Last year, seven Harlequin Historical and Mills&Boon authors were invited to write short stories about real historical royal weddings to celebrate the upcoming wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton. They were released in digital formats only in April 2011 and were a big hit with readers looking for stories about some of William’s ancestors or those on the throne (before he will be.) Since we know that not all royal matches have been love matches, we were invited to choose either the actual royal couple involved or to use our own fictional couple and set their story at the royal wedding.

And we were off! Time was short – we were invited right around Christmas week in 2010 and the stories were needed by mid-January for publication in April – so we were writing at breakneck speed. The collection spans more than 8 centuries and all include Author’s Notes to give some historical background or context to our choices and research. While others were shopping for fascinators to wear while watching Wills and Kate, we were hard at work creating these stories!

We were recently thrilled (and surprised) to learn that Mills& Boon would be publishing the collection IN PRINT as a February Special release and so it has – ROYAL WEDDINGS THROUGH THE AGES is a beautiful trade-sized paperback now available in the UK.

So — what are the stories about? Why did the authors choose their particular time period, royal couple or wedding? Let’s ask the authors!

My own story – WHAT THE DUCHESS WANTS – is about Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry of Anjou(who would be Henry II of England). I have always been drawn to Eleanor and have featured both her and Henry in several of my medieval HHs. I have always through that, since Eleanor had the extremely rare opportunity of choosing her (2nd) husband, there must have been something more personal, more attractive, more passionate in her choice of Henry of Anjou. She could have her choice from among Europe’s elite and eligible nobles and royals – so why Henry? That drove me to tell this story!

Michelle Willingham set her story in 1191 – LIONHEART’S BRIDE is about King Richard and Princess Berengaria. “I write primarily in the medieval time period, and choosing the story of Richard the Lionheart allowed me to create a second generation story from my MacEgan Brothers series of Irish warriors,” Michelle said.

Bronwyn Scott’s PRINCE CHARMING IN DISGUISE is set at the wedding of Prince George and Caroline of Ansbach in 1704. “I wanted to pick something in the Georgian period and mostly I wanted to pick a real marriage that was considered happy,” Bronwyn said. “When I saw this, I knew I had the one I wanted. I’ve always wanted to write ‘historical fiction’ ala Philipa Gregory or others of that genre and this seemed like a perfect chance to experiment with that.”

A PRINCELY DILEMMA by Elizabeth Rolls is set at the ill-fated wedding of George, Prince of Wales, and Princess Caroline of Brunswick in 1795. “I chose Prinny and Caroline because their marriage was such an unmitigated disaster from start to end and the scandal surrounding it from the start gave me lots to work with. I have to admit that with the Maria Fitzherbert – Prinny – Princess Caroline situation I could see certain parallels with a more recent royal marriage. Which just goes to show that there really is nothing new underneath the sun. Plus it was fun to slip back a little further in time into the late 18th century.

Going back to the continent, Lucy Ashford featured Napoleon and Marie-Louise’s wedding her THE PROBLEM WITH JOSEPHINE. “I chose the wedding of Napoleon and Princess Marie Louise of Austria in 1810, partly because I love the Napoleonic era, and partly because it was such a huge, lavish wedding – fabulous celebrations, ending with fireworks all along the Seine. The wedding took place in the Louvre, which was full of Napoleon’s prized art collection (much of it looted!),” Lucy reports. “And while I was reading up about it further, I discovered that at the last minute, some unknown courtier suddenly discovered that there were lots of portrayals of Napoleon’s previous wife, the notorious Josephine, still in the Louvre – but painted into larger works, which were impossible to remove. So, at the last minute, they had to be painted out, or Napoleon would have gone crazy when he saw them on his wedding day!”

Ann Lethbridge chose Princess Charlotte and Prince Leopold’s wedding in 1816 for her story – PRINCESS CHARLOTTE’S CHOICE. “I chose the wedding of Princess Charlotte and Prince Leopold because it happened in the Regency, which is when all my books are set, and despite all the odds against it, theirs was a real romance.”

And last, or most modern of the historical stories is Mary Nichols’ WITH VICTORIA’S BLESSING set at the wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. “I chose Victoria and Albert for my Royal Wedding because I wanted to write a love story and theirs was a love true love match. So many Royal weddings in the past have been politically driven and consequently disastrous and I wanted to my fictional hero and heroine to overcome obstacles and be happy too.
In trying to be both romantic and also historically-accurate, the authors discovered some fun facts while researching for theirs.”

Since readers ask us where our ideas come from, I thought the authors could share a tidbit or two that they found interesting!

Elizabeth reported that “Since Prinny took back the pearl bracelets he gave Caroline and gave them to his current mistress, Lady Jersey, I thought I should try to find something positive to write about him, so I focused on his legacy to the British Nation which was quite extensive. Windsor Castle, the British Museum, Buckingham Palace, a Royal Collection to rival that sold by Charles I – and the Brighton Pavilion, which the Rev’d Sidney Smith described as looking as if, ‘…the dome of St Paul’s went down to the sea and pupped’! You can sort of see what he meant and it just made my day reading that.”

Bronwyn discovered that shortly after they married, Caroline came down with small pox and nearly died. George was so devoted to her that he stayed by her side at the risk of his own life—and it was a risk. He did contract the disease and nearly died as well. But they both recovered and went on to have a long marriage.

Surprisingly, Ann found that people often assume that women during this time were prim and proper and thoroughly subdued. Princess Charlotte was a very strong-willed young woman, who grew up in an exceedingly dysfunctional family. She regularly broke the rules set down by her father, the Prince Regent, and got into all kinds of scrapes. Sometimes the ladies set to watch over her turned a blind eye to her shenanigans and sometimes she found ways to avoid their eagle eyes and do what she wanted to do. In the summer of 1814 after Napoleon’s abdication Britain received a great many visits from European nobility and since the Princess was not officially “out” she was unable to participate in many of the festivities. Many thought this was unkind of the Prince Regent. Those Princes were a bit like the rock stars of today, and Princess Charlotte found her own way to meet with the glittering young men at her home and then rid herself of her chaperones. She walked a very fine line and could have been utterly ruined. It seemed to me, reading about her pushing the boundaries she was set, that she wasn’t much different to teenagers today.

Mary revealed that one of the things she learned was that Prince Albert was terribly seasick on his way to England and most of his staff succumbed too, and that also worked well her story, because it gave Richard the opportunity to speak to the Prince and meet a long lost relative destined to help with his courtship of Emily.

And scandalously, Lucy found a fact of ‘artistic’ interest — Jacques, her hero, talks about the famous Canova sculpture of a naked Napoleon, which Napoleon rejected in 1811 as being ‘too athletic’. This statue later came into the possession of the Duke of Wellington and is now on view to the public at Wellington’s former home, Apsley House, in London. How (in)appropriate!

So, real history, seven royal couples, seven weddings – seven phenomenal love stories in one collection for you all to enjoy! Different styles and voices from seven leading Harlequin authors – something for everyone and we hope you’ll give it and us a try!

The authors will be dropping in during the day from all over the US, England and even Australia, so please ask your questions — we all have more interesting tidbits to share and will tell you all about our other upcoming releases, too! Five lucky commentors will be chosen to win either a copy of the anthology or a copy of an author’s backlist — so post away!

For anyone interested in purchasing this special UK edition in print, I would suggest Book Depository – free shipping to most countries world-wide. (Digital copies will be available through only the UK sites like Mills and Boon or Amazon.co.uk.)

OHMIGOSH!! I nearly forgot to invite you ALL over to chat live with us tonight – Wednesday, February 8th — at 9pm EST on Romance Reviews Today. Here’s a link to their chatroom –just click on Mo’s Book Buzz — please stop by — we’re not really dangerous, we just write characters who are! LOL!

When I visited last time, I talked a little about SWEET ENEMY and how I came to write it. (If you missed that visit and want to know what I said, you can find it here.) I know that I should probably be promoting the book today, too, but as I sat down to decide what I wanted to write about on my release day, my story wasn’t what was on my heart. Instead, I thought I’d talk about what got me to this place.

It all started with an armadillo…

Last time I visited, I mentioned I might bring Armando, my cravat wearing armadillo, to meet Jaunty! Well, as promised, here he is (standing so suavely next to Jane Austen, of course!)

Isn’t he cute? And oh, so dashing! Now, let me tell you the story of Armando and what he has to do with how I became a romance author.

I’ve always been an avid reader, and it wasn’t until my early 30’s when I decided I wanted to try my hand at writing. When I did, I set upon the task with fierce determination, and like any good scientist—with research. First I had to decide what I wanted to write. I flirted with mystery/suspense (a genre I love to read), but realized I just didn’t want to write something so dark. Literary fiction? While part of me loved to read it, the endings so often left me frustrated or sad. So I decided I should write historical romance—my first love after Nancy Drew, and my rekindled love after a foray into horror and crime novels for a few years (blast that Stephen King for being such a good writer and leading me astray!). With my decision made, I got to work.

First, I dissected six of my favorite historical romance novels to see what made them work (yes, Robyn, I promise one day to do a post on that!). Then, I went the library and checked out “The Idiot’s Guide to Writing Romance”. Oh yes, I did. I don’t remember anything about that book now, except that it was the very first time I’d heard of Romance Writers of America®. A professional organization of romance writers? Who knew? The book urged me to look into them, and I quickly joined my local chapter. Then I learned of a national convention that was coming up that summer with Lisa Kleypas as the keynote speaker (LISA KLEYPAS, OMG!), and I decided I really must go, to see if writing historical romance as a career would really be for me. I found some ladies to room with and off to Dallas I went.

What an eye opening experience. 2500 romance authors, writers, and industry professionals, all gathered in one place to bond, confer, network and celebrate romance. It was amazing. It was overwhelming. It was inspiring.

I’ll never forget Lisa Kleypas’ speech. I was already in awe of her, as a fan. Her writing is truly sublime…interesting, engaging, highly emotional…just beautiful. I also knew she was smart and savvy, a graduate of Wellesley College. Her career was flourishing. She was exactly what I wanted to be as an author and I was really interested in what she would say about it.

And what she said was this: to make it in this business, an author has to be an armadillo. I’m paraphrasing here, and do keep in mind this was 5 years and 2 kids ago, but she said basically that armadillos are tough. The only way you can kill them is to run them over with a car. Everything else bounces off their impenetrable shell, making them resilient little creatures. And authors need to be, too. Like when rejection letters arrive in the mail, or when your book gets a bad cover and there’s nothing you can do about it, or when your editor quits mid-book, or when you get a negative review, or when you’re interviewed on a radio station and the man says something like, “Lisa, you’re obviously an intelligent, talented woman. When are you going to start writing real novels?” You just have to yell “Armadillo!” and keep shuffling along.

That part of her speech was very funny and she makes a great point. Having only been in the business a short time, I’ve met a few obstacles that I had to let bounce off of my shell. However, the part that really moved me was a story she told about losing her home. Apparently there was a devastating flash flood that came out of nowhere and wiped out many homes in her area, including hers and her parents’ homes. They lost everything, including their 14 year old cat…very sad. They were staying at a cramped hotel and Lisa and her mom made a trip to Walmart to get essentials for the family. Since they were in such tight quarters, they promised only to get what was absolutely necessary before splitting up to cover their list. When they met back at the check-out, besides their essentials, each of them had a romance novel in their hands, too. And that’s when she realized that writing romance was truly important. When she and her mother were faced with such a difficult time, they both turned to romance for comfort and escape. They needed to be swept up into that author’s world for a time. It would make them feel better.

And that’s when I realized that writing romance was what I wanted to do. I’d been struggling a bit, you see. I’d just finished 5 years of running a prison ministry inside USP Leavenworth, and I was wondering if I was turning my back on something very important to write fiction simply to entertain. Would I really be using my talents and my time to do any good in the world? To help anyone? Was I being selfish by wanting to write?

Lisa’s speech made me think about times in my life when I turned to a romance novel to get through a difficult situation. Yes, I read mostly for pleasure, but there have certainly been times in my life when I NEEDED to read, NEEDED to escape. And that’s when I realized that pursuing a career as a writer WAS important. I COULD help people, though I’d probably never see them face-to-face. Romance is a genre that celebrates love, growth, positive emotions and happy endings, and putting more of that into a world where endings are not always so happy, putting more of that hope out there, IS important work.

Now, back to Armando. Later that year, one of the ladies who’d roomed with me at that conference gave Armando to me as a gift. She bought a beanie-baby armadillo and actually went and found that fancy doll vest and made a cravat for him, complete with a “diamond” stick pin! (Fran Abram, YOU ROCK!). Armando sits on a shelf in my office, and while yes, he reminds me that I have to be tenacious and thick-skinned in this business, what he REALLY reminds me is that my work matters. Because one day my stories will be there for someone who needs them, if only for a few hours of escape.

Has there ever been a time that a good book was just what you needed? I’d love to hear what reading romance means to you.

One lucky commenter will win a signed copy of SWEET ENEMY, as well as your choice of DREAMING OF YOU or DEVIL IN WINTER, my two favorite Lisa Kleypas novels.

Sweet Enemy…
A Veiled Seduction Novel ~ Book One
“Historical intrigue and heart-pounding passion make Sweet Enemy a great read. Romance fans will love it.” ~#1NYT Bestselling Author JULIE GARWOOD

Geoffrey Wentworth, a war hero and rising political star, never wanted to be the Earl, but when his brother dies, he knows his duty—take up the responsibility for his family’s estates. His mother’s definition of duty differs from his, however, and can be summed up in one word—heirs. When Geoffrey rushes home to answer her urgent summons, he finds himself host to a house full of women, all vying to become the next Countess of Stratford. But his love is Parliament, where he wields his influence and reputation to better the lives of ex-soldiers, until a tempting houseguest and a secret from his past threaten his freedom…and his heart.

Liliana Claremont, a brilliant chemist, doesn’t want to be any man’s wife, much less a countess. If she had tuppence for every time she’d been told her place was filling the nursery, not experimenting in the laboratory, she could buy the Tower Bridge. However, when she receives a coveted invitation to the Earl’s house party, she trades in her beakers for ball gowns and gladly takes on the guise of husband hunter—for the chance to uncover what the Earl had to do with the murder of her father.

Liliana believes the best way to get the answers she needs is to keep her enemy close, though romance is not part of her formula. But it only takes one kiss to start a reaction she can’t control…

Heather Snow is a historical romance author with a degree in Chemistry who discovered she much preferred creating chemistry on the page, rather than in the lab. She is forever trying to wrangle her left and right brain to work together (some days with more success than others!), but if her two sides had to duke it out, left would win every time—which can be a creative challenge. Luckily, she loves challenges…she just goes about solving them analytically.

Heather lives in the Midwest with her husband, two rambunctious boys and one very put upon cat. She sincerely hopes you find her stories have just the right chemistry.

Please visit her at www.HeatherSnowBooks.com, on Facebook www.facebook.com/authorheathersnow or on Twitter

Last June my son, Travis, or Son One as I call him (some of you might remember him as RT’s Mr. Romance runner-up from a few years back–tee hee–you cannot imagine how fun it is to tease him about that) got married to a gorgeous young woman from Cameroon. Gorgeous young woman, as it happens, has an equally gorgeous son, who I will hereby refer to Grandson One or G-1. Anywhoo, a few months ago I pried my wallet open and took G-1 to see Untangled. You know the film-spunky heroine, sexy hero, opinionated horse, lots of hair. It was a fun flick and just about right for a six year old…or a romance writer…since it was basically a love story.

So after the credits were rolling away and the popcorn salt had been licked from every finger I turned to G-1 and asked what his favorite part of the movie was. Now remember…he’s a boy…he’s six…he’s being raised by macho 6’3” Son One. So what do you think his answer was? Anybody? No?

Well I’ll tell you…he didn’t pause, didn’t bat an eyelash, didn’t take time to breathe. He just said, “When they kissed.” Huh? I did a double take, did another take, then stared at him agog, because when he asked what my favorite part was I had to tell him the truth; It was when spunky heroine hit sexy hero with the frying pan…which by the by was quite often. I don’t know if you remember the film, but sexy hero spent about half the movie catatonic and I was more thrilled each time cast iron met skull.

So (note clever segue here) when I began writing Uncorked, my 7th Chrissy McMullen mystery, I wasn’t exactly sure how to begin. I mean, Chrissy is one of my favorite people in the entire solar system and she really deserves to be happy. She really deserves to be happy with the guy who makes her crazy…Lieutenant Jack Rivera. But where’s the fun in that? I mean…you can’t start out all cozy right? Where you gonna go from there?

With that thought in mind, I opened the book with a knock down drag out fight. In fact, in chapter one, Chrissy’s dating another guy. Granted, she can rarely remember Other Guy’s name when Rivera is within shouting distance, but she assures the good lieutenant that‘s she‘s crazy about…about…what’s his face. It made for tons of sexual tension. And if there’s anything I like better than seeing a guy hit in the head with a frying pan, it’s sexual tension.

So what about you? What’s your favorite part of a romance, the fighting or the flirting? Or do you need both to make it work?

To celebrate the online release of Uncorked, my 7th Chrissy McMullen novel, I’m giving away a pair of sapphire and diamond earrings to one much appreciated commenter.

Visit Lois’s website for news and information on her newest release, and a chance to win an Amazon gift card and be sure to check out Uncorked! You can follow Lois on Facebook and keep track of the Chrissy McMullen series here. Follow LoisGreiman on Twitter, too!

* 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!

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

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.

But still, I’m so pleased to be visiting that I will dip my quill in ice-water (not a rude metaphor either) and forge ahead.

Today I want to talk about “the eye of the beholder.”

One of my favorite scenes in a romance is where the hero sees — really sees —the heroine. It’s one of the first signs that he is truly her hero — he starts to notice things about her that no-one else — not even the heroine — does. He sees her true self, not the ordinary person everyone else sees, but someone special, the woman she will become. Transformed by love.

I’m not sure how popular this is with readers. I love it, but I’ve heard some readers say they want a heroine to be self-confident from the get-go. Me, I like more of a journey.

I like a heroine who can get things done, who is smart and courageous in an everyday sense, who will stand up for herself and others where necessary. But I also like her to have some secret vulnerability, and for me, that’s where the hero comes in, because for me, that’s one area in which he shows he’s a hero.

So my heroines aren’t always conventionally beautiful. That’s particularly true of Isabella, my heroine in my new book, BRIDE BY MISTAKE. Not that Bella’s a gargoyle or anything — just that she’s known she’s plain since she was a kid. Had her nose regularly rubbed in the fact, actually. She’s the only daughter of a widowed father and his highest compliment was that she was almost as good as a son. Almost.

War breaks out in Spain (Napoleon) and Bella’s father is killed. His last words are a warning that a forced marriage is planned by a horrid cousin, and Bella must flee to her aunt at the convent of the Broken Angel. She’s just thirteen…

On the way, Bella is attacked, but is rescued by a young English officer, my hero, Luke Ripton — tall, dark and beautiful as an archangel. He rescues her from the forced marriage by marrying her himself. He then escorts her to her aunt in the convent and rides away to war.

Luke never expects to live long enough for it to matter. But when my story starts, the war is over, the annulment is denied, and Luke, now Lord Ripton must come to Spain to collect a wife he’d almost forgotten and doesn’t particularly want.
And Bella? For years she waited, like a princess in a tower, dreaming of her prince, but by now those dreams have withered on the vine. She’s fed up with waiting, she’s about to turn twenty-one and is determined to leave the convent and make her own life.
Of course, that’s when Luke arrives. . . (There’s an excerpt on my website of that scene)

Bella, having arrived at the convent with nothing, has no pretty clothes but her friends in the convent dress her up, curl her hair, dust her skin in rice flour and paint her lips into a small fashionable bow.

This, then was her husband. Isabella tried not to stare.
He was even more beautiful than she remembered. Eight years ago she’d seen him with a child’s eye. But she was a child no longer and he was… he was breathtaking. Tall, dark, his skin burnished with the sun, a rich dark-gold flush along his cheekbones and such fine cheekbones they were, too. His nose was a strong, straight blade, his mouth, severe and beautiful. And his eyes, dark, so dark they looked black, but she knew from before they were the darkest blue she had ever seen. There was no sign of blue now.
She swallowed and held her head higher, knowing what he would see in her, knowing they were ill-matched. The girls had done their best to make her look as beautiful as they could. It wasn’t their fault she looked as she did. She knew she’d never make a beauty. She desperately wished she looked pretty for him.
But she could see in his eyes she didn’t.
Dear God but it was Mama and Papa again, Papa the handsome eagle soaring high and Mama the plain, dowdy little pigeon, bleeding with love for a husband who never looked twice at her.
Mama’s words rose unbidden to her mind. Guard your heart, my little one, for love is pain. Love is nothing but pain.

And Luke sees a thin, young woman with a too-big nose, garishly made up and covered in frills. But the second time he sees her. . . ahh, the second time. . . That’s the moment for me. And that’s just the start of their journey. . .

So what about you? Do you like a heroine with secret vulnerabilities? Or do you want her to be fully confident and kick-ass? What’s the most romantic scene you can think of in a book? I’m giving a book away to someone who leaves a comment.

Anne

   Anne Gracie spent her childhood and youth on the move, thanks to her father’s job, which took them around the world. The gypsy life taught her that humor & love are universal languages and that favorite books can take you home, wherever you are.

Anne started her first novel while backpacking solo around the world. Originally published by Harlequin, she’s since written nine ST historical romances for Berkley and a novelization of the first “The Tudors” TV series. Anne is a former president of Romance Writers of Australia, a three time RITA finalist, has twice won the Romantic Book of the Year (Australia) and the National Reader’s Choice Award (USA) and has been listed in Library Journal (USA) best books of the year. For more info about Anne and her work –

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I love this time of year, even if I do tend to go just a tiny bit insane. Okay, my family would say I go more than a tiny bit. Right now, I’m trying to get ready for Christmas, for two parties at my house and for my kids to both be home. Add to that trying to promote my latest book—His Mistress by Christmas—my upcoming book—My Wicked Little Lies (out January 31^st) and write a new Christmas book for next year. Who wouldn’t be insane?

   But I have had a revelation. In the book I’m currently working on (right now called What Happens at Christmas) my heroine is trying to provide the perfect Dickensian Christmas for a prince she is trying to impress. Nothing, of course, is going well. And it dawned on me that striving for perfection at Christmas is exactly what I do and exactly what drives me nuts.

 I keep trying to have the magical, perfect Christmases I remember from my childhood. Where the decorations were perfect and the tree was perfect and the holiday treats were perfect and everyone received the perfect gift and everything was, well, perfect. I want my kids to have those same sort of memories. But my memories must be clouded by the passage of time. My childhood Christmases couldn’t possibly have been perfect. Real life is not perfect.

 And, you know, when I try to remember specifics about those years, I can only really remember one. I grew up in the Air Force and one year, my dad was away.  A few days before Christmas, my mom said she had a special present for me and I should go look by the tree. So I went into the living room and there was my dad. I remember how he hugged me and how his uniform was all cold from being outside and how he smelled of frosty air and love.  And that was the best Christmas present I ever got. It was perfect.

            So, it doesn’t really matter if everything is perfect. If the tree falls down. If dinner is three hours late. If you have a small fire . . .

            I am taking deep breaths and in spite of my annual chaos, I am trying to adopt a new attitude. Because I have finally realized, the magic of Christmas has nothing to do with perfect. As long as you are with the people you love, whether in person or just in spirit, Christmas will always be perfect.

 What is the most perfect gift you ever received at Christmas?

 Everyone who comments will be entered into a drawing to win a copy of  His Pefect Mistress.  The winner will be announced Sunday night at 9 pm so check back then!

Dan does pick up a new hat, and he does get to the bottom of who killed his first one. Of course it was our heroine, Rosebud Donnelly, who a) wasn’t trying to hit him and b) thought Dan was someone else. One of the long-standing tensions between them is whether or not Rosebud will admit to pulling the trigger. Eventually, she offers to buy Dan a new hat. Ever the gentleman, he refuses.

As you can see, hats are important to cowboys. And I write about cowboys. You know what this means, don’t you?

Yes. I needed a hat. More specifically, I needed a cowboy hat.

There’s a slight problem with that, though. I live east of the Mississippi River, the traditional dividing line between the West and the East. As in, my little town in Illinois is not the cow capital of anything. As in, no one else here wears a hat. At least not inside city limits, anyway. I live in a neighborhood full of Victorian homes. Nary a horse in sight.

But I write cowboys. I needed a hat.

Now, I’m not proud of this next part. I was angling for a hat (and the boots to match) for Christmas, so I was telling my mom about my authorial-based wardrobe needs. My father was in his recliner. He piped up with, “I have a hat you can have.”

So I go into his closet and pull out the cowboy hat he bought on the family vacation to Las Vegas (which, it should be noted, is in The West) twenty years ago. The sad part? It fit.

Yes. My head is the same size as my father’s. I feel shame at this.

So, the hat:

Yes. That’s definitely my father’s hat. On my head.

Several people (gently) pointed out to me that perhaps this particular hat was not designed with the feminine sensibility in mind. (In other words, my sisters forbade me to ever leave the house with that hat on my head.)

Thus began the second quest for a hat. This time, I got lucky. I was in Branson, MO (well west of the Mississippi, it should be noted!) and a small store downtown was chock-full cowhide—and hats.

I put this hat on my head, and voila! I looked like a western romance author!

 So in my neighborhood, I’m notable not for being the author, but for walking my dog in a cowboy hat. (Don’t tell my sisters—it doesn’t go with the tennis shoes at all, but I don’t care.) Like my hero, Dan, I feel a little underdressed without it.

What accessory do you feel underdressed without? I’m giving away a signed copy of A Man of His Word to one commenter below. All comments will be entered to win the Locket of Love Jewelry Grand Prize!

This post is brought to you as part of the A Man of His Word Blog Tour. U.S. residents only. For a complete tour schedule and rules, visit www.sarahmanderson.com. Comments on this blog will be entered to win a signed copy of A Man of His Word. All blog comments are added to the Jewelry Grand Prize list. Jewelry Grand Prize announced on January 1st, 2012 to one randomly drawn name on the list. Next tour stop is Limecello on December 15th.

A Man of His Word Blurb: Attorney Rosebud Donnelly has a case to win. And she never lets anyone see her sweat. But her first meeting with Dan Armstrong doesn’t go according to script. No one warned her that the COO of the company she’s fighting would be so…manly. From his storm-colored eyes to his well-worn boots, Dan is an honest-to-goodness cowboy. But is he honest? Her yearning for the Texas tycoon goes against reason, against family loyalty, against everything she thought she believed in. And yet, in Dan’s strong arms, Rosebud feels she might be ready to risk everything for one more kiss….

A Man of His Word is available! Visit your favorite bookseller, at Amazon, or for the Nook.

At first it was a means of escape from the stress, but then it became something so much more. It became a way for me to sort through what really mattered and revealed a new road I needed to follow. Here I am three years later with four books written—book one never to see the light of day—a fifth book in the works, several short stories published in a magazine, and a novella recently released as part of an anthology, A Summons from the Duke (Regency Christmas Summons Collection 2).

Have you ever been drawn to a project but you had a thousand reasons why you couldn’t participate? That was me a few months ago. The writers in my critique group had an idea to create a collection of novellas that were connected while still being able to stand alone. The premise is the Duke of Danby has summoned his wayward grandchildren to Yorkshire for Christmas, and he has matchmaking on his mind. Each writer took a grandchild and told his or her story of falling in love.

The idea appealed to me, but I didn’t think I could pull it off. I was in the middle of revising my second book for Sourcebooks and finishing up a third book for a December deadline. I told my group I would love to be part of the anthology, but there just wasn’t time. But like an annoying tickle at the back of the throat, I couldn’t ignore the pull to be involved. As their ideas flew back and forth through email, one took root in my mind. I wrote the first scene in thirty minutes and I was hooked.

It’s interesting that this small project was what helped me define what I believe deep down is important. You’ll often hear authors talk about theme. Each book may have a separate idea, but over several books recurring themes will emerge. It wasn’t until I wrote my story “Twice Upon a Time” that I realized what my recurring themes are: Love me, love my family (which may or may not be connected by blood). Nothing is ever what it seems on the surface, so withhold judgment until you know the real person. And of course, love will prevail.

I think this may be the reason we as readers are drawn to certain authors or stories. Deep down we hold similar values and the stories tap into that fountain of meaning for us. My favorite stories seem to suggest this: I Know this Much is True by Wally Lamb, Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. All three stories are about imperfect families the protagonist loves anyway, discovering the truth about another, and love prevailing in the end.

What are your favorite stories, and do they have any common themes? (Today one commenter will win a copy of A Summons from the Duke, and everyone who leaves a comment will be entered into the Regency Christmas Summons Prize Extravaganza for a chance to win books, gift cards, and a Kindle. Please remember to include your email address to enter the drawing. Winners will be announced December 15th.)

Excerpt set up:
Julian Beckford, grandson to Duke of Danby, is up to his top-boots in one of his cousin’s mad schemes only days after his return to England. Baron Penlow wants to engage an actress to play his wife over the holidays at Danby Castle, and he has asked for Julian’s assistance in casting the role. Here’s a sneak peek at their evening…

Excerpt:
Julian nodded. “She’s the one.”

He would never trust his judgment again. He’d chosen a wildcat.

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A reader pointed out to me recently that a lot of my books feature an instantaneous attraction between the hero and heroine. Sometimes they act on it pretty quickly, other times they don’t, but in almost all cases they set eyes on each other and it’s a case of lust if not love at first sight.

Desired, my new book, out next week, is slightly different because it is a marriage of convenience story or perhaps more accurately, a betrothal of convenience story. Tess, the heroine, has been unhappily married before and has absolutely no desire to wed for anything other than mutual benefit. In contrast Owen, the hero, is very attracted to a fantasy version of Tess, the beautiful, scandalous widow with the bad reputation. Despite this attraction he woos her slowly and it is only as he gets to know her properly that Owen discovers that the real Tess is completely different from his somewhat heated imaginings.

Tess is not accustomed to feeling physical attraction. In fact she has never felt it in her life. Her feelings for Owen disturb her because she is drawn to him but it is his protectiveness, his intelligence and his chivalry that she falls in love with first. On her wedding night she runs from him but what she has not yet realised is that she has already started to trust him. Owen has courted her with such patience and sincerity that she knows he would never hurt her. She then has to take the step of deciding if she can trust him enough to confront her fears and give herself to him. She is committed emotionally to him even though she doesn’t yet realise it. The question is whether she can commit to him physically too.

I haven’t written a marriage of convenience story for years and it was a great pleasure to revisit the idea for Desired. There’s something very appealing about the idea of a couple who are thrown together through need or circumstance getting to know each other and then finding a love that can be as powerful as it is unexpected. The marriage of convenience story is said to be a favourite with historical romance readers but what do you think? Do you enjoy the slow burn as characters get to know each other and fall in love or do you prefer the instant attraction as eyes meet across a crowded ballroom? Or both? I have a copy of Desired to give away to one commenter.