Review of Runaway Lady, Conquering Lord...

Jayne of Dear Author has written a review of Runaway Lady, Conquering Lord. Jayne gives it a B-. She says she has enjoyed a number of the other Wessex Weddings, and the fallen woman theme appealed. Like me, Jayne feels uneasy about lots of false medieval dialogue. It is one of my ambitions to write a book which Dear Author rate as a B+! And after that, one day maybe a venture into A territory!The link for the full review is below:http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2009/11/04/review-runaway-lady-conquering-lord-by-carol-townend/

Taming his Runaway Lady!

Runaway Lady, Conquering Lord
The idea for this novel was sparked by a comment a helpful reader made on the Harlequin Community Chat Boards. She had just read The Novice Bride and was interested in one of the secondary characters, Sir Richard of Asculf. She asked if Sir Richard was going to have his own story. It took me awhile, but here it is! Sir Richard's heroine, Emma, is the older sister of Cecily in The Novice Bride. Cecily was all innocence, but Emma most certainly is not, and at the novel's opening, her past is in danger of catching up with her.
It is set in England and France in the eleventh century.

Here is the cover blurb:
TAMING HIS
RUNAWAY LADY!
Raised a lady, Emma of Fulford is a fallen woman
with a young son as proof. He is all she has in the
world, and now the boy’s brutal father has returned.
Desperate and afraid, she needs to escape, and fast,
so she approaches Sir Richard of Asculf. She begs
this honorable Norman knight for help—and offers
the only thing she has left...herself.
Honorable he may be, but Sir Richard is only
human and Lady Emma tempts his resolve. Can this
conquering knight tame his runaway lady and stop
her running for good?
Wessex Weddings
Normans and Saxons, conflict and desire

This novel is available as a print book in the US from November 1st on the eHarlequin website. It is also published as an ebook. It is already out in hardback in the UK, where it will be published as a paperback in December.

Home from South Carolina Writer's Conference

Hi,
I'm home from a fabulous weekend in South Carolina. I got to be a presenter at the conference which I had blogged about earlier this summer. It was great! I led sessions on writing romantic fiction, historical fiction, point of view and dialog. We had a book signing featuring the Viscount Claims His Bride and that went really well. Now I am diligently trying to finish up an Undone due Nov. 2
Bronwyn

Christmas 1564 by Amanda McCabe

One thing I learned as I researched my November book The Winter Queen (available now at eHarlequin, yay!) is that the Elizabethans really, really knew how to party at the holidays! The Christmas season (Christmastide) ran 12 days, from December 24 (Christmas Eve) to January 6 (Twelfth Day), and each day was filled with feasting, gift-giving (it was a huge status thing at Court to see what gift the Queen gave you, and to seek favor by what you gave her), pageants, masquerades, dancing, a St. Stephen's Day fox-hunt, and lots of general silliness. (One of the games was called Snapdragon, and involved a bow of raisins covered in brandy and set alight. The players had to snatch the raisins from the flames and eat them without being burned. I think the brandy was heavily imbibed before this games as well, and I can guarantee this won't be something we're trying at my house this year!)

Later in Queen Elizabeth's reign, she mostly kept Christmas at Greenwich, or sometimes at Hampton Court or Nonsuch Palace, but in the year my story is set, 1564, she spent the holiday at Whitehall in London. Elizabeth had only been queen for 6 years and was 31 years old, so hers was a young Court full of high spirits. This was also the coldest winter in memory, so cold the Thames froze through and there was a Frost Fair complete with skating, food and merchandise booths on the ice, and sledding. It was fun to imagine this scene, and put my characters (Lady Rosamund Ramsey, lady-in-waiting to the Queen, and Anton Gustavson, Swedish diplomat and excellent ice-skater) into the action!

Even though there were no Christmas trees or stockings hung by the fire, I was surprised to find we would recognize many of the traditional decorations of the time! Anything that was still green in December would be used--holly, ivy, yew, bay. The Yule log was lit on Christmas Eve using a bit of last year's log saved for the purpose. It was brought in by the men of the household, decorated with wreaths and ribbons, and set ablaze so everyone could gather around and tell tales of Christmases past.

Food was also just as big a part of the holiday as it is now! Roast meats were favorites (pork, beef, chicken, fricaseed, cooked in broths, roasted, baked into pies), along with stewed vegetables and fine whit manchet bread with fresh butter and cheese. Elizabeth was a light eater, especially compared with her father, but she was a great lover of sweets. These could include candied flowers, hard candies in syrup (called suckets, eaten with special sucket spoons), Portugese figs, Spanish oranges, tarts, gingerbread, and figgy pudding. The feast often ended with a spectacular piece of sugar art called (incongrously) subtleties. In 1564, this was a recreation of Whitehall itself in candy, complete with a sugar Thames. (At least they could work off the feasting in skating and sledding...)

A couple fun reads on Christmas in this period are Maria Hubert's Christmas in Shakespeare's England and Hugh Douglas's A Right Royal Christmas, as well as Alison Sim's Food and Feast in Tudor England and Liza Picard's Elizabeth's London. At my website I have lots more info on the period, as well as some Renaissance Christmas recipes (let me know if you decide to try the roast peacock!)

And watch for the connected Harlequin Historical Undone story in December, The Maid's Lover

November Release from Annie Burrows

I have a new release coming out in the UK in November

"Devilish Lord, Mysterious Miss"

The blurb on the back reads: Is she his lost love? With his dark, haunted eyes and forbidding expression, the menacing Lord Matthison has the reputation of the devil. Living on the fringes of polite society, he has still to get over the death of his one true love seven years ago. But Cora Montague's body has never been found...

So when he encounters a fragile-looking woman, the image of his betrothed, working in a London dressmakers, Matthison is convinced Cora is still alive. And he will go to any lengths to claim her!

It's a bit dark, a little bit spooky, and hopefully, just right for Hallowe'en!

If you would like to read an excerpt, visit my web site at http://www.annie-burrows.co.uk/, and go to My Books page.

Or visit http://www.mills&boon.co.uk/, and click on the picture of the cover to browse the book.

Save money on New Harlequin HIstorical books with Harlequin Special Coupon.

Extra 10% off print & eBooks with coupon code SAVEMORE. Ends Dec 31 2009

If you love Harlequin Historical, why not use the above coupon to save money on the latest offerings when you shop at eHarlequin?

The offer remains good until 31 December.

The Welsh Lord's Mistress by Margaret Moore

My Undone short novella, THE WELSH LORD'S MISTRESS, goes on sale at eHarlequin
today. On my site you'll find more information about the story and an excerpt.

THE WELSH LORD'S MISTRESS is a story of unrequited love set in medieval Wales and features two characters from my last medieval novel, THE WARLORD'S BRIDE. However, as with all my books, I assume nobody's read the prequels, so this story should "stand alone."

It's also been brought to my attention that some people assume you need a special ereader to read an ebook. Not so! As long as you have a computer, you can download an ebook. Harlequin has made this easy by providing free downloads of software. They also have a section called "New to Ebooks?" that provides more information.

Heroine in Disguise!

Two Harlequin Historical authors discuss their differing approaches to the woman disguised as a man premise.

The “woman disguised as a man” setup has been a popular hook for historical romance for decades and it remains so today. In fact, two Harlequin Historical September releases feature this theme: HIS RUNAWAY MAIDEN by June Francis and mine, IN THE MASTER’S BED by Blythe Gifford. I invited my fellow author from “across the pond” to talk with me about the appeal, and challenge, of writing these stories. First, I’ll turn it over to June.
Thanks for joining me, June. Tell me about HIS RUNAWAY BRIDE.
It’s set in 1502, so the beginning of the Tudor period. My heroine, Rosamund is English and my hero, Alex is a part Swedish, part Scottish baron, who is also a spy. They are tricked into a speedy marriage when Rosamund's godmother, the slightly wacky Lady Elizabeth Stanley, realises not only that they have travelled through England unchaperoned but also that they are made for each other. She is related to the king of England and soon the couple are involved in the intrigue and machinations at Henry Vll's court at Richmond Palace. Rosamund's wicked stepbrother is party to treason and has them in his sights. With their lives in danger Rosamund and Alex soon realise where their hearts lie and there is an exciting finale on the River Thames.

How did the idea come to you? Was it part of the core idea?
At the beginning of the book Rosamund needs to make a quick escape from her stepmother and as she will be easily recognisable as herself, she decides she needs a disguise. When she was younger she used to don her supposedly dead brother Harry's clothes for riding and knows she can make better speed wearing breeches. She also believes that she is safer travelling if folk believe she is a male until she encounters our hero. So I'd say yes, it was part of the core idea.

What was the most challenging part of writing that scenario?
I think the dialogue. How do they talk to each other in their different roles? What about Rosamund's voice? When she donned her disguise she did not expect to have to converse and answer questions from our very male hero. She's had little experience of being in young men's company and can only guess at what they would talk about. But she wants to find out more about this foreigner and what is he doing in her country. As for Alex he has ulterior motives for continuing with the pretence and has questions of his own that he wants answers to from her. As we know this dialogue is important so as to give the readers information about our two characters as well as to build our hero and heroine's relationship and to have the readers wanting to know when will the denoucement happen.

Why do you think it is such a popular scenario?
Because one can have the hero and heroine alone together in close proximity. This creates lots of lovely conflict. She has to remember to remain in character which is more difficult when she is playing a role day in, day out. She is bound to slip up. For our hero it is the temptation of having a woman in his bed and having to treat her like one of the boys once he has guessed her secret.

Thanks, June. My turn! Here’s a brief recap of IN THE MASTER’S BED.
It’s set in the late 14th century, so more than 100 years before yours. My heroine, Jane, who has never really enjoyed “women’s work” runs away from home in order to study at the University, where women were not permitted. Disguised as a man in a place where women are forbidden, she meets a master who accepts her as a student, thinking she is “John.” Living surrounded by men, she discovers that being a man isn’t as easy as she always thought, and that a certain man makes her want to be a woman for the first time. Of course, my hero, discovers her secret and, it turns out, wears certain disguises of his own.
How did the idea come to you? Was it part of the core idea?
Definitely. I saw this as a “woman in a man’s world” story and really wanted to explore what the sexes find so mysterious about each other. In addition, the book was a spin-off from THE HARLOT’S DAUGHTER. In that book, I had already created a character who was a “tomboy,” as we would say today, so it was perfectly natural for her to masquerade as a boy.
What was the most challenging part of writing that scenario?
Given my setup, trying to figure out how men talk and behave when no women are watching! I’m sure some of my male friends will let me know if I got it right.
Why do you think it is such a popular scenario?
It allows the heroine much more freedom. She is released, as least for awhile, from the constricting requirements and expectations of her sex. That liberates the story, too, which the author appreciates! Also, I think the readers like being in on a joke, watching a baffled hero until he figures out what is going on.
But that sounds like a good topic for our readers.
Tell us: what do you like about woman-disguised-as-a-lad stories? We’d love to hear your comments.
And to learn more about us and our books, visit June Francis at http://www.junefrancis.co.uk/and Blythe Gifford at www.blythegifford.com.

A title for Crispin

Hi Readers,
I just got word that Crispin's story now has a title: Untamed Rogue, Scandalous Mistress. No due out date yet but I can hardly wait. He's by far the wildest of the Ramsden brothers. Thanks to all the UK readers who have enjoyed Peyton's story in the Earl's Forbidden Ward. I've loved hearing from you. I can hardly wait for Peyton to hit the stores in North America.
Bronwyn

New Release!

This is a shoutout to let everyone know about my new release titled Texas Wedding for their Baby’s Sake which is officially coming out September 1st (but is available at eHarlequin now.) This sequel to The Rebel and the Lady tells the story of the younger brother, Brandon Dumont and the woman he left behind...

“Caroline Benet enjoyed one night in her fiance’s arms before he left to fight in the Texas territory. The day news reaches her of the Alamo slaughter is the day she learns she is carrying his child.

He may have survived, but Brandon can’t return to the life he once knew or the woman he once loved—not as a cripple and a man battling his own personal demons.

When Caroline shows up in Texas, Brandon is determined to send her packing. But Caroline wants more than Brandon’s name for their baby. Looks like it will take a love as big as Texas to win him back.”

To celebrate the release I’m running a contest on my website this August for a free autographed copy along with a Borders Gift Card. Hope you’ll check it out! (The contest and the book!)

The South Carolina Writer's Conference Oct. 2009

Hi all, especially aspiring Harlequin Writers!
There's a great writing opportunity coming up for you at the South Carolina Writer's Conference Oct. 2009. It's really more of an awesome workshop than a conference. There are critique sessions with authors, agents and editors. Which can be so useful to the new writer. I went to a critique session 6 years ago at the Tacoma Community College authors conference and the critiquer, who was a professional in her field, said "this manuscript should be easy to sell. Do these three things to it and you have a classic regency." I did those three things to it, pitched it once and sold it--not only did I sell it, but I sold it as part of three book deal. It was the second manuscript I'd ever written. So these critique sessions matter a lot! I might even suggest they matter more than the pitching opportunity.

In addition to critique sessions with the workshop faculty, there's editor and agent appointments, workshops for perfecting your craft and lots more. I'll be there teaching sessions on dialogue, research and the crafting of the historical romance. I'll also be there offering full critiques of partial and full manuscripts!! Other big names will be there too like Jenny Bent and Pamela Ahearn and Scott Eagan--so some really great agents. This conference is about more than romance writing, it's for all genres, so bring your friend who wants to write a biography.
I'm so excited to be part of it. There will be time to work on your favorite projects and the conference will probably be a lot more intimate than the massive national RWA conference, so if you're looking for a one on one connection with somebody in the business, this is a fabulous opportunity. Check it out, here's the link http://www.myscww.org/conference/faculty.php
Bronwyn

Dulci and Jack are all finished!

Whew, Jack and Dulci (from Pickpocket Countess) have their story all finished for now. I'm just celebrating the completion of a manuscript. I know the process of finishing is just starting, but it feels good to have all that in place.
Bronwyn

The Viscount's Kiss is out now

The Viscount's Kiss is Margaret Moore's latest release from Harlequin Historicals.

Did you know that

it's the sequel to A Lover's Kiss, also from Harlequin Historical and still available at eHarlequin and Amazon?

That the hero of The Viscount's Kiss appeared in two other previous books from a different publisher? Kiss Me Quick and Kiss Me Again are still available, Kiss Me Quick in ebook format and Kiss Me Again in both print and ebook format.

That The Viscount's Kiss is Margaret's 37th book or novella published by Harlequin?

That she based one of the secondary characters on herself?

That she has a page of "web extras" on her site, with links to additional information - even videos - of material pertinent to The Viscount's Kiss? (You can find out which character is based on Margaret there.)

That she's also listed many of the research books she's found helpful on her site? She's also listed her books by series and time periods and has a printable "quick list" of all her titles.

That the most deadly spider in the world is the Brazilian wandering spider? What does that have to do with The Viscount's Kiss? The hero, naturalist and viscount Lord "Buggy" Bromwell, likes spiders. A lot.

You can read more about Margaret, The Viscount's Kiss and her other books at her website or by visiting her blog.