Mia Marlowe writes absolutely gorgeous historical romance, and she’s got the phenomenal reviews to back it up. Her last book, Touch of a Rogue, was named by Publishers Weekly as one of the Top Ten Romances for Spring 2012. Pretty cool, eh?
Mia has a new book out, and she’s here to tell us all about it.
Can you tell us a bit about your Touch of Seduction series? What’s the premise behind it?
First of all, thanks for having me here today, Vanessa. My Touch of Seduction series is near and dear to my heart and I hope readers will find it great fun, too. In each of the stories, my hero or heroine has the “gift of touch”—a psychometric gift that allows them to glean information by touching certain objects. It’s an occupational hazard for my jewel thief heroine in TOUCH OF A THIEF. It’s a help sometimes to my enquiry agent hero in TOUCH OF A ROGUE. And in TOUCH OF A SCOUNDREL, my hero sees it as a curse because in his case, he sees the future but cannot do anything to change it.
Your lovely historicals contain a touch of the paranormal. What do you like about combining historical romance with the paranormal?
I adore both sub-genres. Nothing takes me away quite so well as a historical hero in glossy Hessians with a sword at his hip. My paranormal elements are pretty tame compared to some. I don’t have any vampires or shifters. My characters are ordinary people with extraordinary gifts. I like to think my magical elements are things that might actually happen.
The heroine in Touch of a Scoundrel is a bit different from the average historical miss or seductive courtesan. Can you tell us a bit about her?
Ah, yes. Emmaline Farnsworth, adventurer, dutiful daughter and con artist. She and her foster father have bounced around Europe hocking fake reliquaries. Now they’re in possession of an unusual Egyptian artifact which they hope to parlay into a big score. They’ve convinced Theodore Nash to fund a bogus expedition, but unfortunately, it’s his older brother, Griffin, the Earl of Devonwood who holds the purse strings. And Griffin is no one’s fool. Emma has never run such a trying long con. She’s fending off the offers of marriage from the younger brother while fighting the wild attraction she feels for the elder.
Like so many authors, you’ve been venturing into the realm of indie publishing. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
I’m very excited to be writing for both Kensington and Sourcebooks, but indie publishing is opening up some new opportunities as well. I’ve self-published 4 novels and 3 novellas since last fall and readers have been writing to let me know they love it. I’ve been fortunate to be able to partner up with a group of talented traditionally published authors who are also self-publishing to form a self-published brand called Rock*It Reads. My partners in crime are: my lovely host today—Vanessa Kelly, Pamela Clare, Elisabeth Naughton, Monica Burns, Kris Kennedy, Margo Maguire, Lila DiPasqua, Sharon Page and Joan Swan. Check out my Books page for my Rock*It Reads titles.
GIVEAWAY: Leave Mia a comment or question today and you’ll be entered in the random drawing. One lucky person will win a copy of TOUCH OF A ROGUE, Book 2 in the Touch of Seduction series and one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Top 10 Romances for Spring 2012! Another winner will receive TOUCH OF A LADY, my enovella prequel to the series in your choice of Kindle or Nook format.
Here’s a question to get the conversation going: If you could have any special paranormal ability, what would it be?
Vanessa, here. Thanks for joining us today, Mia! Folks, be sure to visit Mia’s website for all her book news (she has lots), and to read an excerpt of her latest book! And be sure to check the blurb for Touch of a Scoundrel:
Griffin Nash, Earl of Devonwood, wants to believe that he’s seducing Miss Emmaline Farnsworth out of protectiveness for his young brother. After all, if his brother is convinced that the tantalizing professor’s daughter is unworthy of his trust, perhaps Teddy will lose all interest in such an inappropriate choice for his station.
But in truth, something else motivates Devonwood: a scintillating vision he’s had of a future tryst with the lovely Emmaline. A vision too realistic to be doubted–and too scaldingly passionate to be denied.
Yet Emmaline is not as easily tempted as Devonwood might have hoped–nor is she actually in pursuit of a wealthy husband. No, the real reason for her visit to the manor is something much more shocking… though being enticed by a dashing earl may prove to be a most welcome by-product of her schemes…
And don’t forget to answer Mia’s question for a chance to win her books!
I want to be able to tell if someone is telling the truth or not. Thx for giveaway. Great covers.
That’s a good one,Lona!
Very useful ability, but ripe with conflict potential too. Imagine if you could tell your significant other was lying about something, but weren’t sure what…
Mia, I think your a fabulous writer. I loved Touch of a Scoundrel. I love the cover too. I haven’t gotten to the other books yet. I do have Touch of a Thief, but I don’t have Touch of a Scoundrel yet.
But to answer your question I would want to, oh I don’t know. That is such a tough question. I guess move things with my mind.
Aren’t Mia’s covers wonderful?
Thanks, Melody! I’m so glad you enjoy my work.
I don’t think I would really like to have a paranormal ability, but the power to manipulate time could be very interesting. Dangerous too!!
And very powerful, Mary!
Would everyone else freeze while you stopped time, Mary?
Thank you so much for ht egiveaway. I love both of your books.
If I could have any paranormal power, I think I would love have the ability to conjure.
Ah, a good, old-fashioned witch. Me, too!
I always envied Samantha on Bewitched for her ability to twitch her nose and have a clean house! There’s a paranormal gift I could really get behind.
I would like to be able to tell if a person is lying. I have always been so gillible it would sure be nice to be able to tell is someone is telliong me the truth.
You’re the second person to mention that, Betty! I think it would be a very handy power to have.
Did you watch the TV show LIE TO ME? I enjoyed the concept, but the main character got stranger in his mannerisms the longer the series went on. Guess every special gift has to be paid for by something.
Love historical romance, it is fun to try and feel what it was like back then. Would love to win your book. thanks lsscarchuk@att.net
Thanks for stopping by, Linda!
Me, too, Linda. NOthing takes me away like a hero in glossy Hessians with a sword at his hip!
Love your other books so looking forward to this one. 🙂
I would like to stop time… Never enough time to do everything!
Amen to that, sister!
May, thanks so much. It always makes me happy when a reader enjoys my work.
For me it is a tie between shapeshifting and controlling the elements.
Either would be very cool, Danny!
What new shape would you like to take? I’d like to be about a size 6!
LOL. Size changes would be nice, but more like animals (wolves, tigers etc.)
I´d love to be able to see through walls (and think of all the abs i could swoon over, just peeking through shirts *he he*)
best wishes, Linda xo
Linda, you naughty girl!
Very useful for clandestine activities. Hopefully you’d be able to turn it on and off at will.
The power to control the elements would be awesome! Thanks for the chance to win!
It would!
I know some folks in south Missouri who’d love to be able to scare up a little rain.
I love,love just love your books ! For me I would have to say the power to turn back time that way I could go back to any time period that I have read about !
Thank you for the giveaway
Hi Desere – nice to see you!
You know, people often ask me what time period I’d like to live in. I always say this one. I’m addicted to indoor plumbing, modern medicine and the way women are treated now. But I do love my fictionalized worlds gone by…
Mia, I can’t blame your hero for seeing his ability to see the future, but being unable to change it a curse. I would feel the same way, and would try my hardest to at least try to change it, especially if it’s a bad one.
It would be something if I had a paranormal ability. I think I would like to be able to time-travel and also be able to bring myself back to the present time in a snap. That way I would travel all around the world in different eras and be comfortable knowing I can make it back to my time.
That would be cool, Na. I recently read The Discovery of Witches. The heroine has this very ability, and she and the hero use it to escape from their enemies.
Seems like with all time travel stories, the ability to return to your own time is always in doubt.
My choice would be the ability to read minds…
Mia’s books are all wonderful reads!!!
Yes, Mia is a wonderful writer!
Cate, thanks for those kind words!
The cover of your inde book is very nice. I think I’d like the general ability to read minds. If it was a verbatim reading, that would be too intrusive.
Mind reading seems to be very popular!
Thanks, Kim. I’ve been blessed to work with a couple very talented cover artists for my Rock*It Reads titles.
I’d kinda like to know what the future holds…as long as it’s something good.
I’m with you on that one, Sheila!
Isn’t that just the trouble? We only want the good stuff. I had a lady offer to read my palm one time with the promise that she only shared the good things she saw. I sort of wondered what the point was. If it’s good, I’d like to be surprised by it. If it’s bad, I’d rather not have to deal with it till it comes.
I’d love to have the power of healing.
I recently read How to Please a Pirate & really enjoyed it. Looking forward to reading more of your books!
What a lovely special gift to wish for, Linda. And I’m so glad you loved my PIRATE. I’ll be putting out HOW TO VEX A VISCOUNT as my next Rock*it Read. The heroine is Daisy–the pirate’s niece in HOW TO PLEASE A PIRATE. Several familiar characters return. 😉
This sounds like a good series. I’d like to teleport.
Oh me too. Right now. I’d so be in Hawaii!
Thanks for the giveaway, I think if I could have a paranormal ability, I would like to be able to read minds, just as long as I could turn it on and off as needed, otherwise, reading everyone’s mind all the time might be wild crazy….
Yeah, you’d need to be able to filter things out or you’d have a cacophony in your head.
I would love to be able to teleport. No more pesky traffic and I could get into anywhere I wanted with just a thought. I love traveling, but more the being somewhere different, not necessarily the getting there, so it would be perfect for me. 😀
I’d love to be able to pop in and have coffee with my parents in MO, then whisk back to MA to work on my current WIP.
i would like to just materialize in and out of different places. not time travel. just nowadays, just be nosy really. the books sound really exciting thanks for the chance