Conferences

Hanging Out With My Pal

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Hubby and I will be doing something fun this weekend.  We’ll be in Atlanta, hanging out with some pals and spending time at the fabulous Moonlight & Magnolias Conference, sponsored by the Georgia Romance Writers (GRW).  My second book, Sex And The Single Earl, has been nominated for Best Historical Romance in the GRW’s prestigious contest, The Maggies.  Naturally, I was THRILLED to be one of the finalists, but the best reason for finaling was that it gave me an excuse to visit with all my friends in the Atlanta area!

Along with putting on a dynamite conferenece, the ladies of the GRW sponsor a fantastic book fair and autographing session, which is open to the public.  I’ll be signing along with some phenomenal authors, including Sherrilyn Kenyon, Eloisa James, Karen White, Shiloh Walker, and Haywood Smith.  Zounds!  What a line-up!  The signing will take place on Oct. 1, from 4 to 5:30 pm in the ballroom of the Decatur Hotel and Conference Center.  If you live in the Atlanta area, you really should stop by.  The session is free, and I know it’s going to be a lot of fun.  Details are available on the GRW website.

I’d also like to announce the winner of Marie Force’s latest book, Georgia On My Mind.  It’s Gail S.  Congratulations!  I’ll be in touch.  My next guest on the blog is New York Times best-selling historical romance novelist, Sophie Jordan.  She’ll be here this Friday, so be sure to stop on by!

Guest Author: Katharine Ashe & Giveaway!

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I have a real treat for my readers today – I’m featuring the wonderful historical romance writer, Katharine Ashe.  If you’ve never read any of Katharine’s lush and sexy romances, you should know that she was named by Booklist, the prestigious review journal of the American Library Association as one of “the new stars of historical romance.”  And Katharine does know her history, since she holds a Ph.D. in the subject and is a professor of European History.  How cool is that?

Katharine’s first book was Swept Away By A Kiss.  It received great critical acclaim, and was a top pick from RT Book Reviews and a nominee for the “Best First Historical Romance” Reviewer’s Choice Awards.  And Romance Junkies gave it a Blue Ribbon Rating, calling it “Rompalicious!”

Packed full with adventure, witty repartee, an intriguing plot, wonderful characters, steamy hot love scenes and even pirates, this story is unforgettable.” –Romance Junkies

 

Oh, my God!  Witty repartee, hot love scenes, and pirates.  Seriously, what more could romance readers ask for?

Katharine’s latest book is Captured By A Rogue Lord.  It also received a Top Pick from RT Book Reviews:  “Ashe knows how to captivate readers with her action-packed romance brimming over with marvelous characters, sexual tension, witty repartee and action, action, action. Her take on the pirate tale is novel, exciting and highly romantic.”

Here’s the blurb for Captured By A Rogue Lord:

She would marry no man…
Serena Carlyle dreams of a happily ever after. Firmly on the shelf at twenty-five, instead she’s determined to find the perfect match for her beautiful younger sister. What better prospect than their neighbor, the wealthy, rakishly handsome Earl of Savege? Now Serena can beg his help in halting a local band of smugglers. Then, one night, stealing away from yet another disappointing ball, Serena finds herself trapped alone with a stranger …

Until he captured her—body and soul
His kiss was irresistible, his caress unforgettable, and he hides a devastating secret. A Robin Hood upon the sea, Alex Savege is the brazen pirate Redstone, seizing the yachts of spoiled noblemen to settle an old debt. Serena needs a hero, but her heart is in the gravest danger—for it is soon to be captured by a man as skilled at seduction as he is at plunder.

Smugglers, people!  Sexy smugglers!

Captured By A Rogue Lord is now in bookstores and available from Amazon and other on-line retailers.  You can find all the buy links on Katharine’s website.

Katharine has very graciously donated a copy of Captured By A Rogue Lord for today’s feature.  Let’s talk about outlaw heroes.  Do you love them as much as I do?  Who’s your favorite pirate, or smuggler, or highwayman hero?  One commenter will win a copy of the book.

 

Conference Hijinks And A Fabuloso Review

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Normally on Fridays I do a post on some aspect of the Regency period, but today I’m a little busy.  I’m packing to head out to the First Coast Romance Writers Southern Lights Conference in Jacksonville, Florida.  The conference starts tomorrow, so it’s not too late to drop by for late registration.  We’ve got a great day, with workshops by acclaimed author CL Wilson, and editor Tessa Woodward of Avon Publishing and literary agent Emmanuelle Morgen.  The day also includes a wonderful lunch and a raffle with critiques by a really impressive slate of editors, agents, and authors.

I’d like to share a really nice bit of news:  the first official review of My Favorite Countess is now out. It’s from Just Janga, and you can read the five-star review right here. Janga is one of the smartest bloggers going, so I was thrilled to get such a fabulous review from her.

I’ll be back on Monday with a post about some research I did for my next book.  I think I may have found the inspiration for an old castle that will figure prominently in the story, so stay tuned.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Gift Baskets Galore!

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I normally try to blog three days a week, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  Despite my best intentions I didn’t manage to do that yesterday, because I was too busy making up fabulous gift baskets for the First Coast Romance Writers mini-conference that’s happening this Saturday, March 12, in Jacksonville, Florida.

Okay, I have a confession to make.  I didn’t really make up those baskets; my uber-talented stepmother did.  I did buy all the candy and treats for the baskets, though, and made sure my stepmom was well supplied with high-test coffee while she worked.  As you can tell by the pictures, she does do great work.

Here’s the basket that contains a whole mess of books from Kensington Publishing.  My editor, John Scognamigio, very kindly contributed a box of books to the conference, and other generous Kensington authors like Kate Douglas, Susan Fox, Marilyn Brant, Diane Whiteside, and Elizabeth Amber all sent books.

It will be a lucky pup who wins that basket, I can tell you!

And here are the two baskets I’m contributing.

The basket on the left contains books donated by friends and some of my favorite authors, like Eloisa James and Courtney Milan.  The basket on the right contains my books, including Mastering The Marquess, Sex And The Single Earl, An Invitation To Sin, and also contains an Advanced Reader’s Copy of my upcoming May release, My Favorite Countess.

How do get your hands on one of these lovelies?  Easy!  Just go to the First Coast Romance Writers website and sign up for our mini-conference on Saturday.  Our featured speaker is the fabulous CL Wilson, and we’re also hosting pitches with Avon editor Tessa Woodward and literary agent Emmanuelle Morgen.  It’s going to be a great day!

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