Lynz is the winner! Please send me your mailing address to janette AT jankenny DOT com and I’ll get your autographed novel in the mail.

Thanks to all who commented!

See, I have always wanted to write a story set around the Mayan Riviera with the vast sisal plantations and their sprawling old haciendas.

It’s such an exotic locale, so steeped in violent history, grandeur, and romantic lore.  So the Yucatan Penninsula was the perfect location for my second Harlequin Presents romance.

My editor told me that Proud Revenge Passionate Wedlock was the first Presents set in Mexico, which surprised me. Yes, I’ve read a lot of Presents over the years, but I thought that I’d just somehow missed the ones set in Mexico.

I loved writing this novel because it allowed me to explore a theme that I’d always wanted to do. A couple whose marriage had hit the rocks, yet both still loved the other. With deceit, lies and grief swelling between them with each breath they took, was it possible to reclaim that love? Could they start over  and build a stronger marriage this time? Should they even try?

For Allegra, she’s returned to the Yucatan for one reason. Closure. She can’t sleep, can’t eat, can’t think of a tomorrow until she’s buried her past.  Until she’s let go of the man she loved with all her heart.

I’m giving away an autographed copy of Proud Revenge, Passionate Wedlock to one commenter. Your choice if it’s a Harlequin Presents or Mills & Boon Modern edition! Tell me what was your favorite reconcilliation story. And if you haven’t read one, what was your favorite Modern or Presents title? I’ll announce the winner on Sunday.

I’ve always loved Christmas and have always thought that there was a certain magic surrounding the Victorian celebrations. The caroling, gathering of family and friends, and the overall joy that seemed to dance in the air.

The majority of Victorians decorated lavishly — inside and out. It was an era when the dangerous lit candles on trees were replaced with the newfangled electric lights by Mr. Edison. Delicate ornaments were shipped from Germany and many housewives lovingly crafted their own decorations, right down to the stockings hung by the mantle.

But for the pioneers on the plains and those living in the Wild West, Christmas could be a very lonely holiday with nothing around but miles upon miles of unbroken snow. In fact many people never celebrated it at all.

That was my hero, Reid Barclay. He was raised in an orphanage that didn’t do much more than give the orphans an orange or apple for the holiday. There was no tree, no presents, no merriment.

For Reid, the Christmas appoaching meant one thing — it was the due date on the devil’s deal he’d made and things weren’t looking good for him or his dreams.

His new ranch cook had a tendancy to burn everything she put in the stove, overheating the house, and him, in more ways than one! The last thing he wanted was for her to turn his home into a glittering forest, or tempt the cynic in him to believe he had a chance of finding forgiveness or happiness.

Ellie Jo adored Christmas, and this one held even more joy for it was the first time in years that she’d spend it with her outlaw father. But with her pa and Reid at odds, and trouble set to descend on the ranch, even an optomist like her had trouble believing in the magic of Christmas, and a forever kind of love.

I’ll give away an autographed copy of A Cowboy Christmas to a commenter on this post. Tell me what was your absolute favorite Christmas-themed romance novel, or share your most cherished holiday tradition.

I ran a search on IMDB.com to look for movie quotes about villains and came across the following. “One man’s villain is another man’s hero.” It’s from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and admittedly my experience with Star Trek is bleak at best, but whichever character said these words was oh-so-wise. You could take that one step forward and say that every villain believes himself (or herself) to be the hero in their own story.

I have far more experience with creating swoon-worthy heroes and heroines you’d love to be friends with, but I do know some things about villains. First, they should be as strong as your hero (or heroine, if they case may be). This doesn’t have to mean brute strength, it could be a battle of the wits, but they must be evenly matched or else when the hero wins the reader won’t be too impressed.

Secondly, they need the same elements your hero and heroine need minus one thing. This means they need a believable GMC – they need to be after something for a specific reason and they need conflict. The only think they’re missing is that character arc. They have no growth. That’s the main difference between heroes and villains when you boil it down to the basics. Heroes need to grow and change and villains don’t. (Obviously if you want to turn them into heroes at some point, then this “rule” won’t apply.) I’d add here that you really should focus on the villain’s motivation and make it as strong as possible. If you don’t understand why they do the crazy things they do, then your reader won’t either. Keep in mind that being totally bad, doesn’t mean they’re totally evil. They can have normal, functioning relationships with other people, for example, it’s just when it comes down to what they want and your hero or heroine getting in their way – they just won’t allow that. So they might be protective over their sister, but try to kill the heroine. The same action can co-exist in the same character if you properly motivate them.

There are plenty of wonderful books out there without any villains at all and that’s perfectly okay. But if there is a bad guy, personally I want him to be really bad. Think of John Doe in the movie Seven. He’s methodical and brilliant and so creepy my critique partner actually wishes the movie had never been made. Or consider Cruella Deville, yes, she’s a villainess for a children’s movie, yet still she’s firmly on the disturbing side. What about Voldemort, any redeeming qualities there? Nope, not even a glimmer. Those are the best baddies, in my opinion.

So while some authors will take a baddie from a previous book and then redeem them as a hero in another, that hasn’t been an option for my bad guys. Nope, no reformed villain turned heroes for me. At least not yet.

But I will admit that my latest villain, David Grey, aka “The Raven” truly tempted me in that direction. He’s so deliciously nasty, so compelling, I almost want to redeem him, discover the sort of woman that could soften that black heart of his. Almost, but not quite. For the time being I’ll let him stay within the pages of Seduce Me causing mayhem and all sorts of dangers for Fielding and Esme on their quest for Pandora’s Box. (that’s the inspiration picture for the Raven that I used because how can you go wrong with Alan Rickman?)

How about you? What do you look for in villains? And do you like it when authors redeem their baddies and give them their own happy endings?

**this content originally posted on http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/ on my blog tour.

Well, Readers, it’s just you and me. Most of the Jaunties are at the RWA National conference in DC this week. With 2,000 romance writers descending on our nation’s capital, I’m sure the politicians don’t know what to think!

I wish I was there, but then I thought, since we’re here, why not have some fun? Recently I was at a workshop, where the topic was promotion. Authors talk about this all the time. Basically, we don’t know why people buy our books, but we like to talk about what we think might persuade you to buy our books.

So what I’m going to do is give away a book. I have extra copies of Good Groom Hunting and Reality TV Bites, written as Shane Bolks. One is historical, and the other a contemporary chick lit. I’ll pick a winner, and you tell me which you’d like me to send.

But…here’s the catch. I want you to tell me why you bought the last book you bought. Was it because you like that author? The cover? A book video? The back cover copy? Why did you buy it?

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

So as a romance author I spend a great deal of time thinking about what it is about a man that makes him sexy. It’s really part of the job description because it’s our duty to write heroes that our readers can fall in love with. So all this time I spend staring at pictures of gorgeous men, it’s all research, I promise.

But in thinking about this lately (since I’m working on a hero-centric series) I’ve wondered about a few things. Like why is it easier for us as readers to love a heroine who is plain or even not beautiful rather than deal with a hero is height challenged or follicle challenged. I happen to find some bald men quite attractive, but you rarely find that in books. Is it because that’s part of the fantasy? That as romance readers we like to put ourselves in the place of the heroine so having a plain jane works well since most of us consider ourselves in that category and nothing is sexier than being that plain jane and having the sexiest man cross the room to find you. Kind of makes your breath catch when you think about it, doesn’t it? I think that appeals to most women.

So let’s talk about this, what is it that makes a hero sexy? What makes you, as a reader, fall in love with some heroes but others you can put on the shelf. I know that for me as a reader I can still enjoy a book if I don’t love the heroine, IF the hero is scrumptious. But if that hero isn’t to die for, a great heroine will not save the book.

I present for you some things to consider… a sexy hero has great eyes. This is just as true for me in real life as it is in fiction and it shows in my books. I’m big on eyes. There is just something about a man with intense eyes. Dark eyebrows, long eyelashes, brown/blue/green or whatever color, that doesn’t matter as much as how he looks at you. Or rather the heroine. We like men that see past the heroine’s defenses, see past how she perceives herself or how others perceive her to the beautiful, passionate woman she is underneath. A man who can do that can penetrate our heroine’s walls and find his way into her heart as well as her bed. Joseph Fiennes is an actor who has those eyes. I can scarcily watch him in movies without being totally distracted by the sheer power in his eyes. Wooo!

A hero has to have a great smile. Now whether it be sly or fully dimpled doesn’t matter, but we like a man with a sense of humor. Growly, surly, brooding alpha males are great, but everyone finds something funny and it’s nice to see that. Especially if it’s the heroine that tickles his funny bone. Even if it only evokes a slight chuckle it grounds those characters and makes them more reachable to us, the everyman, because we laugh at ourselves (and eachother) all the time. Josh Holloway has one of those sexy, come-hither grins that just kind of melts the bones right out of your knees.

Let’s not forget that our heroes, more than likely, need a nice physique. That doesn’t mean they all have to be super athletic body builders, but even a London fop has nicely toned arms and a well defined stomach. More than like most of our significant others don’t look like this, but chances are most of us don’t have long flowing, gloriously curly hair with eyes that look great without mascara. It’s part of the fantasy and it’s okay to way our heroes strong enough to carry us over a puddle, among other things. Ryan Reynolds, I mean seriously, check out those abs! Scarlett Johansson gets to wake up to this every morning. does anyone else think that’s grossly unfair?

Okay this one might be a little personal, but I love a man in glasses. Matthew McConaughey in A Time to Kill, hello, so sexy in that with his wire-rimmed glasses! And while I dig the spectacles thing, I think it has less to do with the actual glasses and more to do with the fact that even though it’s a stereotype, glasses do tend to make people look smarter. I love smart men (hello, married a college professor, not one of mine though, in case anyone is wondering…) as smart often means witty which goes back to the sense of humor thing. But cleverness and intelligence are sexy. Who doesn’t want a man who can solve the puzzle and figure out who the bad guy is or build them a raft so they can escape the dessert island. Smarts are sexy as are glasses and just in case you were prepared to argue otherwise, I’ve provided proof a la Johnny Depp.

So what about you? What do you find sexy in a hero? What is the one thing that gets you everytime in a book and makes you swoon with delight? I’ll pick a random comment today to receive a prize packet from me including an autographed advanced reading copy of Seduce Me.

Behind every book, there is a story.  And needless to say, behind my upcoming debut, MISTRESS OF PLEASURE, which centers around a school that educates men on the topic of love and seduction, there are several.  Because I don’t want to write a book about THE book, I’ve decided to elaborate as simply as I can about the inspiration behind the creation of MISTRESS OF PLEASURE.  That inspiration first coming from my research, when I stumbled upon Ninon de L’Enclos, a French 17th century courtesan.  Truth be told, I find it rather astounding that this fascinating woman somehow disappeared into the shadows of history.  She is but a ghost whenever the topic of courtesans arise.  For we usually hear of the same old, same old courtesans like Kitty Fisher, Cora Pearl or Harriette Wilson.  Let me be the first to tell you, however, that none of these women could possibly rival Ninon de L’Enclos or her life.  But don’t take my word for it.  Research her on your own and come to your conclusion.  Bottom line, Ninon’s thoughts, philosophies, and her approach toward men and sex went beyond anything I have ever seen in a woman of her day.  Much like other courtesans, she kept her bedroom door open to aristocratic men, yes.  But unlike other courtesans, she kept that bedroom door open for more than just sex.  This woman actually held meetings and classes in the confines of her bedchamber where men of all ages would come to visit in order to discuss topics of sex, philosphy and love.  These so-called meetings fascinated me and in turn, began to create the growing threads of what is now Mistress of Pleasure.  The more I researched, the more excited I became.  For there was almost too much to work with.  For instance, Ninon had various lovers, as you might imagine.  But to one lover in particular, she birthed a son.  A son who was raised apart from her to never know who she was due to her being a courtesan.  Then one day, when her son was a grown man, he happened to one day meet Ninon.  And fell madly in love with her.  (And no, I’m not bloody making this up…).  Though she had sworn to never reveal her identity to her son, because his advances were growing more and more passionate and he altogether outright refused to leave her be, she finally told him the truth.  That she was in fact his mother and that was why there would never be a sexual relationship between them.  Her son was so overwhelmed and distraught by the confession, that he left her house and committed suicide by falling onto the blade of his own sword.  Another story, somewhat less morbid, was about one man who begged and begged Ninon to admit him into her bed.  She refused him time and time again and finally told him, “Return when I am eighty.  Then I shall bed you.”  The besotted fool took her words quite literally and arrived on her doorstep many, many years late, when she turned eighty.  Ninon was so amused, she ended up bedding him, after all.  As you can tell by the stories I am selecting, it is the older Ninon that ultimately fascinated me.  Which created a dilemma for my writing.  Because my heroine couldn’t possibly be an elderly lady.  It would never sell.  But then I got to thinking.  What if she were a grandmother of the heroine?  Now THAT had possibilities.  At about the same time I started writing AN IMPROPER EDUCATION (which is what I called it before the publisher changed it), MY grandmother re-appeared in my life.  After 20 years of complete and utter silence.  Which is a whole other story I don’t have time to go into…  Soon, I discovered that the grandmother I never knew was actually an opera singer who had married into American Aristocracy and was living the life of a queen.  My grandmother had an air of royalty to her and was quite beautiful for a woman her age.  She had a heavy accent, walked with a sashay and always used amusing little words that I’d never heard before.  For instance, she referred to sex as “Poom-poom.”  She amused me so much so, that I could not help but morph her and Ninon together to create the fictional character that ultimately became Madame de Maitenon, who is both the creator of the School of Gallantry and the grandmother of my heroine, Maybelle de Maitenon.  And so, I ended up with a story about a retired French courtesan who opens up a school that educates men on the topic of love and seduction, and the granddaughter who is unexpectedly forced to take over the operation of the school and educate all the men.  Even though she has very little personal experience.  Life certainly makes for some interesting fiction.  And I have to say, I’m glad for it.  At least in the case of this book.

Cheers,

Delilah Marvelle

www.DelilahMarvelle.com

“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” — Douglas Adams

I’m on deadline. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not really complaining. A deadline, for a writer, means employment. So it’s a good thing, but it’s scary as well. Especially this one, it’s always nerve-wracking turning in that first book to a new editor. I’ve been in that particular scenario three times now. Twice at Avon, and now with my move to Grand Central. You have a whole new learning curve with every editor because they’re all different, they all have their own likes and dislikes and hang-ups. So you essentially start over with every editor. And moving to a new house ups the ante too. Needless to say I’m a mess. A complete ball of nerves. Did I mention I’m not done with the book? And it’s due June 1st?

For the record I’m not a Simpson’s fan (much to The Professor’s annoyance) but this picture was perfect.

Did I also mention that this book is running short? Okay, it’s okay. Deep breaths. Ohm. Ohm. Ohm. Hey, pictures take up a lot of space and I wanted it to look like I really worked on this blog for y’all. But mostly I’m trying to rush right through it and get back to my writing. Wish me luck. And I hope I have new of a completed (and brilliant) book very soon.

In the meantime I’ll give you a topic to discuss amongst yourselves. (Remember that old Saturday Night Live skit with Mike Myers doing Barbra Streisand? The Prince of Thieves is neither about princes nor thieves…discuss…too funny?) Okay what was the first romance novel you read and is it still in your top 5 favorites? Ready…discuss.

I have been very excited about the release of this book, and now that it’s here…I don’t know what to say! So, I’ll include the back cover blurb and a snippet from the book and just leave it at that until I recover my tongue in order to give the historical background and behind the scene snippets. If you have any questions about the book, please ask! I’ll make sure to check the comments frequently.

Back cover blurb:

Three nights of danger . . .

When her brother was arrested for murder, the ton shut its doors to Marietta Winters. No one would help her save him from the gallows – no one but Gabriel Noble. In exchange for taking the case, Gabriel requests three favors from the desperate young beauty, and Marietta has no other choice but to make a deal with the sinfully handsome devil.

Three nights of pleasure . . .

Searching for clues in the rough underbelly of London, Marietta must masquerade as a shamelessly wanton wench – much to Gabriel’s delight. But Marietta swears to herself that her passionate moans are just for show. She could never fall in love with such a maddening, arrogant, seductive stranger . . . could she?

Three nights of sin . . .

Night after night, she satisfies his wicked cravings. But soon Gabriel wants more from Marietta than just three nights of sin – and even a sordid secret in his past won’t prevent him from trying to possess her forever.

Small Excerpt:

“You asked for my help, Miss Winters.”

Her fingernails dug into her left palm. She picked up the journal, shaking it in his direction. “Were you going to give me this if I hadn’t walked in on the two of you?”

“And here I thought you trusted me.” His voice was nonchalant.

“I don’t trust you at all. A sin would be less dangerous.”

He was suddenly squatting in front of her, having moved too quickly for her to react. He ran his thumb over the leather top of the journal, the tip brushing her fingers.

“That’s a shame, Marietta.” His voice held the low hum of an ocean wave at night. “If you don’t trust me, your brother is going to hang.” His fingertips moved along the side of her hand and then lifted. The most dangerous man she’d ever met crouched in front of her. “And I guarantee that you will still be serving me. Three services. Three tasks. Three nights of sin?”