Vicky Dreiling's Blog, page 4

The Spy Wore Blue by Shana Galen + Giveaway

Hello all! It’s another week of giveaways and this week I am spotlighting my good friend Shana Galen’s recent release, THE SPY WORE BLUE. Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win the book that started it all, LORD AND LADY SPY.

THE SPY WORE BLUE

Lord and Lady Spy #1.5

Sourcebooks | August 6, 2013

An enigmatic spy…

Blue is the best of the best. A top agent for the elite Barbican group, he’s on the trail of an assassin targeting his fellow spies. Blue’s search leads him to Naples, Italy and the Teatro di San Carlo, where a string of suspicious events makes him believe he may have found his man. Unfortunately, he’s also found a woman—his long-neglected wife.

A brilliant opera singer…

Helena Giles is beautiful, talented, and furious. She taught Blue how to be a master of disguise, and to thank her, he disappeared. When they married, he promised to give up his work for the Barbican group. He gave Helena up instead. Now Blue is back, and he wants a place in the theater and in her bed. Helena doesn’t believe, as the rest of the theater’s cast, that the murders have anything to do with a theater phantom, but she isn’t ready to believe Blue’s theories either.

A dangerous passion…

It’s soon clear the real object of the theater phantom is Blue. And when Helena catches a glimpse of the assassin called Reaper, she becomes a target herself. In Reaper, Blue is finally pitted against his match, and in Helena, he finds a passion he thought he thought impossible. But can this chameleon be true to himself when love is the most dangerous sport of all?

 

 

One lucky commenter will win a copy of the book that started it all, LORD AND LADY SPY. Leave a comment about your favorite romances featuring undercover heroes or heroines. Giveaway ends August 16. US/CA 

Shana Galen is the national bestselling author of numerous fast-paced, adventurous Regency historical romances, including the award-winning The making of a Gentleman. Her books are published all over the world and have been featured in the Rhapsody and Doubleday Book Clubs. She taught English at the middle and high school level off and on for eleven years. Most of those years were spent working in Houston’s inner city.

Now she writes full time. She’s happily married to an incredibly supportive man she calls Ultimate Sportsfan, and she has a daughter who is most definitely a romance heroine in the making.

 

Find Shana:

Author Site | Facebook | Twitter

What it’s like at the RWA Conference – Atlanta 2014!

The Caversham Chronicles by Sandy Raven Giveaway

I hope your summer is going well. I’ve been writing up a storm! This week, my friend, Sandy Raven is sharing a little bit about her historical series, The Cavershams. Be sure to leave a comment at the end of the post for a chance to win two of Sandy’s books.

The entire Caversham Chronicles was inspired by Timothy Dalton. You see, I fell in love with him in the movie Wuthering Heights when I was a teenager and have seen almost everything he’s been in. It also didn’t hurt that I had a very active imagination and had been an avid reader and writer since I was a child.

The inspiration for Caversham’s Bride actually came from a movie of his I watched a long time ago called The King’s Whore. I loved Timothy Dalton in that movie, but  it didn’t have the happy ending I wanted. So I began to think about plots and how I’d make the king (Timothy Dalton) have a happily-ever-after. At this point, I’d already written three contemporary romances, two targeting Harlequin Romance and one targeting Silhouette Desire.

Early on in my career I had the absolute good fortune to work with a few critique partners who were way more talented than I. Several of them suggested I try writing an historical because they thought my ‘voice’ was more suited to it. I have to confess here that historical romance always was, and still is, my favorite subgenre.

Back to the king and his whore…. As I thought about a plot for an historical romance, I realized I couldn’t write one with a king. Kings just weren’t the thing at the time. But hey, dukes were hot, so I made the man a duke! Then I started to think about a heroine and how close to making her a whore I could get and still have her be a romance heroine. Now this is the mid-1990’s, and ‘fallen’ women weren’t popular romantic heroines at the time. So I began to devise families for the two characters and circumstances to bring them together and (of course!) have them fall in love. That’s when I came up with the idea to have her trained for a life in a harem.

After I started writing the first book, Caversham’s Bride (originally titled, The Duke’s Heart,) I started to think of a book for Michael. It wasn’t until I was writing the Epilogue that I started to “see” Michael with Elise. But I did nothing with it for a while. When The Duke’s Heart sold to a small e-press, I had an editor who loved the idea of Michael and Elise and encouraged me to write that story. After I started it, that publishing house folded. At about the same time my parents became ill and my home life needed more attention with two active teenagers. So writing went on a back burner for a number of years while I finished raising my children and flying back and forth to Texas to help care for my parents. I did write sporadically, finishing Already His and starting Loving Sarah, but never submitting, because I’d promised my husband I’d see the kids out of high school before I “went back to work.”

In the summer of 2010, my baby graduated from high school and I started polishing the series, even writing two more books in it and outlining several others. I loved the family I’d created and wanted to see them all well-settled with a romantic happily-ever-after.  Hopefully I did that, and I hope even more that you enjoy them.

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Marcus Renfield Halden, Ninth Duke of Caversham, has the weight of the world on his shoulders. He’s the head of an independent family shipping conglomerate worth millions, and from his father he inherited a revered ancient title. After an attempt on his life, he begins to suspect his cousin (and his one-time best friend,) of killing his father and stepmother in a calculated pursuit of the title and fortune. This sets in motion a series of events leading him to quit England for a time, while investigators look for his cousin.  While away he meets a woman who will change his life forever, forcing him to reconsider his idea of what a marriage should be. She teaches him that you can have passion and love with a wife if you’re willing to open your heart to it.

 

 

 

Lady Elise Halden has known since she was eight years of age that she would one day marry her brother’s best friend, Michael. She just had to convince him they were perfect for each other, then he would go down upon bended knee and pledge his undying love for her in return, and they would live happily-ever-after. At least that was how it happened in her dreams. Only the new Earl of Camden was proving more difficult to convince in real life than in her girlhood fantasies.

To Michael Brightman, the new Earl of Camden, his friend’s little sister was always a precocious minx to avoid. Until one day Michael realizes Lady Elise is all grown up and the things he wants to do with the lady are surely going to upset the friendship with her brother.

 

 

One (1) US commenter will win a copy of Caversham’s Bride and another US commenter will win Already His in print or ebook, winner’s choice. Giveaway ends Saturday, August 10th. Share your favorite families in romance.

Sandy Raven has a husband who spoils her rotten, and kids that are just a hair’s breadth away from perfect. She’s addicted to House Hunter’s International and has never missed an episode, though she acknowledges that she could never live in most of those countries because the bathrooms are just too small. She is also addicted to Starbucks’ Chai Latte, and never passes up an opportunity to have one.

Sandy grew up on the Texas Gulf Coast with sand between her toes and perpetually frizzy hair. Which is why she now lives in the middle-of-nowhere Virginia, in a place with minimal to moderate humidity (for perfect, non-frizzy curls,) rolling hills and farmed forests. The only downside to that is the temperamental satellite internet and the closest Starbucks being a thirty minute drive away.

Home is a small, renovated farm house she shares with her hero husband, and more cats, dogs and horses than she cares to admit to. She’s a long-time member of RWA, and is a member of VRW and the BeauMonde. Second to writing is her love for her horses. She practices natural horsemanship, and loves to ride her barefoot Tennessee Walkers on the trails and in the woods around her home.

Find Sandy:

Author Site | Facebook

How To Lose A Bride In One Night by Sophie Jordan Giveaway

Hi all! I hope your summer is going well. This week I am featuring the newest release from my good friend Sophie Jordan, HOW TO LOSE A BRIDE IN ONE NIGHT

How To Lose A Bride In One Night

A Forgotten Princesses Book, #3

Avon Romance | July 30, 2013

He saved her life…

When Annalise Hadley is tossed over the side of her honeymoon barge, the newly-minted duchess knows she’s been left for dead — for her husband’s only interest is in her vast dowry, not her muddied lineage. However, she didn’t count on a savior. Especially not an honorable, sinfully intriguing earl who will tempt her to risk everything—again.

Now he will seduce her heart and soul

A man with his own demons, Owen Crawford, the reclusive Earl of McDowell, is enchanted by the mysterious, courageous woman he rescued. He will help her heal, teach her to protect herself, and then send her away—so that she’ll never see he’s far from the hero she believes him to be.

But days and nights alone prove that some secrets are meant to be discovered…some desires are too powerful to resist…and some wounds can only be healed by love.

 

One US commenter will win a copy of HOW TO LOSE A BRIDE IN ONE NIGHT as well as a copy of my first book in the Sinful Scoundrels trilogy, WHAT A WICKED EARL WANTS. Share your summer plans or what books you have on your summer reading list. Giveaway ends Saturday, August 3rd.

 

Sophie Jordan took her adolescent daydreaming one step further and penned her first romance in the back of her high school Spanish class. This passion led her to pursue a degree in English and History.

A brief stint in law school taught her that case law was not nearly as interesting as literature – teaching English seemed a natural choice. After several years teaching high school students to love ANTIGONE, Sophie decided it was time to pursue her long-held dream of writing. Two years later, she landed her first publishing contract.

Her first book, ONCE UPON A WEDDING NIGHT, was a 2006 Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Nominee for Best First Historical. Her second novel, TOO WICKED TO TAME, released in March 2007 with a bang – landing on the USA Today Bestseller’s List. A few books later marked her first appearance on the New York Times bestseller list with the release of IN SCANDAL THEY WED.

And as if she’s not busy enough, Sophie writes young adult fiction for HarperTeen and contemporary paranormals for Pocket. Sophie resides in Houston with her family and loves to hear from readers. To learn the latest information about Sophie and her books, follow her on facebook and twitter.

 

 

 

My Do Over Advice

At the recent RWA national conference, I joined my fellow historical writers Grace Burrowes, Katharine Ashe, Kieran Kramer and Tessa Dare on a panel called The Do Over. In this conference workshop, we spoke about lessons learned. I thought I would share my part of the workshop here with all of you.

When I began speaking, I gave advice to unpublished writers. The truth is it’s hard to keep your behind in the chair if you don’t have some sort of accountability. I suggested that they might commit to writing at least 100 words a day for 100 days. It may not be the best 100 words you’ll ever write, and you most certainly have to write far more than that once you’re published and on deadline. So what is the point of 100 words a day for 100 days? Habit. That’s right, you develop the habit of writing every day using this simple tool. I did this while writing my first book HOW TO MARRY A DUKE–and I sold it. Now on to the rest of my speech.  ~

First, forget the regrets. What you need in this business is:

A healthy sense of humor
Fabulous writer friends who understand in a way non-writers can’t
A damn good agent
Moxie

In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt: “You must do the things you think you cannot do.”

Such as:

Promote your first book while packing for a move.
Write a book in six weeks.
Do 50 blog hop stops while on deadline. (Don’t ask.)
Finish a book at 4:30 AM & on the same day travel to a literacy event in another city.
Agree to teach a virtual class and somehow manage to check the ‘homework’ you assigned for all 600+ attendees.

Yes, all of the above really happened.

Laughter helps, but sometimes a hug is needed. Be there for your friends when the writing life gets tough. They will reciprocate.
The best advice I can give you is:

Kick fear to the curb. It is a writer’s greatest enemy.
Focus only on what you can control.
If something isn’t working, find a solution. If there isn’t one, move on.
Be kind to others and share.
Celebrate your friend’s good news, and she will do the same for you.
Ring your bell. Sung to Anita Ward’s famous disco song – “You can ring my beeeell-ring my bell.” In other words, you need to promote, and when you do, make sure your editor, agent, and publicist know about it. In marketing, perception is reality.

Finally, for your entertainment I present the Worst Review on the Planet. I happen to be the lucky recipient. I’ll paraphrase the rant since the ‘reviewer’ cursed in almost every sentence: “Woman, you need to stop writing, and stop writing now.” For the record, Goodreads declined to remove it because they didn’t want to censure the reviewer.

Yep, a good sense of humor definitely helps.

The Tasty Summer Reads Blog Hop

Hi everyone! Hope you’re having a wonderful summer. A friend invited me to participate in this blog hop, and I thought it would be a fun way to introduce you to great new summer reads! First off, here’s a quick summary of my new release WHAT A WICKED EARL WANTS. (May 2013)

WHAT A WICKED EARL WANTS

(Book 1 The Sinful Scoundrels)

Andrew Carrington, Earl of Bellingham, is on the hunt for a mistress. He certainly welcomes the opportunity to help Laura Davenport, a dazzling young widow with a rebellious stepson. Her gratitude, he hopes, will take an amorous form. But from the moment he sets foot in her drawing room, he gets far more than he bargained for when the lovely widow lies through her teeth and claims he’s her fiancé in an effort to keep her son’s guardian from taking him away. Now every moment with this dangerously desirable man puts Laura’s good name at risk-and promises pleasure unlike any she has ever known …

 

Next up: A questionnaire!
1)When writing are you a snacker? If so, sweet or salty? Sweet – chocolate – totally chocolate!
2) Are you an outliner or someone who flies by the seat of their pants? Are they real pants or jammies? Pantser – shorts!
3)When cooking or baking, do you follow the recipe exactly or wing it?  A little of both.
4) What is next for you after this book? The next book in The Sinful Scoundrels Series WHAT A RECKLESS ROGUE NEEDS (March 2014).
5) Last Question…on a level of one being slightly naughty to ten being whoo whoo steamy, where does your book land? 8.5

Summer Recipe. This is what I made last night & it’s super easy & fast. You need fresh shrimp, ready made linguini pasta, and ready made pesto sauce, plus lemon juice & a pat of butter. Remove the shells from the shrimp, clean and devein. Pat dry. Add butter (or olive oil) to the pan and add shrimp & fresh lemon juice. Cook until pink – very fast. Meanwhile boil enough water to cook the linguini. Drain the pasta well, add the ready made pesto, and toss. Serve with baked asparagus. Bon Appetite! Be sure to visit the blogs to get some fantastic new recipes & some great reading ideas!

Be sure to hop over to the other blogs – see below!

Next Blog: http://www.ruthacasie.com
Next Blog: www.kristenethridge.com
Next Blog: www.kathrynjane.com

Behind the Scenes: My Daring First Book & Giveaway

When my first historical romance HOW TO MARRY A DUKE released in early January 2011, I spent an entire month blogging at various sites to create awareness (a marketing term for getting your name/brand out there). I wrote about how my love of Jane Austen’s EMMA influenced me to write about a matchmaking heroine. The one aspect I’ve never discussed in detail is the unusual structure of HOW TO MARRY A DUKE and the marketing techniques I used to make the book stand out in the crowded Regency Historical Romance genre.

During blog tours, I told the story of how I watched The Bachelor TV show and came up with the high concept of The Bachelor in Regency England, minus the hot tub and camera crew. What I didn’t discuss was  the marketing behind my decision to use a contemporary element in the novel. At the time, I worked in marketing for a Fortune 500 corporation, and I knew that I needed to position my novel. In marketing, positioning is used to make your brand distinctive among your competitors. Because of my marketing background, I was predisposed to think in terms of how I could differentiate my offering (the novel). Essentially, I knew that I had to provide a unique plot that also included classic and beloved reader tropes. HOW TO MARRY A DUKE includes forbidden romance (Romeo & Juliette), reformed rake, and matchmaker tropes.

I happen to really love humorous romance novels, so I knew that was an element I wanted to include. So I made the decision to periodically sprinkle in spoofs of modern dating practices as one means of adding humor. Here’s an example of how I used a spoof in the novel:

Tristan meant to explain that he would select a handful of candidates to interview after a general thirty-minute conversation, but Miss Mansfield intervened.

“I have devised a plan to stay within the time frame,” she said. “At five minutes per interview, we will finish twenty minutes ahead of schedule.” She favored him with a sugary smile. “Think of it as speedy courting.”

There are other unusual aspects of the book:

I had to create new terminology to fit the time period. I substituted courting for dating, and thus, the contest to wrangle win a proposal from Tristan became known as the courtship. The bachelorettes became bridal candidates.
There are no rose ceremonies for the eliminations. Instead, the bridal candidates privately received either invitations or regrets. Why? Because public eliminations would have humiliated the young ladies and created scandal among the ton.
Clearly, helicopter rides, overnight dates, and bungee jumping were out of the question. While I couldn’t include karaoke, one of the young ladies ‘entertained’ the duke with a dreadful singing exhibition.
In place of a camera crew, I substituted the scandal sheets, the Regency version of tabloids.

I got a number of ideas for the book during my ten business trips to London from 2005 – 2008.

While taking a riverboat tour on the Thames, I conjured up the idea for the characters to travel on a barge down the river.
During a walking tour in Mayfair, I saw the outside of Beau Brummel’s town house. The tour guide explained that animal fat was used to light the tall lamps at many of the surrounding town houses. In my novel, there is a reference to these lamps at Tessa’s town house.
In one scene, the hero and heroine experienced an especially bumpy carriage ride. That idea occurred to me during a transatlantic flight home from London. I dubbed that flight the Bucking Bronco because it was the worst and longest bout of turbulence I’d ever experienced.
On that same flight, dozens of British schoolgirls kept exchanging seats, exasperating the flight attendants. I included a similar incident in a scene that occurs at the opera.
During a tour of Apsley House, the Duke of Wellington’s residence, I viewed the Waterloo Gallery, which really helped me envision Tristan’s fictional gallery at Gatewick Park.  (A bit of Trivia: Wellington purchased the house from his brother in 1817. Waterloo Gallery was designed in 1828 by Benjamin Dean Wyatt.)

You may wonder why I’ve included an image of a house. I’m a visual learner, and the entire time I wrote HOW TO MARRY A DUKE, I knew there was one overarching plot to the novel. The entire book is about finding a bride for the duke.

What are some unusual historical romances you’ve read? How did the author differentiate her book from all the other historical romances you’ve read?

Leave a comment for a chance to win signed copies of HOW TO MARRY A DUKE and my latest release WHAT A WICKED EARL WANTS. (US Only)

 

Free Book Friday

WHAT A WICKED EARL WANTS is featured on Free Book Friday. Ten copies are up for grabs! Check it out here!

http://www.freebookfriday.com/2013/07/what-a-wicked-earl-wants-by-vicky-dreiling.html

Regency / Jane Austen Dance Workshop – Upon a Summer’s Day

I’ve actually done a bit of Regency dancing at The Beau Monde Soiree at the RWA website in previous years. It looks simple in this video, but I got mixed up more than once LOL.

1810 Waltz

This isn’t what I pictured at all!