Maggi Andersen's Blog, page 68

Amazon Regency bestseller, The Reluctant Marquess is free on Amazon this weekend!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Reluctant-Marquess-ebook/dp/B007I8N2W0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343317463&sr=8-1&keywords=the+Reluctant+marquess
Amazon US Buy link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Reluctant-Marquess-ebook/dp/B007I8N2W0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343317463&sr=8-1&keywords=the+Reluctant+marquess Charity Barlow wished to marry for love. The rakish Lord Robert wishes only to tuck her away in the country once an heir is produced.

A country-bred girl, Charity Barlow suddenly finds herself married to a marquess, an aloof stranger determined to keep his thoughts and feelings to himself. She and Lord Robert have been forced by circumstances to marry, and she feels sure she is not the woman he would have selected given a choice.

The Marquess of St. Malin makes it plain to her that their marriage is merely for the procreation of an heir, and once that is achieved, he intends to continue living the life he enjoyed before he met her.

While he takes up his life in London once more, Charity is left to wander the echoing corridors of St. Malin House, when she isn’t thrown into the midst of the mocking Haute Ton.

Charity is not at all sure she likes her new social equals, as they live by their own rules, which seem rather shocking. She’s not at all sure she likes her new husband either, except for his striking appearance and the dark desire in his eyes when he looks at her, which sends her pulses racing.

Lord Robert is a rake and does not deserve her love, but neither does she wish to live alone.

Might he be suffering from a sad past? Seeking to uncover it, Charity attempts to heal the wound to his heart, only to make things worse between them.

Will he ever love her?

John Haldane, Earl of Strathairn and Lady Sibella Winborne in my next book of the series. Taming a Gentleman Spy.

Lady Sibella Winborne (iStock image)Just how I imagined them!

TAMING A GENTLEMAN SPY ~The spies of Mayfair Book 2 She and Strathairn walked out onto the terrace. The spring air was soft and sweet, perfumed with lilac. His arm felt strong beneath her gloved fingers. Her mother was right; he was a fine figure of a man in his black coat of superfine, made to embrace broad shoulders and a trim waist by a masterful Bond Street tailor. Black silk jersey breeches hugged strong thighs.  He was over six feet tall, and the top of her head barely reached his shoulder, although she was quite tall herself. In the moonlight, his golden hair took on silver lights, his blue-grey eyes a deeper and more mysterious blue.
The release of A Baron in Her Bed ~ The spies of Mayfair Book 1 has been delayed until later in the year.

Another great 5 star review for Murder in Devon!

I had a great time reading Murder in Devon by Maggie Andersen. The heroine is Casey Rowan, a journalist for a women's magazine in England. While staying with long time friends, Don and Tessa Broughton, she wakes one morning to a gruesome scene. Don has been murdered and Tessa is clinging to life. Although Tessa eventually recovers, she can't help identify the murderer.

Considered a suspect in the beginning, she is the only one left alive in the house; propels Casey into action, much to Detective Rod Carlisle's annoyance. He thinks she's meddling, she thinks she investigating and isn't about to stop.

The clues lead her down different paths. One which takes her into the world of art collectors and artwork stolen by the Nazis in World War II, which I have always found a fascinating subject. For Casey, the mystery of Don gets deeper and she soon learns you may not know your friends as well as you think. Everyone has secrets and so did Don and Tessa.

When Casey is cleared as a suspect, Rod reluctantly agrees to let her use her journalist privileges to probe certain suspects. Until she becomes a target herself.

There is a nice romance between Rod and Casey. The first time they consummate their relationship, it's a short but hot scene. After that, their time together is more implied. While I would have liked a little more sizzle in the later scenes, it certainly didn't take away from my total enjoyment of this novel. The plot was solid and well thought out.

I don't know what the author's intentions are, but I would like to see another story or two involving Rod and Casey. Their chemistry is good and I think they'd be a fun and entertaining crime solving duo.

I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you are a fan of murder mysteries. The author keeps you guessing until the end. Debbie Christiana
 Amazon review

For your pleasure - a new version of It's Raining Men in period movies.

A Baron in Her Bed Coming soon!

You can win a copy of The Reluctant Marquess or $100 GC

The Romance Reviews Sizzling Summer Reads is on! Stop over, answer a question and win!

http://www.theromancereviews.com/event.php

Jane Austen Undressed

With Fifty Shades of Grey becoming a block buster, and Martin Amis' interest in this, is erotic romance becoming mainstream?

Lazy Sunday zzzzzzzz

I should be writing.....

Writing tips from George Orwell

George Orwell has earned the right to be called one of the finer writers in the English language through such novels as 1984, Animal Farm, and Down and Out in Paris and London, and such essays as “Shooting an Elephant.”
Orwell expressed a strong dislike of totalitarian governments in his work, but he was also passionate defender of good writing.  Thus, you may want to hear some of Orwell’s writing tips.*
 A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus:
What am I trying to say? What words will express it? What image or idiom will make it clearer? Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?And he will probably ask himself two more:
Could I put it more shortly? Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?One can often be in doubt about the effect of a word or a phrase, and one needs rules that one can rely on when instinct fails. I think the following rules will cover most cases:
Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. Never use a long word where a short one will do. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out. Never use the passive where you can use the active. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.   * From Orwell's essay“Politics and the English Language”

Want to write as well as P D James? Here's 5 Bits of Writing advice

One of the best crime writers to ever grace the genre, P.D. James is most famous for the creation of Scotland Yard’s Detective Inspector Adam Dalgliesh, who appears in over a dozen novels. One can read her books for both their diabolically clever plots and their cunning insights into human nature. And she possesses a literary finesse rare among genre writers.

5 Bits of Writing Advice
Increase your word power. Words are the raw material of our craft. The greater your vocabulary the more effective your writing. We who write in English are fortunate to have the richest and most versatile language in the world. Respect it.Read widely and with discrimination. Bad writing is contagious.Don't just plan to write—write. It is only by writing, not dreaming about it, that we develop our own style.Write what you need to write, not what is currently popular or what you think will sell.Open your mind to new experiences, particularly to the study of other people. Nothing that happens to a writer—however happy, however tragic—is ever wasted.Source: The Guardian