s flavor, and, of course, I can call on my family with any questions.

In the past, I’ve set books in Orlando and Paris because I’m familiar with those cities.  The only real place I’ve written about that I’m not familiar with is Boston. It was part of a Special Edition continuity (I was one of six authors writing books for this series).  I actually visited before I finished the book so I could make sure I captured the essence of the city.

I’ve heard of authors writing on a wing and prayer, setting books in regions they’ve never visited. But I shy away from doing that because I strive to get everything exactly right. So, if I make up the city – it might even be a fictitious city based on an actual city – I feel better about taking artistic license and not being bound by maps and facts.

I have two questions for you: do you like reading books set in fictional places or imaginary worlds?   If you prefer actual cities, how much leeway to you give an author to fictionalize neighborhoods and the texture of the area?

One of the things about writing that I didn’t realize when I first started was how profoundly personal it would be. Perhaps that makes me an idiot, but that aspect kind of took me by surprise. But I suspect that writers, genre fiction and romance writers, in particular, are very much in tune with their own personal issues – the things that make us tick, that big bag of crud we drag around filled with our greatest fears and insecurities. I suppose song writers probably are equally as aware, but I digress. The point of all of this is if you pay close attention you start to notice things about you – not all of them are the icky things either.

Recently I was reading a book and I had a big epiphany that doesn’t really surprise me, as I can clearly see the pattern in my reading tastes and several of the books I’ve written myself, frankly I’m surprised it took me quite so long to notice. Especially when I look back on a post I wrote here four years ago. So here it goes….when it comes to guys, those romantic hero types, I really am drawn to the pursuer. I suppose this might be why I don’t gravitate toward the more traditional alpha hero because they aren’t always pursuers.

The book I was reading recently that brought all this to my attention was Suzanne Enoch’s The Care and Taming of a Rogue. Now Suzanne is one of my very favorite authors, she’s definitely my go-to gal whenever I need a good pick-me-up because her books are just delightful and perfect in all the right ways. And I love, love, love her heroes. And her heroes are always pursuers, even if they don’t quite understand it themselves, they are completely captivated by the heroine, just can’t get enough and go after her full-throttle. Their unwavering pursuit just makes me feel all gooey on the inside. This is what romance novels are about for me.

Now there are plenty of great ways to put together a romance novel, but at their core, it’s either boy pursues girl or girl pursues boy and both work. But for me that one that makes me come back again and again is the former. It even happened in my own love story. When I met The Professor I wasn’t so sure about him. He was really smart, an intellectual and frankly I felt a smidge intimidated and wondered what we’d ever talk about. And he was so very different from any man I’d ever dated or been attracted to. But he pursued me deftly and it worked.

So how about you? What kind of hero do you gravitate to? Do you notice when you’re reading which character is the pursuer?

Well, it’s been in stores for a couple of weeks and hopefully those of you who’ve been looking for it have been able to get your hands on Treasure Me. So far it’s reviewed very well, which is always nice, and the blog tour went great, perhaps some of you followed and have had a chance to win some books. But as I always do here on the Jaunty Quills, I like to give our loyal readers the first behind the scenes look at my new release.

Treasure Me is the third and final installment of my Legend Hunters trilogy and I must admit leaving these men behind makes me a little sad. I’ve had such great fun weaving these stories, coming up with the danger and adventure and spinning my own version of myths we all love. In Treasure Me we head to Loch Ness in search of a few treasures, one of which hidden in the caves beneath Urquhart Castle and the other the famed biblical relic, the Stone of Destiny (which coincidentally can be seen in The King’s Speech). It pairs up Graeme whom readers met in Seduce Me, he’s the scottie-hottie and Vanessa, a scholar in her own right, she’s an amateur paleontologist. Oh and there’s another familiar face from Seduce Me, The Raven returns which I think readers will like, I certainly heard from plenty of you that you loved his nastiness.

So here are my inspirations for my characters. And some of the reviews that have come in…“4 ½ star TOP PICK! The Legend Hunters, those seekers of treasures and myths, return for their last enthralling adventure/romance … fast-paced, thrilling, roller-coaster tale … Not only does DeHart satisfy readers craving adventure, she adds three-dimensional characters and a passionate love story that will delight.” RT BookReviews

“We have a winner! A perfect 10. [DeHart] weaves a story like a fine tapestry – rich, colorful and compelling but so tightly bound there are never any holes… hooked me from page one and left me ravenous for more at the end.” The Season

“… a fabulous tale that grips the audience from start to finish as if Indiana Jones was working Victorian Scotland.” Harriet Klausner

“Robyn DeHart has become one of my favorite authors…where she shines is in creating character…continued her series with a book chock full of fun and adventure, not neglecting steamy, tender (and sometimes hilarious) love scenes. DeHart’s romances are tender and adventurous, and funny enough you may laugh your nethers off.” FreshFiction

“I was hooked on the first page and could not put this book down, I fell asleep with it in my hand lol. I rated this book a HIGH 5 out of 5. Fantastic read.” NightOwlReviews

“DeHart delivers plenty of adventure and suspense along with the romance: secret passages, ancient encoded texts, and a double helping of theft, blackmail, kidnapping, and murder.” Publishers Weekly

Okay so you can thank me now for the lovely picture of Gerard Butler cause yummy! Yes, I got to look at that while I was writing this book. How awesome is my job?! The best part is casting my hero because I have to look at tons of pictures of hot men, it’s all purely research, I just want to make you readers happy. But I digress, so back to Treasure Me. It’s in stores, it’s great and you can look at that picture of Gerard while you read it, you have my permission, tell your husbands, it’s part of your job as a reader to get the appropriate image in your mind of my character. Now go forth and buy.

And tell me what’s in your to-be-read pile right now?

Its Oscar season and I can’t wait to hear who the winners are on Sunday night. I’ll be tuned in hoping to see a few of my favorites walk away with the golden statuette. Watching the award shows always makes me want to dress up in something impossibly inappropriate for my suburban home and give a speech to thank the people in my life who’ve helped me out.

I’d thank my parents and sisters for the noisy household I grew up and especially my mom for sending me outside all the time when I was growing up and teaching me to use my imagination to entertain myself. I’d thank my husband for making the little moments in life count and showing me that loving someone goes way beyond romantic gestures. I’d thank my children who show me nuances in creativity that I didn’t realize I’d missed. And I’d thank my friends for all the laughter.

Your turn! Who would you thank?

I’m giving away an autographed copy of TAMING THE VIP PLAYBOY to three lucky blog participants today.

Most of my life has been sort of charmed. I don’t mean in the way that I’m beautiful or have everything that I desire; I mean that I’ve been happy. Really happy. The older I get the more I realize how

"Mom and Dad expecting me!"

lucky I am to have been born to my parents who are truly great people. They are incapable of saying no. I don’t mean in the spoiling your kids rotten way, I heard no often enough growing up and we didn’t have a lot of material things, but as I got older I needed someone when times got tough I knew I could always just call my mom or dad and say I need you and they’d be there.

A few years ago my really good friend Beverly Brandt had been nominated for a RITA for her book the TIARA CLUB and she couldn’t find the exact dress she wanted. My mom (and all the women in my family) sews. So I said to B that my mom could do it. I said to this to her as we were talking on the phone so she knew I had no time to call my mom and ask her, I just knew that mom would never say no to something like this. But what I realized after Beverly and I finished talking was that my mom wouldn’t say no to me.

I’ve tried to be that way with my kids. I don’t say yes to everything only the really important things. The things that can change their lives and make a difference, the things that will show and remind them that the world should be a nicer place.

My heroine in TAMING THE VIP PLAYBOY has this same kind of charmed upbringing (to be honest I based her loosely on my youngest sister). She was a very talented dancer from a young age and her parents and her older sister sacrificed to make sure that Jen was taken to dance rehearsals and eventually to competitions. They did this not because they had to but because they realized that Jen lived to dance and that she needed their support. She needed to safety net of her family to fall back on.

And in the book Jen is falling from some really tough breaks. For the first time in her life, she’s not feeling very charmed. This happened to me almost four years ago and I had no idea who to turn to, but instinctively went first to my parents and then my closest friends for support. In TAMING THE VIP PLAYBOY Jen’s parents are dead and she has only her older sister and young nephew to turn to, which she does. And they offer her a safety net that she uses to rebuild her life and to some extent herself.

I’m not sure what kind of family you have. My wise friend Beverly says we build the families we didn’t have from the friends we choose and I feel very lucky that I have both a great family to start with and one that I’ve built from friends.

I hope you all will check out TAMING THE VIP PLAYBOY its in stores today. And for one lucky blog participant I will send an autographed copy of the book.

Tell me in what ways are you charmed? Is it by your family or maybe you have an incredible talent? What is it that makes you special?

One of the questions writers are asked the most is where we get our ideas. Now I suppose there are as many answers to that question as there are writers. Even for me, I can’t say that there’s one certain place or exercise or thing that always generates an idea. And for every book we write and publisher there are probably three other ideas that sit unwritten/half-written or just unsold on our computers.

Ideas come from everywhere, every direction. When I’m in a particularly creative place then ideas come hard and fast, one after another and I have to jot down tidbits just to remember them. Sometimes those little tidbits grow into a fully fleshed idea that then becomes a book. But sometimes those little morsels just languish on the computer never to be expanded into anything useable.

Lately, I’ve been working on some ideas. Several of them. I currently have a proposal with my agent for a new trilogy. But as she’s reading that, I’m developing yet another series idea. I’m toying with switching time periods and I’m working on putting together a workable series idea for this new era. In doing so I’ve come up with one idea that’s now on it’s 4th incarnation. I’m not quite sure, but I think I’ve struck gold with the latest version. I’m excited. I can’t stop thinking about it. The idea is growing, characters are talking, scenes are taking shape in my mind – this is usually how I can tell that I’ve got something good.

Still I don’t know. Maybe these ideas will grow into books and they’ll be the next Robyn DeHart books you read. Or maybe they’ll simply sit, undeveloped in my mind and on my laptop indefinitely.

For you writers out there, how do you know when an idea is worth developing into a book? And for you readers, what’s your favorite Robyn DeHart book? If you’re not one of my readers, what’s your favorite Quill book? One commenter will win a signed copy of Treasure Me.

I’m pretty excited about my February release from Silhouette Desire because it has one of my guilty pleasures in it. I think I’ve blogged about Dancing With The Stars before but I couldn’t resist doing it again. You see the show was the impetus for this new series. I don’t know what it is exactly about my personality that makes me feel guilty about just watching television but I always do unless I can find something usual to use it for. Normally I watch cooking or history stuff that I can learn from, but at my age the chances of me becoming either a star or a professional dancer are getting slimmer so I needed a reason to watch Dancing With The Stars guilt free and I found it in Jen Miller.

Jen is the heroine of Taming The VIP Playboy and she is a professional ballroom dancer. In my original version of the story Jen and Nate were participating in a fictional version of the show but that idea didn’t have enough conflict so we ended up with Jen being a professional dancer in the hottest Miami nightclub…Luna Azul owned by none other than Nate.

But back to guilty pleasures–having found a real reason to watch it I gobbled up everything I could on Dancing With The Stars including going on the Internet and reading blogs by the stars and the dancers. It was so much fun and it had a purpose!

I have three copies of Taming the VIP Playboy to give away today and I’m going to choose from one of you! Tell me what your guilty pleasure is and like me do you find a way to indulge in it without feeling too guilty?

Kathy

Everyone has met a jerk at least once. Perhaps you dated one, or were friends with one. They’re not nearly so charming in real life as they can be on TV, or in books and movies — mostly because we’re the ones they’re being jerks to! And, of course, in real life we’re often not privy to the events that caused them to be jerks, or whether or not they struggle internally with those events.

Jerks are some of my favorite characters, though my husband doesn’t get it. In fact, he’s more likely to despise the character than feel anything for them, or see any chance for change. My husband is a nice guy, and he treats people fairly — a fact for which I’m grateful. I, on the other hand, look for hints of remorse and damage in jerk characters, loving those moments where they show their potential for honor, no matter how fleeting. Here are a couple of my faves:

1. Brian Kinney from Queer as Folk. Played by Gale Harold.

Brian is narcissistic, cold and selfish. His sexual exploits are proof of this, and his modern apartment is as sterile and cold as his heart. He is gay, almost 30, beautiful (and worried about losing that to age) and seemingly irresistible. He treats most people, even those whom he calls friends with contempt. Except for childhood pal Michael, and lesbian college friend, Lindsay, for whom he would do anything, he has no friends. He sees the young thing at a bar and goes after him, not knowing this young man will ultimately lead to his downfall and partial reformation. Brian’s change by series end is not huge, but it’s enough to be satisfactory, yet stay true to character. He has learned to love unselfishly, but he’ll be damned if he’ll let anyone else know that. Brian is a jerk, but through his interactions with his few friends, his son, his lover, and memories of his father, we catch glimpses of what lies beneath the hard exterior. We see when he breaks down, faces death — and worse, faces growing old. All of this is brought into painful clarity by Gale Harold’s unflinching portrayal.

2. Damon Salvatore on Vampire Diaries. Played by Ian Somerhalder.

Damon is borderline evil. Perhaps not even borderline. He has killed without remorse — and with      just enough of a hint of it to make him not quite the villain. He does it all with a twinkle in his eye. In season two we’ve seen him kill the brother of the girl he loves, and try to atone for it without trying too hard (spoiler — the brother didn’t really die). He’s the guy you want around when someone has to die. He’s about self-preservation and pleasure, and has no illusions about what he is. “I’m a dick,” he announces in one episode. However, we know he will do whatever Elena and his brother Stephen need for him to do — even if that means not acting on his love for Elena, because he knows Stephen is better for her. Best moment was earlier this season when the sheriff (who up until this point thought he was human) tried to kill him. He looked at her with such confusion, “But you’re my friend,” he said. Fabulous. Somerhalder plays this character with charm, lethality, and just enough naivete to make him thoroughly captivating.

In books, particularly romance novels, these characters are often secondary, unrepentant rakes. Readers clamor for their stories, leaving authors with the task of making these men heroes without compromising character. Often times these characters can over-shadow the real hero of the book with their sheer force of personality. Plain and simple: they’re fun to write.

So, what do you think the appeal is behind these characters? And who are your favorites in books, TV and movies?

When I first read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, it was way back when the second book had only been in stores a few months and most of the world hadn’t yet been bitten by the HP bug. It took a few chapters, but when we got to Diagon Alley I knew I’d stumbled upon something special. I remember feeling like I witnessed history in the making, feeling assured that once the books caught on, we’d have another Narnia Chronicles on our hands. The most vivid emotion though was that this book was the first time I’d read something as an adult that made me feel like books used to when I was a kid. I realize that is a terrible sentence, but hopefully you know what I mean. In short, I was mesmerized.

I quickly devoured the book, then the second, then waited impatiently for the third (which totally blew me away) and about this time word started spreading and the world was about to catch HP fever. It was the first time I remember ever dreaming about characters from a book and it happened more than once. The characters, the world was so real to me that when I was intrenched in one of the books I was completely surrounded. I remember catching myself before telling a friend that the next time I went to England I wanted to make a special trip to Hogwarts.

This last month, that silly fantasy of mine came true. Or as true as it can within our Muggle world. While in Orlando for the RWA conference, me and Emily and my mom made a side trip to Universal Studios to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We got up super early, we hired a car to take us to the park and we walked the long way to the entrance of the park. But we’d been smart and we’d pre-purchased our tickets so we were able to just walk right in. We made a beeline to the HP area (mostly we followed the crowd because that’s where everyone else was going too!)

And then we rounded a corner and there it was, across the way, but Hogwarts rose up from a hill just like I’d seen in my mind so many times. I’ll admit it, I got a little misty and giddy and started snapping pictures. We kept our trek through the park, passing by some really cool looking other areas, but we were on a mission.

Suddenly we were there, right up to Hogwarts door. There’s a ride in the castle, but I had read enough stuff on-line before hand to know that my motion sickness would probably cause trouble, so mom and I headed into the tour line where we were able to just walk through the castle while Emily went on to the ride. (she’ll have to tell you about it when she returns from her family vacation) Inside the castle we saw the hall of portraits where some of the pictures moved and talked. Then we saw Dumbledore’s office and the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, and the entryway to the Gryffindor common room with the Fat Lady’s picture. It really was totally magical and my only complaint was that I wanted it to be longer. I wanted to see the Great Hall with the floating candles and I wanted to see the actual common room and the floating staircases.

But never fear once we were out of the castle (dumped conveniently into Filch’s Emporium, a gift shop where I purchased my own copy of the Maurader’s Map) we walked strait into Hogsmeade. Now technically this was a mixture of Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, but it was just fantastic. We bought wands and we had butterbeer (so tasty!) and we saw the Hogwart’s Express (another misty moment for me!) and we bought chocolate frogs in Honeydukes and went into the Owl Post. And I have to take a moment to personally thank all of the English families that were there that day, their lovely British accents really added to the experience for me. Then in the bathroom (which they called “public conveniences”) you could hear Moaning Myrtle whine and cry.

All in all, it was, well for lack of a better word, magical. I loved every minute despite the fact that it was like 1000 degrees outside. I can’t wait to go back again someday with The Professor.

So how about you, what fictionalized world would you like to see come to life? If you could step into any book you’ve ever read, which one would it be? One lucky commenter will win a collection of books I brought back from the conference.