The New Year, So Far!

I haven't been writing as much as I promised myself I would. Mostly it's because my characters are going off onto paths I didn't know were there! The typical bad boy hero is revealing more layers every day, and my heroine is not the bluestocking, unaware-of-life-around-her type I first saw. A real friendship is developing between Jared and Devlina, making it harder for me to part them! Here is a peek at what they're up to:

He was deliberately taunting her. She would be well justified for slapping him across his smug face, but Lord Clayton’s emerald green eyes appeared in her mind as if the man himself stood  in the perfumed garden. Mr. Vickers might be her last chance for happiness, so she would swallow her pride.

“I wish to take lessons from you.”

He cocked a thick black eyebrow, resembling a gypsy she had once seen at a fair when she was a child. He’d swallowed a sword before her very eyes. Mr. Vickers looked as if he, too, possessed strange and fascinating skills.

“Lessons in what subject? Fencing? Riding? Not Latin, surely. I spent my university days involved in everything but schoolwork.”

“Not any of those.” She frowned. “I do not know how to ask this delicately, but you are not a man for whom delicacy could be a factor.”

“You know so much about me.”

“Your reputation precedes you, sir.”

“What do you know about me?”

Couples strolled by, out of sight from the protection of the rose bower, but their controlled laughter and easy conversations reached Devlina. Imagine. This time next year, it could be Neville…Lord Clayton…walking beside me. She had to go through with her plan, regardless how reckless it seemed now.

“I have heard many stories of your exploits. I do not wish to be one of your conquests, but seek your..." She cleared her throat delicately. "Expertise. I gathered you would be the right man for what I need.” His eyebrows rose so high upon his forehead she feared she'd shocked him. Him. She twisted her hands in the folds of her silk gown. “That did not come out the way I meant.”

“I think it’s exactly what you meant to say, Miss Carrow. And, while I am greatly - no, flattered is not the word....”

“I spoke hastily.” She interrupted him before he could continue on his appalling train of thought. It would serve her right if Miranda found her now, debasing herself in front of a man who was known for ruining the reputations of countless females this season and the last.

“Lessons.”

“Yes. I…” She drew a breath louder than she’d intended. The man was positively irritating. Heaven only knew what so many women apparently saw in him to have ruined their prospects by even the smallest acquaintance. “I would like you to teach me how to seduce a man.”

Her whispered words seemed to clamor through the garden as if she’d tolled them with a gong.

I hope you enjoy this peek at my work in progress! It is book one of an exciting new Regency-set series I hope to complete this year. I hope all of you are reaching your own goals for the New Year!

Welcome to the Blog Hop!

I was "tagged" on author Ronnie Allen's blog hop and will carry on hoppin'! The fun of this is to spread the word about new authors that readers may not yet know. So, for all of you who are finding me through this hop, here is some info about me!

1. What I'm working on now:
I'm finishing the first round of edits from my wonderful editor, Allison, at The Wild Rose Press on my latest historical romance, HOW TO MARRY A ROGUE. It's time-consuming, hair-pulling-out work, and my least favorite part of writing. Why? Because I second-guess every other sentence and end up rewriting more than I'm revising! One fun part of revisions, however, is discovering better ways of saying something once an editor has gone through and made corrections and suggestions.

2. How is my book different from others in the genre?
My books are high in tension and emotional drama. I love to cry during a great movie or while reading a wonderful book, and when readers tell me they cried during a particular scene of my book, it makes me very happy.

3. Why do I write?
My original purpose for writing a novel (officially 30 years ago!) was to write the kind of story I enjoyed reading. Books I read didn't have enough romance or emotion, or maybe the hero wasn't just right enough or the heroine was lacking something. To fill the gap, I literally started writing my own books. I used to read my manuscripts for my own entertainment before I considered submitting to a publisher. Once I discovered I have actual readers out there who also enjoy my books, I found a new audience to write for. YOU!

4.  How does my process work?
I take an idea from a picture, a plot point of a movie or book, or whatever and start imagining the characters. I usually see the conflict first - whether it's an "argument" scene or some other dramatic turning point. From there, I add in subplots and character details. I start writing at once, and it's usually the love scenes I write first! Then I do the beginning, most of the crucial scenes, and then the end. I go back and fill in the rest of the book. So I guess I do an "outline in progress." I generally know the ending of the story and how my characters will change. It's how to get them to that point that's the challenge.

Thanks for stopping by! I love to hear from readers and blog-hoppers, so please ask any questions or make a comment.