It’s the last Tuesday of the month and that can mean only one thing — new releases are out! Here are the titles your favorite Avon authors have on the shelves as of today:
To see the covers for next month’s books, or to see what you might have missed last month, click here, or click the Our Books link at the top of the page.
Julia Latham: Hello, Lord Keswick. Adam Hilliard: Please call me Adam. I cannot reveal my true name. JL: Ah, yes, you’re the secret earl. Care to explain that? AH: I can say little, only that my family was killed long ago, and to keep my brothers and me safe from an unknown murderer, we were raised in secret. JL: It seems a lot of things you do have to be kept secret. Since you claim to be an honorable, noble knight, why have you become a kidnapper of women? If anyone is innocent, it’s Florrie Becket. AH: I have never kidnapped a woman before this. And she is an innocent, but her father is not. He killed both of my parents and never paid the price. ’Tis time for him to deal with an armed opponent. If he will not face me in honorable combat, I must convince him to do so by holding his daughter captive. JL: And is it all working out for you? AH: She is nothing like her father, I admit. I expected bold arrogance, but she is too kind, full of a trembling courage that impresses me. I am trying to keep her afraid of me, but with little success, and I cannot figure out why. JL: Perhaps because you admire her. AH: There is much to admire. Instead of treating this dangerous journey—and her kidnapping—with the seriousness it demands, she acts as if she’s on a light-hearted adventure. Do women always behave so…unexpectedly? JL: You ask as if you don’t know. AH: I have spent many years in training. There was little time for women. JL: Surely you can explain that better! AH: I took a vow of secrecy. JL: Right. How could I have forgotten? AH: Florrie thinks she can change me, but I will not allow her to affect my sworn mission. JL: You let me know how that works out…
To find out how Adam fares, read Taken and Seduced, by Julia Latham, which will be on bookstore shelves March 31.
And the first book they’re discussing is HER NOTORIOUS VISCOUNT by Avon Romance author Jenna Petersen, on sale Tuesday March 31st! Discussion starts on Tuesday, but you can always pop by before that and check it out.
Contemporary Single Title Romance Not Another Bad Date by Rachel Gibson Historical Romance Paranormal Romance Regency Historical Romance Romance Novella Best of luck to you all, ladies!
The April contests have been posted on the FUN STUFF PAGE, but I thought I’d make it easy on everyone by posting them here on the blog as well: April 2009 Contests
 Teresa Medeiros is celebrating the April 1st release of SOME LIKE IT WILD, the sequel to SOME LIKE IT WICKED by giving away a $100 gift certificate to Barnes & Nobles so you can stock up on any Teresa Medeiros books you might have missed. Pop by her website at www.teresamedeiros.com before April 30th for your chance to win and to read an Exclusive Excerpt of SOME LIKE IT WILD!
UNMASKED by Nicola Cornick The contest closes 30th April, 2009. For more information, please visit Anna’s contest page: http://www.annacampbell.info/contest.html
~An autographed copy of LETTERS TO A SECRET LOVER To enter, just visit her website http://www.ToniBlake.com and visit the Contests page!
And that’s where it gets tricky. As an author you use your judgment and do the best research you can to make aspects of your novel come to live, and to perhaps make up for the parts that you really need to smudge to make the reading experience an enjoyable one. I have tons of books on 19th century England, Victorian morals and manners, and of course, clothing. But no amount of books about this time period can replace materials actually from that time period. So, I thought I’d share with you the cover from one of my prized possessions — the May 1877 edition of Lady Godey’s Book. I managed to snag this one with the color fashion plate intact. It’s a little beat up, but I got it for a steal on ebay. It’s one of three original Victorian magazines I own, and includes such pleasers as:
And much, much more! The type is so tiny I can’t imagine reading it by anything other than direct sunlight, although I’m certain my copy saw its fair share of lamp-light viewing. But it’s such a wonderful piece of Victorian life that it’s one of my most precious research tools, right down to the advertisement for “$12 a day at home. Agents wanted. Outfit and terms free. True & Co., Augusta Maine.” True & Co. was a publishing company. From what I gather they did a lot of prints, but to me this ad smacks of what we see today on the internet and in the back of modern magazines — ads looking for people to work from home with the promise of making big bucks hawking someone else’s wares. I guess the more things change, the more they really do stay the same!
A little birdie says Janet Evanovich has hit #1 on NYT with her Harper reprint The Grand Finale. To celebrate, Janet E will be chatting on blogtalkradio this Monday at 1 pm EST. |
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The craziness continues as Kerrelyn Sparks celebrates the release of SECRET LIFE OF A VAMPIRE with TEN more chances to win in April! Ten contestants will win a package of promotional items from various authors that includes signed coverflats from SECRET LIFE OF A VAMPIRE and FORBIDDEN NIGHTS WITH A VAMPIRE. Out of those ten winners, five will win the Grand Prize, which includes the promotional package plus a signed copy of THE UNDEAD NEXT DOOR plus a signed copy of ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A VAMPIRE! Go to 
Pamela Palmer is giving away three signed Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) of DESIRE UNTAMED, the first book in her exciting new dark paranormal series, the Feral Warriors. The first three books in the series are being released back-to-back this summer. To see all three hot covers and to enter the contest, visit 
Anna Campbell is running an “I Heart Historical Romance!” contest in March and April. Just email her at anna@annacampbell.info and tell her what your favorite historical romance is and why. The winner will receive a great historical romance pack of signed books:
Toni Blake is giving away:
Julianne MacLean’s latest book, WHEN A STRANGER LOVES ME, is an amnesia story, but thankfully, Julianne has not forgotten to host her regular monthly contest! This month, one winner will recieve an autographed copy of IN MY WILDEST FANTASIES, as well as an autographed copy of the beautiful contemporary romance, HEART OF MY HEART, By Stella MacLean. Visit 
As an author of historical romance I strive to add as much historical detail in my books as I can. Some books get more detail than others, and sometimes an author needs to bend history to her will — just a little bit. 
It’s one of the hardest parts of writing historical romance, because an author owes her readers accuracy, but how much? Readers don’t really want to read about the diseases and the dirt, do they? I don’t. I don’t want to know that in the real 19th century my hero and heroine might not live to see 50, or that she might end up having so many children it wears her out. I want the fantasy.
