Sarah MacLean's Blog, page 9

Dying for Gatsby…

The Great Gatsby is my favorite book in the world. I’ve read it dozens of times, and I think it’s the greatest love story ever written. This all means that any film adaptation of Gatsby is doomed to fail in my eyes (I’m looking at you, Redford).

BUT Baz Luhrmann can pretty much do no wrong for me…so I clicked on the link for the new Gatsby trailer tentatively, staring through my fingers.

And Oh. My. Heavens.

I’m DYING. I also can’t stop watching it.

I cannot wait. Can. Not. Wait. OMG.

I may be cancelling Christmas to live in a movie theater.

We’ll Eat You Up. We Love You So.

The Best Writing Retreat Ever. You’re Invited!

I’m so excited to tell you all that I’ll be teaching a three-week Romance workshop as part of MediaBistro’s 2012 Literary Festival…and I am so, totally, jazzed about it!

First things first: If you don’t live in NYC, keep reading! This whole thing is online…and we’ve picked a timeslot that should work for people in many timezones!

Second things (which probably should be first because OMG) second: You guys. This Literary Festival is going to be AMAZING. Essentially, Media Bistro (a NYC based media and writing organization) has arranged the most incredible Writing Retreat ever, and you can be a part of it…hearing from people like Susan Orlean and others, learning about the agent/editorial process from the pros, getting advice on how to handle the psychological bits of writing, and…yes…taking a workshop with a published author (like me!).

The program (which is still in development) looks AWESOME. The sessions and programs will run from July 16 – August 2, and for $425, you get access to all the presentations/keynote sessions and participation in one three-week writing workshop (taught by a published author & including 1-on-1 feedback from that author). Check out the full schedule here…

Here’s the part where I give you the hard sell for my class! After some discussion with the fabulous folks at MediaBistro, we decided that, in three weeks, we couldn’t cover everything…but we could cover the moment I think is the single most important one in any romance novel–the moment when we, as readers, see the hero and heroine together for the first time:

IT’S ALL ABOUT CHEMISTRY

The first pages of a romance novel are crucial for creating a spark between the hero and heroine…and keeping readers invested in the story.  Join romance author Sarah MacLean in this workshop focused on developing the perfect first meeting, setting up the powerful moments of genuine connection that come from it, and setting the tone for your entire novel.

You’ll learn how to use dialogue to create sparkling characters, how to build emotional and sexual tension quickly and effectively, and tips and tricks to ensure that your story promises a satisfying, sigh-inducing romance, all in the first few pages of your book.

By the end of this workshop, you’ll have up to 10 revised pages of the most important moment in your romance novel–when your hero and heroine first interact, and readers start rooting for their happily ever after.

Live chat sessions online: Tuesdays, July 24 & 31, 9-10 pm ET

I hope you’ll consider joining me for the workshop–but either way, if you’re writing, or thinking about writing, I think this online festival is a huge opportunity for you to hone your craft. I, for one, cannot wait for some of these sessions!

Two Big Weeks! Join Me!

Click to read the flier!

Somehow, April snuck up on me.

I'm not sure how that happened–it came after March, as per usual, but I think somewhere between a winter with no snow and a book out in February I just forgot that time marches, and that April was coming. But now, it's here. And I'm traveling like mad for the next two weeks, and wondering if my suitcase is big enough.

This week begins with Brooklyn, meanders through Chicago (for my first Romantic Times convention) and Western Massachusetts (where I get to spend a whole 24 hours on the campus of my alma mater), and ends in Ridgefield, CT with what is destined to be an awesome chat with Julia Quinn & Eloisa James about romance–where I hope to debunk the silly myth that New Englanders don't read romance. Come on. Seriously?

(Get all my tour dates in the Find Sarah section of the website!) 

Then I'm in New York for a few more days–just long enough to lull Baxter (and Eric) back into a false sense of security–and then I'm off to Erie, PA for the Penn State Behrend Gender Conference. I'm super excited to be keynoting the conference with a (FREE! Open to the public!) talk called "Real Heroines Rip Their Own Bodices." I'm always jazzed when academics want to talk romance…and when they want to hear me talk about romance, I'm even more jazzed!

My plan is to talk about the history of romance, the power that the genre has as one written by women, for women, the way the content of the books speaks to the state of the sexual revolution (40 years in), and the way society uses descriptors like "mommy porn" and "smut" to both shame us into resisting our sexuality and keep us in our proverbial place. I'll be using badass heroines as examples of why romance strikes fear in the hearts of many, and taking questions from the audience.

Interested in being a part of the talk, but not near Erie? Leave me a comment and tell me about a personal experience you've had with judgement of romance, or tell me about a badass heroine who you love beyond measure!

If you're close to Erie…please join me! 12:30pm on Friday, April 20th at the Smith Chapel on the Penn State Erie campus. I'll be signing books afterward!

Vicky Dreiling Shares How We Met!

As you know, I've been begging some of my favorite authors to come over to the blog and chat for the past few weeks, and I'm so happy to host the fabulous Vicky Dreiling today on her release day for her latest–How to Ravish a Rake! I was lucky enough to read Vicky's first book, How to Marry a Duke, before it was published…and it made me a very happy camper–it's a wonderful Regency reimagining of The Bachelor…and I was hooked from the first line. But I'm going to let her tell you the story! 

Welcome Vicky!

***

This story is about Sarah. In March 2010, I saw this book at Barnes & Noble with a fabulous cover and a great eye-catching title:

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake

I was hooked immediately and bought the book, which I intended to read while traveling for business. Unfortunately, I forgot to pack the book. I was really disappointed when I realized my mistake at the airport. Meanwhile, my darling daughter came home from college to pet sit for me. After I got home, Amber Rose went back to college, and I searched high and low for Sarah's book. I couldn't find it anywhere. Then I realized what had happened. Nine Rules had taken a trip to college.  :)

Something else happened. I walked past my overflowing bookshelf, and a pile of books fell off. I looked at the mess and concluded I must do one of the following: A) Buy more bookshelves or B) Buy an e-reader. As luck would have it, Amazon was featuring a sale on Kindles, so I bought one. The first book I ordered for my Kindle was Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake.

I loved Nine Rules. From the first page, Callie grabbed my heart. So yeah, I'm a big fan of Sarah's books, but there's more to my story.  I started tweeting with Sarah, and of course, I adored her. We had a mutual friend, too – Sophie Jordan.  I was also very excited because I'd sold my first book, How to Marry a Duke. Then one morning on Twitter, I got a direct message from Sarah. It said: "I love your first line."

[Editor's Note: The first line of How to Marry a Duke is: "The belles of the Beau Monde had resorted to clumsiness in an effort to snag a ducal husband." I mean, who wouldn't love that line?]

Huh?

I sent her a DM and said, "You have a copy of my book?"

We sort of scooped my editor! Not long afterward, my editor emailed to let me know about all the fabulous authors who had read my book and given it great quotes. I called her after seeing the list and told her that two of my friends were on there: Sarah & Sophie.

The really great part is that I got to meet Sarah at the RWA conference. She's just as funny and warm as you have probably guessed. And I can't wait to read A Rogue by Any Other Name. It's on my Kindle Fire (I gave the 1st Kindle to my darling daughter LOL).

Oh, yeah, I guess I should reveal that I have a book coming out on today! It's called How to Ravish a Rake, and it involves a wine cellar, a wedding wager, and a happily ever after. There's smooching in it, too. :)

SCANDALOUS DESIRES . . .

Amy Hardwick has one last Season to shake off her wallflower image and make a love match. If she can't, she'll set aside her dreams of romance and return home to a suitor who can provide security—if little else. What she doesn't count on is the inappropriate—and irresistible—attention lavished on her in a darkened library by rake extraordinaire Will "The Devil" Darcett . . .

DEVILISH DELIGHT

When Will is caught in a tryst with the ton's shyest miss, he knows he must offer for her hand. Yet Amy is not the shrinking violet she seems to be. Passion lies beneath her prim exterior and Will is eager to release it. But winning Amy isn't simply a matter of seduction; first, Will must convince her that he's mended his wicked ways . . .

Sarah, thanks so much for inviting me to your site, and major congratulations on making the New York Times list with A Rogue By Any Other Name!!!

***

Thanks so much for this wonderful story, Vicky…I'm thrilled that we met! Plus, any friend of Sophie's is a friend of mine, always!

Vicky and I believe that good friends are absolutely necessary in life…tell us about a great friend of yours in comments, and one lucky winner will receive a signed copy of Vicky's How to Ravish a Rake (US & Canada Only)!

 

Writers on Rogues: Kieran Kramer on…well, a lot of them.

Kieran Kramer is one of the most fun, most funny, most fabulous women and writers I know…and I'm so thrilled that she agreed to take some time out of her exceedingly busy schedule to come share her views on rogues for Writers on Rogues! You all know Kieran from her (amazingly titled) books, When Harry Met Molly, Dukes to the Left of Me, Princes to the Right, Cloudy with a Chance of Marriage and If You Give a Girl a Viscount. I am so very excited for her latest series: The House of Brady (yes…Regency-era Brady Bunch!!), to begin! The first book, Loving Lady Marcia, is out in September and I already have it preordered!

Welcome, Kieran!

***

I have so many favorite rogues! My dog Striker thinks he's one, but he's neutered, so that's impossible (I'm not going to tell him—he'd be very disappointed).

Riffing about rogues with my sister and my college-age daughter yesterday, I came to the conclusion that this is an excellent topic to discuss in a bar on Girls' Night Out. We were saying such naughty things! We got into wonderful little squabbles about whether my rogue should be redeemable or not. We simply had to pour out glasses of red wine and gulp them down to say what we really felt about rogues. If we'd had cigarettes, we would have smoked them—it doesn't matter that none of us are smokers. We were talking about rogues. The topic got so out of control, we had to dance to Selena Gomez's "Love You Like a Love Song" just to work off steam, and then we prank called someone. Just for kicks.

I say some of the most delicious rogues aren't redeemable. Could I have a "Hear! Hear!" on that? Because I certainly didn't get one from my daughter (and I love that about her). My sister, God bless her—we've both been happily married to two good men for over 20 years apiece–understood my point completely.

So let's start with an irredeemable rogue: Hugh Grant as Daniel Cleaver in Bridget Jones's Diary. Give me Daniel Cleaver. Please. He can invade my personal space any time he'd like. I'm bad enough that I wouldn't care that he's a selfish jerk; I'd enjoy his snarky company that much. I'd pull him down by the tie when he's leaning over my desk and lay one on him. Who cares about long-term when you're with Daniel Cleaver, right? I need more Daniel Cleaver-ish people in my life. Actually, I don't. I tend to choose friends of both sexes with a "devil-may-care" sort of character anyway. I'm very, very attracted to Daniel Cleaver types. Is that because I grew up such a good girl? Who knows? And who cares?

Let's simply revel in his badness, shall we? Let's not ruin Daniel by trying to redeem him.

So be your naughty, fun self, Daniel/Hugh. Talk to Jones's skirt. Look sexy and promise with your eyes that all sorts of scandalous things are going to happen in your company.

And before I get too enrapt in remembering that fabulous bad boy, let's move on to my two redeemable rogues: Joe Morelli and Mr. Rochester.

Joe is going to be Stephanie's husband someday, I have no doubt. He'll be a great baseball dad and take Stephanie out on obligatory dates without showing a whole lot of imagination in the process. He'll forget about her when football comes on TV. But he'll always have some bad boy in him, and just when Stephanie thinks he's plebian and annoying, he'll grab her in the right places, say something wildly original and sexy, and remind her she can't pin him down so easily.

So in my alternate universe in which I'm the Lady With Many Paramours, Joe will be my Adorable Boyish Guy Who Becomes a Demanding Italian Stud When the Mood Suits Him.

I ran out of time to discuss Mr. Rochester. Thinking and talking about rogues makes me restless. I have the urge to go to my favorite seedy bar and karaoke, even though it's a school night. I'm even tempted to turn the volume up to 11 in my minivan on the way.

So I have to go.

But I love you, too–dear, cranky Mr. Rochester–you untamed beast with a wounded heart! Everything in me clamors to engage in sparring matches with you and win you over…

Yet I could never win you over completely, could I? Nor Joe, nor Daniel. That's what defines a rogue. We can never have all of him. It's what makes him most alluring.

Thank you to Sarah for creating this wonderful opportunity for me to reflect on rogues and why we love them. I got quite a night out of it. After the rogue talk with my sister and daughter, my husband got to put up with me while I imagined I was the baddest girl on the planet and he was Daniel Cleaver. He was watching ESPN, of course, so his roguish qualities were temporarily suppressed, but a girl can dream, can she not?

And there are always commercial interruptions.

***

HA!

I love love love Kieran. She is so incredibly funny…and I 66% agree with her. Pro Daniel and Joe…decidedly anti Rochester, who is a whiny, horrible baby. There. I said it. So, that's always a fun topic…are you pro Rochester? Or against? Share in comments for a chance to win a copy of Kieran's If You Give a Girl a Viscount (US only).

Writers on Rogues: Miranda Neville on Valmont

It is no secret that I utterly adore Miranda Neville. She's funny, clever, a fellow Ballroom blogger AND writes like a dream. AND…the girl can title a book. I thought her last book had the best one ever, The Amorous Education of Celia Seaton, until the announcement of the one that's out at the end of the month–Confessions of an Arranged Marriage. Love.

And then, to make her awesomeness even more obvious, when I asked her to come over and chat about her favorite rogue, she chose the Vicomte de Valmont, a scoundrel with whom I have a long, personal relationship. I can't help it. You might even say it's beyond my control. ;)

Miranda! Over to you!

***

We all love a reformed rake. But what about a rake who refuses to be reformed? Despite his truly appalling behavior, I can't help loving Valmont.

The Vicomte de Valmont is the hero (or something) of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, a French novel by Choderlos (there's a hero name!) de Laclos, published in 1782. It was a wildly popular, utterly shocking novel about sexual games and revenge, much admired by Marie Antoinette.

Valmont and his cohort Madame de Merteuil make a deal. He'll help her ruin Cecile de Volanges and she'll sleep with him. Madame de Merteuil wants revenge on Cecile's fiancé, her former lover. Got that straight? Never mind. The motivations for a tangle of seductions get quite complicated so I'll move straight on to Valmont's particular sins.

1. Though it wasn't the original plan, he ends up sleeping with the fifteen-year-old Cecile to revenge himself on her mother.

2. He seduces Madame de Tourvel, a beautiful and virtuous married lady, simply because it's a challenge. And he does it so beautifully.

Valmont is far too clever to pretend to be good. Instead he appeals to Madame de Tourvel to reform him. Here's a quote from the John Malkovich film version.

"I'm not going to deny that I was aware of your beauty. But the point is, this has nothing to do with your beauty. As I got to know you, I began to realize that beauty was the least of your qualities. I became fascinated by your goodness. I was drawn in by it. I didn't understand what was happening to me. And it was only when I began to feel actual, physical pain every time you left the room that it finally dawned on me: I was in love, for the first time in my life. I knew it was hopeless, but that didn't matter to me. And it's not that I want to have you. All I want is to deserve you. Tell me what to do. Show me how to behave. I'll do anything you say."

And the kicker is it'll be all her fault if she resists and he returns to his wicked ways. We want to believe him as much as Madame de Tourvel does. We desperately root for Valmont to be reformed. He seems to have fallen in love with her but has he really? The question is left ambiguous. He tells Madame de Merteuil "I ended by falling on my knees and pledging her eternal love. And do you know that, at that time, and for several hours afterwards, I actually meant it."

I like to think that he did mean it. But his ego and persona are so tied up in his rakedom that he throws away the chance at true love. The book ends (spoiler alert) badly.

There are at least two film adaptations. Dangerous Liaisons with John Malkovich as Valmont and Michelle Pfeiffer as Madame de Tourvel and Valmont, with Colin Firth and Meg Tilly. Both have their virtues, one of which is gorgeous costumes and sets. Men look so delicious in 18th century garb. In researching this blog, I discovered Alan Rickman had played Valmont on the stage. Be still my heart. I couldn't find picture, only a short documentary film clip.

If you were going to be seduced and left heartbroken by an unreformed rake, who would rather: John Malkovich, Colin Firth or Alan Rickman?

Ohhhh…the question! I love it! I mean, it's so hard! Because I love love love John Malkovich as Valmont…but Colin Firth is…well…Colin Firth, and Alan Rickman has that AMAZING voice!

What do you think? Answer below and one lucky commenter (US only) will win a copy of Miranda's The Dangerous Viscount (look out for Minerva…the heroine of her latest)!

Writers on Rogues: Stephanie Dray on Mark Antony

After a week-long station break, I'm thrilled to resume Writers on Rogues with the amazingly talented Stephanie Dray! Stephanie and I met a few RWAs ago when we discovered that we were both Smith College grads…once a Smithie, always a Smithie, and I've been so happy to call her a friend since! We had a great time at Smith this time last year…talking about Romance on an alumnae panel and causing a whole lot of trouble, I'm sure! 

You probably know that Stephanie writes fabulous ancient historicals (her most recent is Song of the Nile)…so I knew she'd deliver the rogue of all rogues when I asked her to come over and add her vote for Writers on Rogues! Boy did she deliver with Mark Antony, the Romantic Rogue of the Ancient World…

***

Antony and Cleopatra are the most famous lovers in the history of western civilization. But why did the Queen of the Nile fall in love with a Roman general? I'd argue it was because he was the ultimate bad boy.

Mark Antony (otherwise known as Marcus Antonius) was famous for his thick curling hair and brawny good looks. He had a wide neck, broad shoulders and wore his tunics short so that all the ladies could get a good peek at his powerful thighs. Let's just put it this way: he claimed to be descended from Hercules and everyone believed him, because he looked the part.

But with Antony, it was more about good looks. He was also a brilliant general and a soldier's soldier. He ate with the men in his army and shared their privations, going so far as to snack on bugs and bark in hard times. In adversity, he could be at his best. Even his detractors give him that. For example, after a horrible defeat, his Parthian enemies actually cheered him when he finally dragged himself and his army back across the river to make their escape.

Now, that takes panache. And Mark Antony was all about panache. He was no prude, no lover of modest fare. Oh no, Antony loved wine, women and spectacle. He and Cleopatra actually took bets on who could rack up the highest dinner tab. (She won when she dissolved a pearl and drank it.) With Antony, everything had to be bigger and better. He wore more bling around his neck than a modern day rapper. This was a man who actually made lions pull his chariot. And the ladies loved it!

No stranger to a sword, Mark Antony was famous for acts of daring do. Sometimes it was on the battlefield and sometimes it was in the political arena where he managed to turn the course of history with a single speech at Julius Caesar's funeral. Now there's a man who knows how to use his tongue.

Under that bad boy exterior, seems to have beat a somewhat noble heart. Antony nearly bankrupted himself giving away money to friends. He could also be gracious in victory–giving honors to his fallen enemies. And he had a taste for plucky heroines. Though Antony was married four times, he seems always to have gravitated towards women of intelligence and independence. And in spite of his womanizing ways, he also honored women as equals, putting them on his coins as no Roman had ever done before him.

***

A soldier's soldier, hmmm? I do love a man in uniform!

Tell Stephanie & me who your favorite uniformed hero is…and one lucky commenter will win a signed copy of the first book in her Cleopatra's Daughter series, Lily of the Nile! 

Writers on Rogues: Sabrina Darby on George Sand

I love me some Sabrina Darby. Aside from being a fabulous writer of sexy romance (read On These Silken Sheets ASAP) and a coauthor of The Ballroom Blog, She's a dear friend (the first I made as a romance novelist), a wonderful critique partner and a brilliant mind. So I should not have been surprised that when I asked her to blog for Writers on Rogues, she came up with a truly fabulous rogue…

A lady one.

***

A rogue of romance fiction is a unique character: wicked, lascivious, scandalous, and just waiting to be tamed by a very civilized yet still passionate love.

One of my favorite rogues is all those things and more. In fact, this rogue's a she.

George Sand (the pseudonym for Armandine Aurore Lucile, Baroness Dudevant—a long, very feminine name suitable for romance book fame, complete with a title thanks to her estranged husband) was a French writer who, during her life, was almost more famous for her love affairs as for her novels. Likely this was due to the fact that many of the books she published were memoirs of her scandalous life. And that she liked to go about dressed as a man.

Excellent!

My favorite portrayal of George Sand is by Judy Davis in the wonderful movie Impromptu.

The film chronicles the beginning of Sand's decade long love affair with Fredric Chopin (a young Hugh Grant), who, in the film's depiction is the equivalent of the innocent, talented, and virtuous heroine of romance who is seduced by the rogue at the same time as convincing the rogue of the error of his ways. What I just adore, is that in this movie, whether or not the actual history was quite this way, the gender roles are completely reversed!

Here she is at the start of the movie where we learn how very roguish she is. (Note the wonderful Mandy Patinkin in the clip as her previous lover.)

I love stories where the woman is scandalous one pursuing the man. In fact, I'm writing one of those at the moment!

***

And I cannot wait to read it!!!

I told you Sabrina was awesome! Tell us…do you like it when the heroine acts as seductress? Or when she wears pants and defies social conventions of the time? What are your favorite romances that feature women as rogues? One lucky commenter (US only) will win a copy of Sabrina's amazing On These Silken Sheets!

 

Writers on Rogues: Katharine Ashe on Flynn Rider

It's pub-sister week here with Writers on Rogues! Yesterday, Maya Rodale and today, one of my very favorite people, Katharine Ashe, who is not only a fellow Avon author, a fellow March author and a  fellow The Ballroom Blog author…but we also share the same literary agency! We're also both bespectacled. And we both like men in kilts. We were obviously destined to be friends. Katharine's latest book, When a Scot Loves a Lady (amazing title, amazing cover, amazing book) is out this week…and you must must must go buy it! 

Take it away, Katharine!

–

Because my new book When a Scot Loves a Lady came out this week (yay, Sarah, book release sister!) I must first mention here my two favorite Scottish rogues, both of them Roberts: Robert the Bruce, the 13th-century king who defied the English, and Robert Burns, the 18th-century poet and libertine whose poetry appears in When a Scot Loves a Lady. Bruce was a warrior, a rebel, and a hero to his people. Burns was brilliant, passionate, and very funny. But I can't praise either of them to the rafters because they were both unfaithful to their wives and that Just. Will. Not. Do.

So instead of relying on history to serve up a rogue for me, I will turn to fairy tale. I choose as my rogue today my favorite animated hero of all time: Flynn Rider from Disney's Tangled.

Why is Flynn Rider my favorite rogue? Because he is:

Handsome.

Charming.

Clever.

Dead set on his goal and he won't let some little blond chick get in his way, no matter how wide her eyes or how determined her pleas.

Fearless. (Except when flying off a cliff, which of course is understandable.)

Swashbuckling.

Kind at heart. (When he was a child he read stories to all the other children in the orphanage… about a swashbuckling hero!)

Adventurous and ambitious, but not to the point of hurting good people.

A dreamer who dreams big then makes his dreams come true.

and…

Willing and able to change for the better, even to forget his own ambition entirely when it means helping the woman he loves to live her dreams.

There you have it! My favorite rogue.

Oh, and one more thing — the clincher, really: Flynn Rider is his secret identity. His real name is Eugene Fitzherbert. And at the end of the movie he reclaims his real identity without giving up any of the charming, adventuresome, swashbuckling fearlessness that makes him such a delectably dashing rogue. He does it because that's the man his lady fell in love with. The man he always really wanted to be.

To this author of heroes with secret identities, that just about makes him perfect.

–

I honestly should not have been surprised to discover that Katharine's favorite rogue is Flynn…she talks about him…a lot. But who wouldn't? He's a charmer…and I have to be honest, Tangled might be my favorite animated movie…that is…until Brave comes out in the summer…speaking of Scotland…have you seen these trailers?? OMG. I die. SO GOOD. And this trailer is like the best beginning of a romance novel EVER.

Now that we've shared that…tell us! Who is your favorite animated hero? One lucky commenter (US Only) will receive a signed copy of Katharine's Captured By A Rogue Lord, which has been nominated for an RT Book Reviews Reviewer's Choice Award! Winner to be chosen on Monday!