I’m so pleased to be hosting Kelly McClymer on my blog today. Kelly is a multi-talented, multi-published author who writes in a true diversity of genres, including science fiction, fantasy, historical romance, and paranormal YA. Her historical romance novels, including The Fairy Tale Bride, were published with Kensington Zebra and she has three YA books with Simon Pulse, the YA imprint for Simon & Shuster. Fortunately for us, Kelly is now re-releasing her historical romances, and she’s here today to tell us all about it.
Charmed by the Boundary Pushing Earl…Again!
There’s something about a charming rake that makes many a woman lose her common sense. That’s certainly true for Helena Fenster in The Next Best Bride. After all, her charming rake agrees to marry her in her twin sister’s stead and doesn’t seem to mind the last minute switch. You’d think she’d have more sense than to fall for him. But you’d be wrong.
Worse, though, while writing the book, I fell for the earl’s charming determination to stay unscathed by the bonds of love. I made excuses for him and let him push my boundaries to the breaking point, just like he pushed Helena’s. After all, he saw Helena’s artistic talent and encouraged her to nurture it. So what if he wanted her to paint him nude? Artists benefit from studying the human form. Okay, I could write those scenes.
You’d think a seasoned historical romance writer would know better than to let her hero seduce her into writing three times as many love scenes as she had ever written in one book before. But you’d be wrong.
You might also think, after ten years, when that same writer was editing Rand and Helena’s story for the ebook version of The Next Best Bride, that she’d be immune to the rakish earl’s charm. Surely, after so long, she could resist his insistence that he needed to have a more active role in the end of his story. Wrong. He charmed her into writing three extra scenes for him.
I hope he’s happy now, because I need some sleep.
Kelly McClymer recently rereleased The Next Best Bride, Book 5 in the Once Upon a Wedding series, after tussling with the charming earl over some key revisions he wanted to his story. The first book in the series, The Fairy Tale Bride, is also on sale for 99 cents until the end of July, for the last days of the big wedding promotion to help her pay for her daughter’s wedding (you can read all about it on her blog at http://kellymcclymer.com if you’re curious).
I don’t know about you, but I love a hero who makes you write extra sex scenes. Sounds like a whole lot of fun to me!
For my readers, Kelly is giving away a copy of The Next Best Bride, either in its older print edition or in the newly revised digital format. And since we’re talking about weddings – an ever popular theme in romances – tell me about your favorite wedding. Was it the latest royal wedding, one in a book or on a TV show, or your own? One reader who comments will win a copy of The Next Best Bride.
the wedding i like is the simplest possible, just the bride, groom and couple of witness, unfortunately, in my tradition, that simply wont do.
we adore big fat wedding (omitted the word greek and inserted word banjarese there- my tribe’s name) and since weddings meaning meeting everyone from everywhere, it’s more often than not giving me headache 🙂
Irma, I come from a large Irish-Italian family. No wedding was ever less that 200 people!
Vanessa — thank you for allowing me to guest post!
Irma_ady — my daughter is happy to have a simple meaningful ceremony, but she wants her aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends around her to celebrate since they’ve all played a part in making her who she is. This raises the guest list to 150 and counting (big family on my side; and friendships made in childhood, college, the Peace Corps, grad school, and work for her). She also wants to make sure there’s not that typical “see the bride for five minutes” wedding vibe, so we’re looking at the kinds of places where the wedding guests mingle for a day or two and have some fun. A beach house or two…or three, and space for everyone to watch the ceremony and eat. It is doable on a budget, it just takes a little work.
Kelly, it sounds like a lot of fun!
A hero who inspires extra sizzling scenes is definitely a keeper and worthy of every word count. That is also how I feel about characters in general. Distinct characters who charm their way into my life are truly what makes a story great. They are the ones I don’t want to let go of when the story has ended, the ones who leap off the pages and make a place in my life. That is why it makes it all the sadder when you see them disappear in between stacks, get lost among new releases and eventually are gone altogether. The good thing is that I do see them making a coming. I notice books that are re-released are usually available in digital format and sometimes in print form. I welcome both forms and if it’s a matter of me getting my hands on an old favourite or maybe simply discovering a new-old book I’ll take them any way. I’m hoping more people will make these great “friends”.
Kelly, you are a new author to me and since I read multiple genres, I think it’s great you have tackled so many and I look forward to reading them. Vanessa, once again you have contributed to my ever-expanding TBR pile. Keep it up!
No weddings of late to report. The ones I have been to are all very formal and predictable. The best ones are the disastrous, but harmless fun ones in books. Coming in close second is the very high-profile Royal wedding that happened recently. It was very regal and refined. Love both types!
As a reader, I am right with you, Na. There are so many great characters knocking around in my head from the books I’ve read…
As a writer, I strive to create such characters (my characters tend to beg me to do so, since they are shouldering out the likes of Huck Finn and Katniss Everdean to get my attention so that I can tell *their* stories).
You can bet I will, Na! So many great writers out there to learn about or rediscover.
Yippee, a new to me author!!!!
My favorite weddings are the royal ones. I didn’t go to bed the night before Will and Kate married in case I over slept. Turned on the tv at 3am, got on Facebook, and sat with both the entire day. All my FB friends were watching as well, so it was like having a party with thousands of friends.
What is it about a prince in this modern day and age? I swore I wasn’t going to watch, but I normally wake up around 5 and watch the news. Guess what the news was doing? Covering the wedding. So cute when he fumbled the ring on her finger. The kiss was only ho humm. And the Queen is now on my Do Not Call list because she didn’t give Kate the title of Princess. Bah humbug. I’m already counting down the days until the media gives up calling her Duchess…uh…her royal…Kate Middleton and flouts the Queen to call her Princess Katherine 🙂
I was right there with you. In fact, my downstairs neighbor had a Royal wedding party, complete with decorations and wedding cake. Crazy but fun!
I’m such a pushover for royal weddings! I watched the Charles & Diana wedding that XX years ago (all of us glued to the tv) & of course Will & Kate’s.
So did I, Linda. I was there with his mama, and I was there with Will – at least in spirit and in front of the TV!
Two women I worked with back then had a big wedding party for Diana and Charles’ wedding. They talked about it for literally weeks before and weeks afterward. They both had grown kids and didn’t talk about their kids’ weddings the way they talked about Charles and Di 🙂
Love weddings ! Watched Diana’s, Sarah’s & Catherine’s … finally someone has a realistic chance at happiness with Will & Catherine! Not quite the pie in the sky and out there all alone!! Sarah’s was most interesting as we were in the UK at the time visiting USAF brother in law & my sis & their 2 kiddies…
Fun, Cate! Sarah and Andrew had a very lovely, laid-back wedding. Too bad it all went tragically wrong!
I would have given Sarah and Andrew a good shot at happiness. I was sad for them when it went south. I hope Eugenie and Beatrice have better luck in love than their parents…but what *were* they thinking with those hats?
Those hats gave me a headache!
Did anyone see that pic that went around that showed a still of Disney’s Cinderella’s stepsisters next to Eugenie and Beatrice in their hats? It was funny, because there was a a strong similarity in the stepsister’s cartoon hats and the princesses’ real hats!
Yes, that was a very cute comparison. Those two gals need a serious makeover!
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