A backlog of winners to post today!
The winners of Manda Collins’ novella are: Jackie Wisherd, Kim, and Maria
The winner of the Brenda Hiatt book is: Judith
The winner of the Brenda Jernigan book is: Kristine
The winner of the Dana Marton book is: Erin
Congrats, ladies! I’ll be in touch.
Thanks to everyone for stopping by the blog. I’ll have lots of guests appearing on the blog this summer, so be sure to check back often!
I’m always excited when my good friend Manda Collins visits my blog. Manda writes witty Regency-set historical romance with a dash of mystery. Her next book, Why Dukes Say I Do, just received a prestigious Top Pick from RT Book Reviews. Dukes will released on July 30th.
But Manda has a new novella out tomorrow, and it’s another of her witty, emotionally appealing stories. She’s here to talk with us about it!
How does your novella fit into The Ugly Ducklings Trilogy?
The Perks of Being a Beautyis the story of Miss Amelia Snowe, who is the nemesis of Cecily, Juliet and Maddie in the Ugly Ducklings trilogy. In Book 3 of the trilogy, How to Entice an Earl, we see Amelia coming to the realization that she’s been behaving rather badly during her reign as the toast of the ton. Well, in The Perks we see Amelia in seriously straitened circumstances. Her mother has died, leaving Amelia not only penniless, but also owing a great deal to her mother’s creditors. Forced to make her own living, Amelia has become the companion to a wealthy cit’s daughter. It’s a far cry from being able to wind the gentlemen of the ton around her little finger!
Your heroine is looking for redemption. Why do you think that particular theme resonates so well with readers?
You know, I’m not all that sure it does. I know that readers have a ton of love for redeemed rakes and villains, but I think it takes a bit more for them to forgive a villainous heroines. I’m not sure if it’s because most romance readers are women, and we tend to be harder on our own sex, or what. Still, I do think there is much to touch readers hearts in this kind of story. We’ve all done things that we aren’t particularly proud of, and by watching a character like Amelia make amends to the people she’s harmed, we see the possibility for our own redemption–whether it’s harsh words to a loved one or something more serious.
Hopefully, after seeing how truly repentant Amelia is, readers will begin to root for her.
The book trailer for The Perks of Being a Beauty is awesome. How did you come up for the idea for it?
I’ve been a fan of the Dos Equis commercials about “The Most Interesting Man in the World” since they first came out. And I’ve been thinking about fun promo ideas for my upcoming series, but I knew that the only character who could pull off “The Most Interesting” theme was Amelia, who is somewhat larger than life in the Ducklings books. Coming up with her character traits was the most fun I’ve had in a long long time! Readers, you can watch this adorable trailer here.
What’s up next in Manda’s writing world?
On July 30, the first book in my new Wicked Widows trilogy, Why Dukes Say I Do, will be released. I’m really excited about this new series and seeing how readers respond to it. I’ve just gotten my review from RT Book Reviews and was floored to see it was not only a Top Pick, but my hero Trevor (a real dish, if I may say so myself!) was named a Knight In Shining Silver (or K.I.S.S.) hero! “Witty and smart, Collins’ prose flows smoothly as she merges a charming, compassionate love story with gothic suspense….Add strong pacing and depth of emotion and there’s no doubt this is a winner.”
And I can’t wait to read it! For my readers today, Manda is graciously giving away three copies of The Perks of Being a Beauty. As someone who’s also written a book about a bad girl reformed, I’d like to talk about that. Can you think of any heroines from books, a TV show, or movies who redeemed herself? Three people who comment will win a copy of Manda’s novella!
The winner of the Manda Collins book from her Ugly Ducklings Trilogy is Liz. And the winner of Alyssa Goodnight’s book, Austentatious, is Robin Bromily. Congratulations, ladies! I’ll be in touch.
Thanks to everyone for stopping by the blog. And be sure to stop by tomorrow because I’ll be announcing some new and exciting details about my upcoming historical series. See you then!
Hooray! One of my favorite people is visiting with us today. She’s Manda Collins, who writes delightfully charming historical romance with a dash of mystery. The third book in her Ugly Ducklings Trilogy is now in stores, and Manda is here to tell us all about it.
How To Entice an Earl is the third book in your fabulous Ugly Ducklings trilogy. What’s this trilogy about, and where did you get the idea for it?
The trilogy follows three not-so-popular cousins who are the daughters of the famous Featherstone sisters who took the ton by storm a generation ago. I got the idea one evening while watching Entertainment Tonight and thinking about how difficult life must be for those children of celebrated beauties who, for whatever reason, don’t replicate their famous mothers’ successes. I transposed the notion to the Regency period, added some mystery capers, and the Ugly Ducklings were born!
What can you tell us about Madeline and Christian, the heroine and hero of How To Entice an Earl?
Maddie is the most outspoken and irreverent of the Ducklings. While Cecily had her scholarly pursuits and Juliet had her music, however, Maddie has had a hard time carving out a niche for herself. She wants to do this by writing a novel. Like many young ladies of the period she is a great novel reader and hopes to use her novel as a means of casting a light on the dangers of many gentlemanly pursuits like gaming and drinking to excess. Pursuits that the men in her own family have…uh…pursued. 
You get the idea.
As a military hero, one would think that Christian (newly made an Earl) would be the most serious of his friends. But quite the opposite. Like many young men who have survived harsh circumstances, Christian finds an escape from his past through humor. And thanks to his connections with the War Office, he has been asked to do a bit of investigating from time to time. When his latest assignment brings him literally head to head with Maddie, a heretofore unrecognized attraction blooms between them. And Christian being Christian, he handles the situation with his usual humor and bull-headedness.
In your day job, you’re an academic librarian. Has that made life easier for you as a historical romance author?
Yes and no. Yes, because I know where to go if I need to find some little known historical detail. But, I work at a small liberal arts college and we don’t really have the budget for the kind of super-fancy databases and expensive books that I would truly need to track down every last detail. So I’m rather in the position of knowing it’s out there, but not being able to access it short of a Lear Jet and an unlimited budget. Also, no matter how grateful I am to have it, it’s a day job. Which puts a damper on the writing output. Still I think I’m in a better position than most, and for that I’m grateful.
What’s next for Manda Collins in the book world?
Well, I don’t have a release date for it yet, but I am currently working on a novella that will tie up the Ugly Ducklings Trilogy and offer an introduction into the world of my next trilogy.It is called The Perks of Being a Beauty and tells the story of the girl you love to hate. I won’t say more than that, but rest assured that we learn why she is the way she is and she’ll atone for her past misdeeds.
My next trilogy, the first of which will be called Why Dukes Say I Do will follow the exploits of three widows who are being blackmailed for a murder–a murder that they did not commit. Look for Book 1 in July of 2013.
Vanessa, here. I just love the idea for Manda’s new series, don’t you? And I’m really looking forward to reading her upcoming novella! For my readers today, Manda is giving away one of her books in the Ugly Ducklings Trilogy – reader’s choice. Since Manda always has a mystery element in her books, let’s talk about that. Do you like a little mystery in your romances? What are some of your favorite romantic suspense or mysteries? One person who comments will win a book from the Ugly Ducklings Trilogy.
The winner of Juliana Stone’s contemporary romance, Offside, is Teresa Salyers. And the winner of Colleen Gleason’s medieval historical romance, A Whisper of Rosemary, is Jeanne Sheats. Congratulations! I’ll be in touch.
Thanks to everyone for stopping by the blog. My next guest will be fabulous historical romance writer Manda Collins. She’ll be here this Thursday, so please stop back!
My good pal Marilyn Bryant, author of A Summer in Europe, tagged me to take part in this blogging hop-along, and I thought it sounded like fun. I’ll answer some questions about my current work in progress (WIP), and then tag five other authors to do the same thing on their blogs next week.
So, here goes on my Next Big Thing:
What is your working title of your book? A Royal Seduction.
Where did the idea come from for the book? From reading histories and biographies about the British Royals during the Regency period.
What genre does your book fall under? Regency-set historical romance.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? I’ve already got them picked out. Hugh Jackman would play my hero, and the heroine would be played by Piper Perabo.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? The illegitimate son of the Prince Regent, who is also a spy for the British Crown, must protect a young noblewoman (a beautiful and brilliant cardsharp) from kidnapping and forced marriage to a Russian prince.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? This is the first book in my new series, The Renegade Royals, for Kensington Publishing.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Four months, which included the beginning of revisions.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? It’s a sexy Regency historical, with some adventure and a spy for a hero, so I’d say it’s similar to what Shana Galen writes. But I also have quite a bit of humor and Regency social settings in my book too, so I think readers who like books by Katharine Ashe will like it, too.
Who or what inspired you to write this book? I read a wonderful biography of the Prince Regent, the eldest son and heir of George III. Like most of his brothers – who were a pretty scandalous lot – he had at least one or two illegitimate children. All told, the brothers probably had close to twenty illegitimate offspring, some of whom were never identified. I thought it would be pretty cool to write a series about those children who never emerged from the shadows of history. They were the sons of princes, and yet had such murky backgrounds. This WIP is my story of Aden, the Prince Regent’s bastard son.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? I really love the heroine and think she’s a very interesting character. She’s funny and sweet, and a total math genius. Her family is a nightmare, always spending themselves into massive debt, and Vivien has to use her math skills at the gambling tables of the ton to keep her family afloat. She was a lot of fun to write.
And now I get to tag a few awesome author friends too, who’ll be posting about their latest projects on their blogs next Wednesday, Dec. 5th. Can’t wait to hear what they’re working on!!
Cynthia Eden, author of Angel in Chains
Monica Burns, author of A Bluestocking Christmas
Kris Kennedy, author of Deception
Manda Collins, author of How To Romance A Rake
Theresa Romain, author of Season For Surrender
Readers, be sure to check out these talented ladies next week and find out what they’re working on!
We have several winners today. Here are the lucky readers:
When You Give a Duke a Diamond, by Shana Galen: Raquel Procell
How to Dance With a Duke, by Manda Collins: Winnie
Touch of a Rogue, by Mia Marlowe: Joy G
Touch of a Lady, by Mia Marlowe: Kim
Congratulations, ladies! I’ll be in touch.
Thanks to everyone for stopping by the blog. My guest blogger tomorrow will be historical romance author Terri Brisbin. Be sure to stop by!
I’m thrilled to have my good friend and talented historical romance author Manda Collins on the blog today. Mandy writes witty and charming Regency-set historical romance with a dash of mystery. Her first book, How to Dance With a Duke, debuted to great reviews and spent several weeks on the Bookscan bestseller list. Let’s have a chat with Manda, and see what she’s up to with her latest book, How To Romance A Rake.
Your series is called The Ugly Ducklings. Can you tell us a little bit about it and what inspired the premise?
The concept of three cousins who are considered ugly compared to their glamorous mothers grew out of a story I read somewhere about the famous Gunning Sisters. They were real life Regency characters who came from no-one knows where and took the ton by storm with their beauty and married very, very well. I did a “what if” and wondered what it would be like to be the daughter of such a famed beauty–especially a daughter who suffers by comparison. I came up with the Fabulous Featherstone sisters and out of that grew their daughters, the Ugly Ducklings.
The heroine of How to Romance a Rake, a tremendously appealing character, is not your conventional Regency miss. Can you tell us a little bit about her?
Juliet Shelby is the daughter of Rose, Viscountess Shelby, who is, unfortunately, the vainest of the Featherstone sisters. And when Juliet suffers a disfiguring accident in her teens, Rose thinks not of how awful it must be for Juliet, instead she thinks of how having a daughter who is less than perfect will reflect upon her. So she does her best to make sure that Juliet gets very little notice from the ton. Along with her cousins, Cecily and Maddie, Juliet spends a lot of time sitting out dances with the other wallflowers. But despite her mother’s restrictions, Juliet has managed to become an accomplished pianist. And when her music teacher goes missing Juliet joins forces with swoony Lord Deveril to search for her.
Your stories often revolve around a mystery element. What do you like about combining mystery and romance?
I really like having a strong external conflict for my hero and heroine to work together to solve. My favorite romances are the ones where there is teamwork between the main couple, and what better way to put them to work than in solving a mystery in which the stakes are high for one or both of them?
You’ve recently ventured into the realm of indie publishing. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
In May, I self-published a contemporary novella called LEGALLY YOURS. It’s a reunited lovers story about two former law school classmates who meet again years later. One is a corporate lawyer and the other, who didn’t finish law school is working as a paralegal. Sparks fly, and one thing leads to another and…well, you get the idea. I hope to publish a follow up story in the coming months but it depends on my historical writing schedule. I’ll keep you posted!
What’s up next for Manda?
In January, the third and final Ugly Ducklings story, HOW TO ENTICE AN EARL will be released. It’s Maddie and Monteith’s story and I think readers are really going to love seeing these two together. I know I had a lot of fun writing them!
Thanks so much for being with us today, girlfriend! And here’s the blurb for How to Romance a Rake:
Dancing with Danger
What’s a nice girl like Miss Juliet Shelby doing in a place like Lord Deveril’s ballroom? With her shy demeanor, she’s a total stranger to the dance floor and a source of mockery for the ton. So imagine her surprise when Deveril gallantly comes to her defense—and offers to teach her to dance! Juliet can hardly believe the most handsome bachelor in London would notice her, until he takes her in his arms and sets her heart ablaze…
Playing with Fire
Lord Alec Deveril has never felt such a spark of attraction for an unmarried lady before. Unlike the “fashionable” women he’s accustomed to, Juliet possesses a generous spirit, a fiery intelligence—and an explosive secret. Deep in the London underworld, a dear friend has vanished, and Juliet fears the worst. Deveril insists on helping, escorting her through the darkest alleys in town. But he too is hiding a shocking secret—and the only way he can defeat the devil in his past is to seduce the angel in his arms …
Sounds great, doesn’t it? I had the good fortune to read this book in advance, and I can tell you it’s a tremendously charming and heartfelt book. If you enjoy Amanda Quick’s historical mysteries, you’ll love Manda’s books. And for my readers today, Manda is giving away a copy of her first book, How to Dance With a Duke to one person who comments. Just tell us about one of your favorite mystery or suspense books for a chance to win.
And don’t forget to check out Manda’s website for excerpts and more interesting stuff!
I’m celebrating the upcoming October release of my next historical romance, His Mistletoe Bride, with a giveaway on goodreads. Five copies of this baby are up for grabs, so dash right over and enter for a chance to win. Click here for details and to enter.
I’ve also got lots of winners today from guest blog posts this past week. Here we go!
ARC of Theresa Romain’s Season for Surrender – June
Carey Baldwin’s First Do No Evil – Phyllis Lamken
Kris Kennedy’s Defiant – Mary Doherty
Kris Kennedy’s The Irish Warrior – Sheila M
Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks to everyone who stopped by the blog last week. It was fun! My guests next week will be historical romance writers Mia Marlowe and Manda Collins. Be sure to stop by!
Boy, have I let the winners pile up on the blog! Here we go…
For Manda Collins’ new e-novella, the winners are: Janie C, bn100, StacieD, Artemis, Tin.
And the winner of Manda’s ARC of her next book, How to Romance a Rake, is Alisha Woods. Alisha also wins a copy of Legally Yours.
The winners of my Mother’s Day giveaway are Lisa B & MicheAnne Oboyle, who both win a copy of my new VK Sykes e-book, Fastball, and Sienny, who wins a copy of Mastering The Marquess.
Finally, the winner of Elise Rome’s upcoming release, The Sinning Hour, is Tina Rucci.
Congratulations to the winners! I’ll be in touch soon. And thanks to everyone for stopping by the blog. My guest author on Thursday will be acclaimed historical romance writer, Miranda Neville.