ROM CON READER RATING 9.31!

HOW TO MARRY A ROGUE (release date 2014) received a 9.31 rating from the readers at ROM CON! I am so excited beyond belief. This means my book will be featured on their site as a highly rated book by readers just like you!

Wow - let me catch my breath!  I needed a little pick me up just like this to get me going on my new project - a new 3-book series about headstrong, intrepid heiresses looking for a little bit of wicked in their lives. Think they can find the right kind of hero to make their happy ever after come true? Wait and see!

I'm also gearing up for next year's Romance Writers of America conference in New York. It's got something for readers, too - about 500 well known (and some famous!) authors will be on hand to sign their books and it's free to the public for this signing part of the conference. So, if you're going to be in New York next July, let me know and we'll meet up for some great dishing and a cup of tea!

Win a FREE Paperback of How to Marry A Rogue!

I'm back from a well-deserved and much appreciated cruise with the family, and am ready to jump back into the writing world again! My new book is being promoted on Goodreads.com, so go over there if you haven't signed up already (it's free) and you may win a free, signed copy of my new book.

Here's the giveaway link:  Goodreads contest

I'm currently working on a brand new historical romance for my publisher, The Wild Rose Press. It's for their new, upcoming series called Lobster Cove! Be prepared for hot contemporaries, sweet inspirationals, scary paranormals and thrillers, as well as historicals by yours truly! My story is set during the original British invasion of America's shores during the War of 1812. With shorter novellas, you will be able to read a variety of books by my fellow "Roses" in a shorter time.

My story involves a young widow living in the past who finds a half-drowned man on the beach who may or may not be the enemy. Set against the backdrop of war and suffering, can Abigail and William find a future together?

Want a sneak peak? I thought you would....

“Can you hear me?” Abigail leaned close to the man, half alive, yet closer to death by the feel of his cold skin and weak pulse. “Squeeze my hand if you can hear me.”

The broad fingers remained lifeless in her palm. She gently chafed his hand between hers, careful of the skin, made delicate from exposure. She returned it beneath the quilt to rub his other hand. It was impossible he could have survived overnight on the beach. Being in the sea as long as he obviously had was bad enough, but the exposure he'd suffered during the night was nearly unbearable to think about. The idea he was a spy crossed her mind again, but she forced the thought away. Spy or not, enemy or not, she had a responsibility to help him. Was it not her beach the sea had thrown him upon?

His eyelids flickered. He had not spoken since collapsing on her floor. She squeezed a few drops of water from a rag onto his lips. They twitched, but he remained nearly lifeless, as before.

If only she could go to someone for help. Her sister-in-law was a respected healer, and Mrs. Cross knew some remedies, but she couldn’t risk exposing him. His plight was in her hands.

More to come later!

HOW TO MARRY A ROGUE has arrived!

Take out your dancing cards, brush off your silken slippers and call for your barouche - my new Regency-set historical romance is here!

Amazon has it now available in paperback and e-book and it's still on pre-order with Wild Rose Press until Friday, when it will be for sale. It's going for a special price of $2.99 for a month.

As a special celebration, I will send an AUTOGRAPHED PAPERBACK of the book to a random commenter - USA and Canada only, please. So, if you've always wanted to leave a response, but were too shy, now's your chance.

Here's one of my favorite excerpts from the book, with a little hook at the end to further entice you! The scene is at Jack's French chateau, where he has brought Georgiana after a mishap at the ball earlier that evening. She sneaked into his room like she used to when she was little, and cried on him while he was asleep. Her sniffling awakens him, and then....

 “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company this evening?” He patted his shirt. “And why is my shirt wet?”

“I couldn’t sleep. This house is so big and empty.” She never realized before what true quiet was, having lived at Fairwood Hall with more than fifty servants always present.

“It does feel like one rattles around the walls a bit.” He rose from the bed and replaced the bottle on the table. “But you cannot sleep in here, much as I don’t mind the company.” He winked. “It will be just my luck you’ll inform your brother I compromised you, and he’ll lure me into the marriage trap. Perhaps that was his idea all along, and you’re part of his conniving, scheming mind.”

His teasing tone stirred something in her. She drew the quilt up to her neck and backed further against the headboard. “Oh, please, let me stay. I’ll sleep on the settee, or the floor. I don’t want to be alone.” She purposely swiped a stray tear from her cheek and sniffled loudly.

He heaved a sigh. “If you were not so tall, I would throw you over my shoulder and carry you back to your own chamber.” He indicated the settee. “Throw me a pillow, will you? I suppose I’ve had worse beds than this.”

 “It’s only for one night.” She tossed him a pillow. He blew out the candle.

“It had better be. I did not sign up for this journey as a nursemaid, much as I would love taking you across my knee and giving you a well-deserved spanking for all the trouble you cost me this evening.”

“Nursemaid Jack,” she sang softly. He snorted, and she laughed quietly. “Was she very beautiful?” She’d spoken before she’d given it a thought. His personal life was none of her business.

“Who?”

“The paramour you had to leave tonight on my account.”

He snorted. “There is no paramour.” He punched his pillow in the darkness.

“You came to the ball alone?”

“Yes. I often attend balls unaccompanied. One has a damnably difficult time meeting strange ladies if one is attached to another. Why the interest in my activities, she who ventures to balls in a foreign country with no chaperone?”

“I assumed there must be some reason to have kept you from visiting Aunt Adele and me.” She bit her lip, scolding herself for sounding petulant.

“I apologize for not coming to see you. My grandfather will accept nothing but absolute perfection. And if there was a paramour, Miss Lockewood, this is less than suitable talk from one as young and innocent as you.”

“When I am one and eighty, will you still consider me a little girl, I wonder?”

“You will always be my friend’s little sister, dear Pudding Face.”

His voice held a barely perceptible warning. She lay back on the pillows and snuggled beneath the quilt. “I should tell Jonathan you compromised me. That will be fine revenge for all the times you called me Pudding Face. He would be forced to call you out, and you will feel so guilty you’ll allow him to kill you.”

He harrumphed loudly. “I can imagine that duel. He would talk me to death before I could get in the first blow.”

“If you promise to take me somewhere tomorrow, I promise not to mention what happened tonight to my brother.”

“That’s called blackmail.”

She echoed his snort. “Call it what you will. I want to enjoy myself while I’m away from home. It’s my last chance.”

“You’ve seen what trouble you’ve found in having so much fun, haven’t you?”

“I will not be in trouble as long as you’re with me.”

  Ready to find out what happens? Then buy the book! Or, leave a comment to win your own autographed copy. I will send a free e-book to the second random commenter.

Thanks for stopping by! Your support is what keeps me going.

Never-Before-Seen Excerpt From My New Historical Romance!

I hope you enjoyed the two interviews with the lead characters of How To Marry A Rogue. Journey with Jack and Georgiana as they venture abroad to France's beautiful wine country and find out that what they've always run from is what they truly want. Along the way, you'll meet a colorful cast of locals, including a saucy maid and her lover, two fuddy-duddy matrons who want nothing more than to sip a quiet cup of tea in the countryside while dreaming of more exciting adventures, and several more people who will surprise, delight, and - gasp! - astound you.

Here's a never-before released excerpt of Jack and Georgiana once they are in France and she has started causing all sorts of trouble for him. Enjoy!

     “Have you been shut up in here all day with the ghosts of old composers?” Jack announced from the drawing room door. He crossed the room to where she sat, and leafed through the music on top of the case. She snatched the papers from him.

     “Some of us are not carousing all day and night.” She played blindly, not caring what tune emerged from her fingers.

     “Some of us are not doing that, either.” He picked up a stray sheet and held it to her. “What is this? Doesn’t look like Mozart to me.”

     She glanced carelessly at the paper and gasped in dismay. At the bottom, she’d drawn their entwined initials, complete with tiny hearts and an attempt at a rosebud. She snatched the paper from him and crumpled it up.

     “I was bored.”

     “Hmm.” He went to the cabinet against the wall and removed a violin case. “I’ll wager you don’t know this about me.”

     “Which of the myriad fascinating things about you do I not know?”

     She bit her lip in feigned concentration, picking out the tune almost effortlessly. Normally, her excellent playing was a source of pride, but since coming to France, she took no pleasure in it. All she’d done since his absence was daydream and draw silly pictures. She was grateful she’d burned the last one before he came home–a little sketch of his lips she’d spent an hour drawing.

     He unlatched the case and carefully removed a violin and bow. He held it up to her, almost reverently. “This.”

     “Was it left behind by one of your grandfather’s guests? The one with the smelly gowns, perhaps?”

     He frowned comically, but she sensed a touch of bashfulness. “It was my father’s, if you must know. I did learn other accomplishments besides drinking and chasing skirts while at university.”

     As she watched in semi-amused silence, he placed the violin under his chin, took a breath, and closed his eyes as he drew the bow across the strings. The familiar strains of Boccherini’s Violin Sonata poured forth from the instrument, as effortless as her own playing had been.

     She snapped out of her dazed confusion and accompanied him on the pianoforte. As he played, he walked slowly toward her, his gaze locked with hers. Their playing was harmonious. Neither of them missed a note, and he increased his speed, but she kept up.

     With a flicker of his gaze, he indicated she should move over on the bench, and she did, without losing her place on the keyboard. He sat on the edge, his back against her shoulder as they continued to play. His hair brushed her face a few times, and she inhaled deeply, her breath catching as her pulse sped up. Sensual memories of the night before threatened to disrupt her concentration, and she had to will her hands to hit the right keys. When the piece ended, he rested the violin and bow on top of the pianoforte and faced her.

     “I had no idea you could play! Why did you not say something before? We could have played duets when you and Jonathan were home at Christmas.”

     He grinned. “That is precisely why I did not say anything. Besides–I would much rather sit in the audience and listen to you. You always played for me, Georgie.”

     She turned toward the keyboard again, fiddling with a loose d sharp key. “How you will flatter yourself.” Her heart pounded so hard she feared he could hear it. Perspiration broke out under her arms and she shifted on the bench, wishing he would get up and move away from her so he wouldn’t detect the effect he had on her.

     He chuckled. “I am speaking the truth. The last time I was home with Lockewood, you were–what, fifteen? You found out my favorite piece and learned it for a week. At the Christmas party, you played it, and stared at me the entire time. I still remember you wore a white dress with a pink bow tied in the back.”

     She sniffed. “I was probably watching you in the corner, drinking wine punch and fawning over Lady Ellenton’s daughter.”

     “Ah, yes. I’d forgotten all about Clementine Ellenton, until you mentioned her. I wonder whatever happened to her?”

     His hand rested on the keys. She dropped the lid, banging his fingers. He drew them back with a sharp yelp, and looked into her eyes. She tried to return his grin but failed. Surely, he could see the helpless jealousy and naked emotion on her face. It was useless to pretend anymore. The feelings she’d had as a lovesick girl–unsated by even Edward’s flattering attention–were unabated where Jack was concerned.

     She started to rise from the bench, but he caught her wrist, turning her body as he placed her hand around his neck. Her fingers curled into his hair of their own accord. The desire she’d experienced the night before–the yearning ache as she’d clasped him in her arms–rushed back in a torrent. She pushed at his shoulders but it was more for show.

     “If you want to find out about Miss Ellenton, perhaps you should write her. I’m sure she would love to hear from you. You should visit her and let her nibble on your neck with her little rabbit teeth.”

     He shook his head. “I have no wish to see her. It’s your teeth I want nibbling on me.” He pulled her into his arms.

     “You ignored me the last time you saw me. You refused to dance with me, leaving me to…to Edward’s devious plans.” The accusations tumbled from her and she thumped his chest, but he caught her hand in a strong grip. “You always used to spend time with me, but that Christmas you avoided me as if I were leprous.”

     The teasing grin faded rapidly. His gaze burned into hers and she forgot to struggle. After an interminable moment when she’d nearly given up on him saying anything, he spoke.

     “I didn’t want to see you all grown up. You were so…uncomplicated then.”

     She gulped to moisten her dry throat. “Am I so complicated now?”

How to Interview A Rogue - Jack Waverley Is Here!

If you recall, I interviewed Miss Georgiana Lockewood last week as she was preparing for her journey abroad to France. I caught up with Jack Waverley at his boxing club as he was preparing for a match.
Anna: I hope I am not disturbing you, sir.
Jack: Not at all! I'm used to having besotted females following me around all hours of the day or night.
Anna: (trying not to blush) I am here on strictly literary terms, Mr. Waverley.
Jack: (grins in a most roguish sort of way) Of course, you are. How may I help you? As you can see, I'm quite busy. I have a fight with an old opponent of mine. Perhaps you'd care to watch?
Anna: (shuddering) I regret I must decline. I wanted to ask about your upcoming trip to France. You are escorting Miss Lockewood, are you not?
Jack: Ah, you've met with Miss Pudding Face, have you?
Anna: I beg your pardon?
Jack: That's what I used to call her when she was little. She followed me around all the time. It would have been annoying, except she's so damnably adorable. How is the child?
Anna: Um, she's not a child anymore. She's all grown up and very beautiful. I fear you will have your hands full once you're in France.
Jack: (takes off his shirt to reveal a broad chest with too many muscles to count) I can handle her - an innocent maiden who wants a bit of fun! We'll have a jolly time. I'll take her to some balls and garden parties. That will make my nights free to do as I wish.
Anna: About that...
Jack: Yes?
Anna: You know that Miss Pudding....I mean, Miss Lockewood is a spirited girl. You will have to keep your eye on her, especially in the evenings. She may get herself into trouble.
Jack: I'll be there to catch her, should she fall. I always was, you know.
Anna: So I've heard.
Jack: You doubt me?
Anna: (averting my eyes because he is standing so close) I would not doubt you, Mr. Waverley. I think you are a man of your word.
Jack: (Plays with a lock of my hair) Why not come with me?
Anna: (rising to leave) Sir, I am a married woman!
Jack: (heads for the door and I hear the roar of the waiting crowd beyond) Well, if you change your mind...
Anna: (catching my breath and fanning my hot face) You'll be the first to know!
But he has already left the room. What an impossible man! I pity poor Miss Lockewood. She will have a terrible time controlling the man who is supposed to protect her. Perhaps she will be a good influence on him, and make him want to settle down.
Stranger things have happened.

Interview With Miss Georgiana Lockewood

I am pleased to share my interview with the lovely Miss Georgiana Lockewood. All of you will get to meet her personally on May 4, when her story is featured in HOW TO MARRY A ROGUE. I tracked her down while she was dressing for a ball tonight in town - that's London to the rest of us! Her dressing room is filled with trunks and boxes, and it looks like she's getting ready for a long journey.
Her maid brings us both a cup of tea sweetened with honey. I fan myself with a lace fan she has graciously given me - I keep forgetting there's no such thing as air conditioning in the middle of the Regency!
Anna: Thank you for meeting with me today, Miss Lockewood.
Miss Lockewood: Oh, please, call me Georgiana!
Anna: All right - Georgiana. Are you going away on a trip somewhere? I can't help but notice all these trunks and cases.
Georgiana: Why, yes. I'm going abroad to France with my sweet old aunt and a male escort. He's my brother's friend, Jack Waverley. Perhaps you know him?
Anna: I have not had the pleasure yet, but will be interviewing him next week. How fortunate your brother found a brave and strong escort for your aunt and you. Two helpless females, traveling across the Channel...
Georgiana: (cutting me off) You sound just like my brother, Jonathan! Honestly, I am grown up enough to travel wherever I wish. And Jack is a well known boxer. I shall be very much protected.
Anna: That's good news! The last time you were on your own, I recall you were heading north.
Georgiana: (sets down her cup with a clattering of china) Are you referring to my so-called elopement to Gretna Green with Mr. Mitford?
Anna: I did not mean to imply....
Georgiana: (laughs nervously) Oh, nothing happened. It was just a childish whim. There is a good thing that came of it, however. I shall never give my heart away so easily again.
Anna: I'm relieved to hear that. But isn't Mr. Waverley a handsome sort of scoundrel with a reputation?
Georgiana: Not to worry! We are old friends. He was always my protector. I'm sure nothing will happen to me in France as long as he is there.
Anna: I am sure you are right. (I get up to leave, and her servant brings me my bonnet) Thank you very much for seeing me. I hope you have a fine time abroad.
Georgiana: I'm sure I will!

Well, dear reader, the rest, as they say, is history! Next week, I'll be interviewing the hero of this story, Mr. Jack Waverley - boxer, fighter, lover, gambler - heavens, the list does go on! I hope Georgiana is right about his protecting her. I would hate for anything to happen to that sweet girl.

My New Book Cover is Born!

I haven't written on my blog for a few months because I've actually been doing what you want me to do - finish another book. I'm pleased to announce I signed with The Wild Rose Press again for a new Regency historical called HOW TO MARRY A ROGUE.

The release date will be sometime next year, and I'm in the middle of my editor's revisions and changes as I write this. Here's the story in a nutshell:

A trip abroad with her aunt is just what Georgiana Lockewood needs to forget her failed engagement.But her guardian brother insists Jack, his childhood friend, accompany them for protection.She enjoys renewing their friendship, but new emotions stir to make Georgiana question her resolve to remain single and independent.

His parent’s destructive marriage and a bitter grandfather have hardened Jack Waverly’s heart.He vows to remain a bachelor and never give up fighting or gambling.But that was before his trip to France.Mischievous Georgiana has grown up and is turning heads of various suitors.Jack has promised to protect her from all the men vying for her attention, but could he be the biggest threat?

Hope you like it! More info will follow, but I wanted to share the good news.