Elizabeth Boyle's Blog, page 32

Five Things About Katharine Ashe

I adore Katharine Ashe because she's the sort of hip, cool chick who writes her own rules. And she is as much a smart aleck as I am–maybe more so. Love that in a person. Hope you get to like her as well! Here are Five Things about Katharine Ashe:

1) Favorite indulgence: Champagne. Admittedly, this may not come as a surprise to many.

2) Favorite dessert: Hands down, Toll House cookies. I tend to eat them for breakfast and snacks too. So… dessert all day long!

EB: See what I mean? Her cookie obsession is legendary and fills her Twitter feed. Guaranteed to make you hungry all day long.

3) Most played song on your iPod: Lately I've been listening to the playlist I made while writing In the Arms of a Marquess. Tyler Hilton's "You'll Ask For Me" turns me inside out with longing.

4) Coolest celeb you've ever met–other than me: There is no 'other than you'. But if you insist… It has to be LL Cool J. I was checking him into the luxury hotel I worked at where all the Earth Day celebrities were staying that year, and he called me "Baby."

5) Best advice your mother/grandmother/ cool funky aunt/sister/ college roommate gave you about men: No one ever gave me the advice, "Yes, dear, kiss all the men you like," so I pretty much never listened to any of it.

Katharine Ashe's new book, In the Arms of a Marquess, is available now. Which is good news for those us looking for an extra book for Labor Day weekend. Find out all things Katharine, at her website, www.katharineashe.com–and make sure to check out her Extras page. She can also be found waxing poetic and smartly over at The Ballroom Blog.

©2011 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Alaska Vistas

Of course you don't go to Alaska just for the brothel tour, you actually go for the vistas and wildlife. And being a big state they have tons–though the only thing I saw of wildlife was a moose's behind–and then it was from the train. But here is a better shot from the train:

And if you want to see amazing, there are the glaciers in Glacier Bay:

Or up on a glacier:

Then the view from a dog sled is amazing:

From the top of Juneau:

And all points in between:

Up close:

Truly a gorgeous place. I keep looking at the photos and can't believe I got this opportunity. So beautiful and so much more to see, that I know I will have to go back.

Where have you gone that you couldn't get enough of and HAVE to go back?

©2011 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Five Things about Delilah Marvelle

It seems truly appropriate that my Brothel blog is followed by Delilah Marvelle. She loves writing about sex and madames and the madcap adventures of Regency rakes. Much more romantic than my Skagway adventures, and great reading to boot.

Delilah is a funny, earnest, wonderful person who loves writing–truly loves telling stories and that is why I admire her.  She worked so hard to get published and hasn't let up even after she's published. So if you haven't tried one of her books, I would suggest you do, especially if you like your heroines adventurous and your heroes seriously wicked.

1) The last book you read:  The Sinner's Grand Tour by Tony Perrottet.  This was a fabulous book about all the underbelly history of Europe.  A must read for anyone who likes the grittier side of history that wasn't covered in our history classes.

2) If you could go on a date with one of your heroes, which one and why?  I would love to go on a date with Roderick (Forever and a Day) and not just because he's my latest hero, lol.  He's incredibly intelligent (earned several Oxford degrees) and I just love, love, love a man who can challenge my views in a respectful way (reminds me so much of my husband…so I guess you can say I not only dated him but I married him, lol).

3) Most played song on your iPod:  Cough Syrup by Young the Giant

4) Coolest celeb you've ever met:  Sean Penn.  And I should probably say that my son actually "met" him while I just gawked, lol.  My son was up for a casting call in a movie he was making "Into the Wild."

5) Best advice your mother/grandmother/cool funky aunt/sister/college roommate gave you about men:  My grandmother said to me, "All men want is poom-poom.  But remember, Delilah, we are more than poom-poom.  We are goddesses they cannot touch even when we allow them to kneel before us."  Poom-poom is her dainty way of saying "sex."  Seriously.

Truly, you never know what you will learn from my friends! Poom-poom, indeed! And if you would like to learn more about Delilah, check out her website at www.DelilahMarvelle.com. Her upcoming book, Forever and a Day will be out December 20, 2011. Which is enough time to read her backlist, and be ready for the new book. Just saying.

©2011 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Buffets . . . Buses . . . . and a Brothel . . .

Yes, I was on vacation. I spent 10 days in Alaska, seeing the sights, cruising, traveling via: plane, bus, train, ship, bus, helicopter, bus, zipline, and bus.

One would expect me to go on and on about the mountains and vistas and the fab buffet on the ship and all the sights. No, I want to tell you about one of my highlights: I went to a brothel. Well, a Brothel Museum. Out of the twenty people I was traveling with, I was one of the first to sign up for the Brothel Museum tour. Go figure.

Yes, I was thrilled to discover that in Skagway–which was a boomtown during the Gold Rush, they sport (no pun intended) a Brothel Museum. Skagway itself is fascinating–a well preserved look at the Klondike Gold Rush. The gold rush made the town so rich, it had electricity a full year before New York City. The wonderful Victorian buildings are all still there–including the Red Onion Saloon, which had a brothel on the top floor.

The brothel has been pieced back together–with stuff found in the attics and items they've discovered squirreled away in the floorboards–to make it into a museum and of course, I queued right up for a tour. Always the historical wonk and research nut. I knew so much, the "madame" offered me a job.

I politely declined. Believe me, the life of a Skagway whore in the 1890s was no picnic. Here is a picture of the beds they worked from:

This is 3/4 of the size of a modern twin and was their "work place." Not designed for a cozy night or comfort. They had 15 minutes with each client who had paid $5 for the privilege. That $5 went three ways–$2.50 for the madame, $1.25 for the bouncer, and $1.25 for the working girl. And they worked from 6pm to 6am.

The madame, who charged an exorbitant $1000 for a night of her favors had a little more room:

Then again, she was six feet tall and weighed in at 250 pounds.

And some people just go to Alaska for the scenery.

©2011 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Five Things About Candice Hern

If you haven't read a Regency romance by the skilled and talented Candice Hern, you are missing out. Not only is Candice a great writer, but her knowledge of the period is exceptional. Once you get done meeting Candice, make sure you wander over to her website and view her collections–Regency prints, fans, and alike and an ever-expanding Regency Glossary that every reader should have bookmarked. But best of all, I am thrilled to call her one of my dear friends. Now I hope to extend that privilege to you as well as you discover Five Things About Candice Hern:

1) Favorite indulgence: Bottega Veneta purses.

(EB: Of course I had to go look at the purses and added the link for all of you.)

2) The last book you read: Judgment in Death by J.D. Robb. I'm doing a marathon read of the entire series (all 41 books!) from the beginning. Twelve books in a row and so far I am not even close to being tired of Dallas and Roarke.

3) Favorite place to shop online: I probably buy more stuff at Amazon.com than any other site. But my favorite sites to browse are Portero.com and The Three Graces (georgianjewelry.com).[image error]

PS. I loved this hero as well!

(EB: I probably should have titled this blog: 5 Ways Candice Hern will Enable Our Shopping Inclinations. LOL)

4) If you could go on a date with one of your heroes, which one and why? Probably Lord Thayne from Just One Of Those Flings. He's handsome, rich, and likes older women.

5) Coolest celeb you've ever met: I once saw David Bowie walking down the street and I dashed up and introduced myself as one of his biggest fans. He was very charming. Does that count as having "met" him?

Candice has recently brought out all of her traditional Regency romances in ebook format. You can find a list of them and links to the various formats at Candice's Ebook Central.

In addition to all these wonderful gems that have been out of print for ages and now are available again (huzzah!), Candice is working on a new Regency romance titled The Social Climber that she hopes to publish as an e-book later in the fall. You can find all her news at her website, www.candicehern.com.

©2011 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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More Answers from "You Asked"

So to keep up with your questions, (which I should tell you, there were 6 pages worth!!!) today I am going to answer the ones posited by Ebony Morton. I thought they were particularly perfect for right now as I struggle through finishing a book and wonder what the heck I am doing.

My husband says I always do this, and I wish he wouldn't always remind me. I prefer my short term memory when it comes to deadlines.

So here are Ebony's excellent questions:

Do you have all your stories planned out before you write them or do they just come to you and you write?



I like to think I have a story all plotted out before I sit down to write it. I usually have a very detailed outline and synopsis at the ready before I even start Chapter 1. But then I start to write and the further I get into the story, the more the synopsis turns into more of a "general idea" than an actual roadmap. But no matter how far I nearly always stray from that synopsis, I will always start out with one because I like having that sense of where I am going. Over the years and nearly 20 books, I've learned–some times the hard

One of my favorite series characters, Temple.

way–not to be too married to a synopsis and open to the creative process that can work magic on a story.

Are series of books hard to write?

Yes and no. I love having an ongoing series because you have this great gang of characters that you can draw on for inspiration. Best of all, you already "know" them. But series characters also come with their baggage–what they've done and said before–so you have to make sure you are always aware of their idiosyncrasies and particulars. There are times when I have to go back and hunt down what color a character's hair and eyes are, and other significant details.

The key to always remember when you are writing a book in a series is to keep focused on the primary story–the romance between the hero and heroine, because face it–the romance is everything!

What would you be doing if you weren't an author?

I'd probably be unemployed, because I am rather unemployable. Apparently being an outspoken control freak is not a problem when you work at home for yourself. In the job world, it can be a detriment. But that aside, I used to be a paralegal and a pretty good one I will say with no lack of humility. It was the perfect job for me. I got to write, meet interesting people, and come up with wild theories as to why (or why not) our client was innocent. I found the law, especially trial work, really exciting, and at times, miss it terribly. Then I remember that it also involved working for lawyers (no offense to any lawyers out there) and I am content with my current occupation for as long as you all will have me.

©2011 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Five Things About Marcella Burnard

I have known Marcella Burnard for eons. We met when we both worked for a large software company and discovered we both were aspiring writers. We'd get together at lunch and talk writing and dream about the days when we could chuck corporate life and write full time. So fast forward to now and we both have writing careers and years of friendship between us. I was totally thrilled this spring when her first book, Enemy Within, was nominated for the RITA award in two categories: Best First Book and Best Paranormal. Tres Cool! I have to admit, I loved the book and thought the honors well deserved and richly earned.

Therefore how could I not introduce you to my friend, Marcella Burnard and the five things about her you might not know:

1. Favorite dessert – Yorkshire Red tea with maple sugar – not much of a dessert, you say? Maybe not. But I can have it every single night…

2. Most played song on your iPod Ipod? That's tough. I don't typically go for just one song – I tend to fixate on an artist and play entire albums or entire libraries over and over again. Nox Arcana is getting a bunch of play right now. Great atmospheric, creepy music. Perfect for twisted writer brains.

3. Secret passion (hobby, collections, sport, thrill seeking) – sailing. I'm sending this from Vancouver, BC – we've been cruising for two months already and are headed north for another three. (Remind me to tell you about the Great Otter Attack sometime) I'm also a cat nut. I have four and still do the occasional rescue when needed. As a result, my parents have two cats.

4. Coolest celeb you've ever met: Rosie O'Donnell. I was an extra on the set of Sleepless in Seattle. I was a no body at a desk in a newsroom. She strode up to me and started reading me the riot act about not having my article in on time. Once I got over the shock and recalled that I have a degree in acting, I went with it and we had fun, but I will admit to an initial burst of terror.



5. Best advice your mother/grandmother/cool funky aunt/sister/college roommate gave you about men, You may love him, but that doesn't mean he's the best thing for your life.

You can find out more about Marcella Burnard and her "Enemy" books at her website, marcellaburnard.com, and learn about her second book, Enemy Games, (which is currently on the top of my TBR!).

©2011 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Inspiration, Favorites, Critics and What's Next

Today's Facebook questions come from Adelaide Hsu, who asked the following:

What inspires you?

Everything and anything. I am constantly amazed at what offers inspiration. The street names on a freeway sign. A particular reading at mass. A photo in a magazine. An overheard conversation in Starbucks. The characters themselves. I've always been the sort of person who can't stop with one question–I tend to take that kernel of inspiration and start pondering a thousand and one questions about it until a more fully formed story grows around it. Sometimes that turns into a book and other times, the idea gets filed away.

Of all the books you've written–which one is your favorite–or if they all are which one is closest to your heart?

Over the years I've had several favorites, Stealing the Bride, Something About Emmaline and His Mistress by Morning, which have each in turn stood out as sentimental favorites for a variety of reasons. Stealing the Bride because I find the hero, Temple, infinitely fascinating. I've always had a big-o crush on him. I adore Emmaline because I love Emmaline's audacity. Nothing stops her and that wily determination is admirable and something I wish I had more of. And I loved the complexity of writing His Mistress by Morning–which most people read and don't realize that the first two thirds of the book are written in one point of view, which isn't typical of a romance and not easily done–but was a tremendously fun challenge to write. That and I just love the poignancy of that romance.

Who (aside from yourself) is your greatest critic?

You all! Believe me, the reviews on blogs and over on Amazon.com are probably harsher than anything I could muster up. But as a writer you have to realize that you are not going to please everyone with every story. That is just a given. So what you have to do when you read reviews or criticism is look for points that overlap and use that as a starting point to strengthen and improve your writing.

One of my favorite covers. The art hangs in my office.

After you've written and published a book do you ever wish there was something you could change about it?

If there is anything I ever want to change, it is usually the cover. But I have little say in those, so I've learned to live them with as best I can.

What are you working on next and when can we buy it?

I've started a new series, The Kempton Brides, about a village where the ladies are cursed not to marry and there hasn't been a bride from the village in several hundred years. So my trio of heroines unwittingly fall in love and start breaking the curse. The first book, Along Came a Duke, will come out June 2012. In the meantime, I am going to be e-pubbing the short story I did for the Mammoth Anthology, my Brazen books, and Avon has asked me to do a short story about Kempton, so I have lots of irons in the fire.

©2011 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Five Things about Miranda Neville

This week I would like to introduce you to Miranda Neville, a wonderful historical romance writer and one of the six fabulous authors who have pooled their collective knowledge and talents over at the brand new site The Ballroom Blog. She's stopped by here at my humble blog to offer her Five Things and show off her wonderful new book–which I am going to tuck into my bag for my upcoming vacation!

1. Favorite indulgence: Leonidas white chocolate truffles and Veuve Cliquot Champagne. Please send me the thin gene so that I can afford to eat the first, and buy all my books so that I can afford to buy the second.

2. If you could go on a date with one of your heroes, which one and why? I'd pick Cain, the Marquis of Chase from The Wild Marquis. He's charming, witty and sexy, and he truly enjoys women's company. I love dark, tortured heroes but a first date could be awkward. Cain knows how to spoil a lady and he'd keep the conversation and the Veuve Cliquot flowing. (My favorite champagne was around in the Regency period. Leonidas chocolates, alas, were not. Thank you Google.)

3. Coolest celeb you've ever met (other than me): The Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. He was a sweet, cuddly man with the most adorable smile. (Very like Elizabeth, actually)



EB: Oh, go on with ya!

4. First memory. The day my younger brother was born. I was two and a half and I remember it better than my sister, who was five at the time.

5. Favorite place to shop online: I'd have to say Amazon, because I have a Kindle and it does terrifying things to my monthly credit card bill. But for sheer fun there's nothing like eBay. I buy Hermes silk scarves and Christmas tree ornaments.

Watch for Miranda Neville's new book, The Amorous Education of Celia Seaton, hitting bookshelves this week. For a sneak peek inside, free reads and more about Miranda's other exciting romances, please visit her website.

©2011 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Q & A

As I wrote last Saturday, I made a plea to my fans over on Facebook that the well had gone dry on what to talk about over here on my blog, and they in turn offered up a bucket load of questions. Here is what I have plucked out today from this treasure quest of "I want to knows."

Today's questions are courtesy of: Erica Lynn Thrasher and Janelle Wilbanks.

Erica asked:

Do you find that you have time for social life when a deadline is approaching?

A social life? What exactly is that? To be honest, I've taken two days off from work this year. My birthday and to go see Harry Potter the other Friday. Pathetic, huh? Deadlines just find me really focused and everything falls to the wayside.[image error]

Deadline or not, I really don't have much of a social life–save for writing related events–which I do enjoy. I truly love hanging out with my family and a tight, close circle of friends who are very dear to me. And while I adore traveling–love seeing new sights and sounds–about four days into the adventure, I start counting the days until I can be in my own bed.

Do you find you can write easier on certain days than you can on others?

Absolutely. Last week, I had an awful day of writing–couldn't put two sentences together, doubted every scene I had in the book, couldn't see the forest through the trees. Was ready to chuck the entire book. The next day, I sat down and all the things I had fretted over the previous day were still valid, but I could see solutions and was able to use that down day to make some good, solid revisions to the story that only made it stronger. Writing is a day by day process–you just have to learn to paddle through the ebbs and flow of creativity.

Janelle asked:

Do you think extraterrestrial life is possible?

Sure. Why not?

Blog Contest Winner:

Last week's winner is blog commenter #47, Kristen s. Congratulations. Kristen, please Contact me before August 1st, with your mailing address. Thanks!

With my deadline looming, I am going to hold off on more Blog contests until September. But in the meantime, have you entered my website Contest? The drawing will be help August 31st and the prize is a new Kindle! Enter today.

©2011 Elizabeth Boyle Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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