KS: Some Like it Wild has a highwayman hero — certainly a favorite amongst romance readers. What do you think is the appeal of the highwayman?
 
TM: I think almost any outlaw has his romantic appeal, whether he be pirate, highwayman or western outlaw.  First of all, he can kidnap you and carry you away without risking a restraining order. And who doesn’t want to be the woman whose steadfast love coaxes him into her arms and away from a life of crime? 
 
KS: I know you’re a Buffy fan. Have any shows filled the void since BtVS went off air?
 
TM: I adore LOST so I guess I’d have to say that Sawyer has filled the snarky, vulnerable, anti-hero hole in my heart left by Spike.  One has a British accent and one a Southern drawl, but they’re both blond and irresistible! My other favorites at the moment are probably LOST and 24. I also just discovered VERONICA MARS on DVD and will have to say it’s probably the closest to Buffy in tone and my affections. Oh, and I’m in love with almost all of the guys on STARGATE: ATLANTIS!  
 
KS: Your books always have plenty of humor in them. Do you consider yourself a funny person?
 
TM: Humor was always a defense mechanism in our family so…yes.  
 
KS: So, your mind is sent back in time and put in the body of a 14 year old you. Knowing what you know now, who will it be: Donny or David? Puppy Love or a Partridge?
 
TM: Sigh, I still love me my SOUND MAGAZINE album by the Partridge Family and think David Cassidy was actually a pretty amazing vocal talent but Donny was my first love so and has turned out to be a wonderful human being and family man so I’d still have to stick with my Donny.
 
 KS: Russell Crowe called and wants to read one of your books. Which one would you volunteer to read aloud to him?
 
TM: Definitely YOURS UNTIL DAWN! I finished the book right before seeing MASTER AND COMMANDER and that’s when I realized Russell would have made an amazing Gabriel and developed the first stages of RCO (Russell Crowe Obsession).

KS:  Your newest book, Her Notorious Viscount has a hero (Nicholas) who can kick serious butt. Is he based on anyone in particular?
JP: Well, I’m a huge UFC fan, so I think he’s a bit of a compilation of all my favorite fighters, but he ends up sort of just being his own person. Still, I think my love of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) influenced the story pretty heavily (and the dedication).
 
KS: Who is the most embarrassing celebrity crush you’ve ever had?
JP: Okay… deep breath. Donny from New Kids on the Block. There. It’s out. 
 
KS:  What comes first for you, character or plot?
JP: Generally, character and as that develops a skeletal plot can really get fleshed out. Once I know the way my characters will react, then the next actions sort of flow naturally.
 
KS: If Her Notorious Viscount was made into a movie, name three songs that would be on the soundtrack.
JP: It’s a historical… so probably it would be a bunch of classical music, honestly. I don’t write with music, so I never really think about songs that go with a book. Readers, what do you think?
 
KS: What is the one TV show you refuse to miss?
JP: I didn’t miss one episode of Battlestar Galactica, but now it’s off the air (pout). I’m big on Fringe right now, Lie to Me and I’m heavy into Amazing Race. Plus, we almost always get every UFC Pay-Per-View (see, I said I was a fan).

And now, it’s my turn to interrogate the victim…er, guest.  I’ve asked sexy Scottish vamp Connor Buchanan to stop by and zap Sophie Jordan with some vampire mind control.  There he goes!  Sophie is looking lovely, but dazed and completely motionless in her comfy chair. She is totally under our control.  Back off, Connor! No biting!  Now, Sophie dear, you will answer these five questions…

1) What is your favorite color?

Now, don’t give me that look. I have often heard you refer to your historical romances by color, calling SURRENDER TO ME the purple book and ONE NIGHT WITH YOU the green book, and so forth. All your books have had beautiful covers. Which one was your favorite?  And what color is your new release, SINS OF A WICKED DUKE? (Bwahahaha! That was more than one question. But you are under my control, and there is nothing you can do about it.)

Hmm, okay, let’s see … It’s funny, but I do think of my historical romances by color. And thank you, Connor – I have been blessed with the greatest covers!

There’s my first cover, the white one. Then the red one. Then the green one (probably my favorite because I like green so much). Then the purple one, and now, again, a red one, SINS OF A WICKED DUKE, my newest release. Granted, the red cover for SINS OF A WICKED DUKE is a different shade of red than the red cover of TOO WICKED TO TAME, so in my mind it’s not the same red at all, and it’s definitely my husband’s favorite cover, but that might have something to do with the heroine on the cover that looks like she’s have a grand ol’ time all by herself under that sheet!

2) Your Sophie Jordan books are set in England and Scotland. Have you done any research trips there?

The last time I was in England, I was a teenager, so I haven’t done any official research trips since I became a career writer … but even then, London and those castles served as fodder for my imagination. Now, if you would like to accompany me to your homeland, Connor …

3) You write lush, sensual historical romances as Sophie Jordan and dark, suspenseful paranormal thrillers as Sharie Kohler.  Is it difficult switching from one to the other?  Do you have a different writing process for the two different subgenres?  Do you sometimes forget which name is your real one?

I don’t have a hard time switching. By the time I’ve completed one manuscript, I’m ready to jump into something different. Going back and forth works out well and keeps me fresh.

I work on one novel straight through at a time. If I have an idea for a book in the “other” genre, I just jot down some notes, then keep going on the book with the looming deadline. Yes, a revision letter or copyedits may come in for a book in one genre while I’m working on a book in the other. Then, I have no choice but to stop and get those revisions/edits done, then dive back into the WIP.

As for the names, I’ve gotten pretty accustomed to responding to both. Makes life interesting.

4) Are your historicals and paranormals related to each other? Is there an order they should be read in?

Given that my paranormals are contemporary, they don’t relate to my historical romances … well, they relate in degree of “emotion” and “heat”. Both are pretty sexy, and I find that the steam factor registers pretty equally across both genres for me. My paranormals are part of a series though, so I recommend reading those in order of publication.

5) Dukes, earls, ladies, hunters, werewolves—are there any other people or creatures you would like to write about?

Well, I’m introducing witches into my paranormals. Don’t you know they started the whole werewolf curse?

And I’m interested in dragons … so who knows where that will lead. Basically, I’m game for anything. Who knows what the future holds?

6) Which authors do you like to read?  What great books have you read lately? What is the velocity of an airborne swallow transporting a coconut?  (Bwahahaha!)

Oh, you are evil! I’ll tackle the first question:

Aside of Kerrelyn Sparks and other great paranormal authors like Lara Adrian, I read across all genres, but especially young adult. I enjoyed TWILIGHT and loved, loved, loved THE HUNGER GAMES. I’m enjoying Lisa McMann’s FADE right now – already having devoured WAKE, book one of her series. As for contemporary romance, my new favorite is Kristan Higgins. Her books are wonderful. See, if I’m not careful I can get lost in reading instead of writing … yes, I can be bad, too, Connor!

7) Your new book SINS OF A WICKED DUKE is selling like crazy, so it’s time to celebrate!  What kind of restaurant do you want to go to?  French, Italian, Greek, Chinese, Mexican, or something else? And can I come, too?

Yay! Well, I am a Texas girl, so maybe we should find a Tex-Mex joint. I’m up for some margaritas. But I do have this garlic around my neck — which didn’t do a lot of good here against you, my you’re sitting awful close! — so maybe Italian food. We can crush the garlic into the dipping sauce for our bread.

Thank you, Sophie!  Soon, Connor will release you from his vampire mind control.  You will have no memory of this interrogation, especially the part where we made you to do the chicken dance.

Whew! Thank you, Kerrelyn … and er, Connor.

Happy release week everyone! I braved a visit with Kerrelyn Sparks, New York Times bestselling author of the Love At Stake series. Given the company she keeps, I came prepared with a garlic necklace. Sit back, relax … just don’t sit downwind.

                   
1) Hi, Kerrelyn! SECRET LIFE OF A VAMPIRE is your sixth book in the Love at Stake series. Each book in your series has a wonderful twist! What’s the “twist” in this one?

This one has a character twist with the hero. Giacomo (Jack) is the illegitimate son of Casanova, so everyone assumes he’s a legendary lover like his father. As a young mortal man, Jack has the misfortune of running into three vampire women. When they find out he’s a Casanova, they capture and transform him so they can keep him forever as their love slave.  You can imagine their disappointment when they discover he’s a virgin! And being transformed against his will and held prisoner in a dungeon certainly didn’t put him in an amorous mood.  So they toss him out, and Jack is left with one of his secrets– self-doubt when it comes to his sexual prowess. Fortunately, he’ll get over that when he meets the right woman!

There’s also a plot twist involving a strange vampire cult, but I can’t reveal more than that. You’ll just have to read the book!
 
2) What do you think is so sexy about vampires?

They’re the ultimate bad boys. They do all the things your mother told you not to do: they sleep all day, party all night, and play with their food. The vamp hero is the loner, the outcast, the sexy guy who’s misunderstood but needs to be loved. And they make wonderful husbands!  They never expect you to cook, they never snore, and they can last all night long.
 
3) Any chance you might introduce a hero or heroine that is not a vampire or human … hmmm, say another paranormal entity?

Your wish is my command! FORBIDDEN NIGHTS WITH A VAMPIRE, which releases April 28th, features my first werewolf hero!  Phil is an Alpha wolf who falls for a vampire woman named Vanda. When Vanda is ordered by her coven to undergo anger management therapy, Phil becomes her sponsor.  Who’s better equipped than Phil to teach her how to tame the inner beast? And boy howdy, is Phil equipped….
 
4) Can you entice readers by telling us what are you working on now?

I just finished making two book trailers. You can find SECRET LIFE OF A VAMPIRE on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pylgO86GXPA. The video for FORBIDDEN NIGHTS WITH A VAMPIRE will release March 13^th.  And I’m working on book 8 of the Love at Stake series, this one starring one of those sexy Scottish vamps, Robby MacKay.
 
5) What favorite “guilty-pleasure-munchy” do you enjoy while you write?

Unfortunately, I have a long list of guilty-pleasure munchies, and it shows.  My favorites are nuts (mostly cashews and almonds), cheese, fruit, and chocolate.

(Look for part II of this interview tomorrow, when Kerry turns the tables on Sophie!)

Miranda very kindly agreed to be my victim…uh, guest on the blog today. So here are five questions with Miranda Neville:

ANNA: Miranda, congratulations on the release of your debut historical romance NEVER RESIST TEMPTATION which is out at the end of February. Can you tell us something about this story?

MIRANDA: Jacobin, my heroine, runs away from her uncle when he loses her in a game of cards. She’s learned to be an expert pastry chef and she gets a job in the Prince Regent’s kitchen, disguised as a young man. That’s all fine until her uncle – one of the Prince’s friends — is poisoned by a dessert she made. Someone’s setting her up to take the fall so she escapes again and ends up working for – the man who won her in the card game! Anthony, the Earl of Storrington wants to use her as an instrument of revenge but he’s soon torn between his attraction to her and his other goal.

ANNA: I know food plays a major part in this story. What made your mouth water? Apart from Lord Storrington, obviously!

MIRANDA: Jacobin is a pastry and dessert cook so NEVER RESIST TEMPTATION gives some of the recipes she makes for her employer. Ironically Anthony, Lord Storrington doesn’t really have a sweet tooth. However, he learns to appreciate her confections in certain contexts. Ahem. Whipped cream anyone? While I was writing the book I was on a diet and lost 50 pounds so my appreciation of her pastries was entirely vicarious.

ANNA: What was your favorite book when you were 12?

MIRANDA: That’s easy. I must have been about 12 when I first read PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and it’s been my favorite book ever since. LITTLE WOMEN came a close second. Around that time I also started scarfing up everything by Georgette Heyer and Jean Plaidy.

ANNA: Describe your ideal holiday location.

MIRANDA: Anywhere but England! If that sounds odd, you have to understand that I grew up there and all my family live there, so that’s pretty much where I spend my vacations. Sometimes I long for sun, beaches and drinks with umbrellas. I love museums and art galleries and had a marvelous five days in Rome two years ago. And I have a friend who moved to Hawaii and keeps asking me to visit. If I get really stuck with a deadline I’m going to take my laptop to her veranda for a working holiday.

ANNA: Do you cast your novels? If so, who would you cast as Jacobin and Lord Storrington in NEVER RESIST TEMPTATION?

MIRANDA: I mostly use period portraits and my own imagination for inspiration but the hero of my WIP does bear an uncanny resemblance to Daniel Craig. And one of my earlier efforts definitely featured a Brad Pitt look-alike. I could see Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet as Anthony and Jacobin.

ANNA: Thanks, Miranda! Great answers! And it sounds like a great book!

Miranda is a brave woman. She’s blogging with the Romance Bandits on Tuesday, 10th March. Pop by to find out more about this sparkling new addition to Avonlandia and to win a signed copy of her debut book NEVER RESIST TEMPTATION!

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Samantha James, enjoy afternoon tea, and discuss her newest release, Bride of a Wicked Scotsman which arrives in bookstores Feb. 24. I love Samantha’s books and neither dust, dogs, nor deadline will keep me from reading one of her books when it comes out. So pull up a chair, help yourself to some tea, and let’s enjoy our chat.

LH: What makes this Scotsman so wicked?

SJ: Thus far in the trilogy, we’ve see Alec in his role as the Duke of Gleneden, head of the family. But in Alec’s book, the sexy, rakish, wicked side of him is revealed. Alec is charmingly audacious, very, very much a ladies’ man. And of course, there’s the fact — unbeknownst to all – that he’s the descendant of a pirate!

LH: What can you tell us about the curse?

SJ:   I’ll do one better. I’ll let it speak for itself!

From out of the mists and magic steeped in time came a myth — a myth that was born on the lands of the people who came to be called the clan McDonough. It was here, on the very tip of the peninsula, in this place where the wind meets sea and sky, and the sky the earth, where Druids reigned and pagans came to worship their Celtic gods in a temple ringed with standing stones. It is here, said the tale, that the Circle of Light first came to be, beget by the Druid priests. Conjured from sea and sky and water and earth, a symbol of the eternal cycle of life. Of purest silver it was made, a simple pattern, weaved together, a circle that had no end and no beginning.

The Circle of Light resided high upon an altar of stone — floating, suspended with a power of its own, slowly rotating, ever turning, shimmering with myriad color and warmth. The Druids proclaimed that all people of the clan McDonough who worshiped — all who believed in its powers of endurance, would be blessed.

So wondrous was the Circle of Light that St. Patrick himself came to see it. He, too, blessed the Circle, and all of the McDonough and their lands. He decreed that it should remain forever in this place of ancient worship; the clan was charged with its guardianship. In thanks for this blessing, the clan McDonough built their church in honor of St. Patrick, bringing fortune and favor to their lands and people.

As time and tide went by, the McDonough came to believe that to lose the Circle of Light — this enduring cycle of life — would be to lose their good fortune. Such was their belief. Such was their faith. Night after night throughout the centuries, high above the statue of St. Patrick, the Circle of Light was seen through the window to the north, casting out its glow. Shifting and shimmering through mist and moonlight and the darkest night, bringing forth luck and prosperity to the lands of the McDonough as promised. Like a crown of warmth and hope, its light could not be dimmed.

Until the night the Black Scotsman came plundering across the seas, to the land of the McDonough where he seized the Circle for his own . . .

And the truth of the legend came to be.

LH: Reading the excerpt posted on your website, www.samanthajames.com, I loved how you brought one of F.J. Sparrow’s characters to the costume ball. Loved the entire excerpt actually. Alec seems to be quite a bit of fun, and I can already tell that the heroine is a great match for him. I read in another interview that you’d saved his story for last because he needed a special heroine. How did you finally find her and how is it that she’s his match?

SJ:  You noticed the F.J. Sparrow character! I wondered (read: hoped) if that would happen. That costume ball was so much fun . . . Back to Alec, though. Somehow I couldn’t see Alec falling for a white-gloved, fashionable London debutante. He’d be bored silly. He needed to be paired with someone who didn’t conform to Society’s ways. Someone who was more unconventional, more adventurous. And rather than see Scottish vs. English yet again, I thought it would be more fun to pit Irish vs. Scottish.

LH: If Bride of a Wicked Scotsman were to be made into a movie, who would play the hero?

SJ: Do I have to have just one? Because it could be Pierce Brosnan.  Or Hugh Jackman. Or Gerard Butler. But if I have to choose, well, I’ll go with Pierce Brosnan. He’s first in the alphabet.

LH: Tell us five things about Samantha James that we might not know.

SJ:  My favorite food is

peppermint ice cream.

My least favorite food is berries—any kind of berry. And mushrooms. And fish. Oh, that makes three. The strange thing is, my husband detests those same foods.

I’m a back-seat driver. Does t

hat make me a control freak?

My favorite vacation spot is Scotland. Anywhere in Scotland.

I stayed in a haunted castl

e – really. Yes, in Scotland, of course. Alas, I must have been sleeping when the resident ghost appeared.

LH: Oh, I’ve always wanted to visit haunted castle! How fun! Although I don’t know if I would have slept a wink.

Samantha, I want to thank you for joining us today. It’s been a delight as always. To those joining us today, what questions do you have for Samantha?

Sophia, let me begin by saying what fun it is having the chance to interview one of my fellow Avon authors, especially since we’re both from the Washington DC area and coincidentally share the same literary agent. But enough preamble, since I know what readers are really dying to hear about is Love with a Perfect Scoundrel, the third installment in your enthralling Widows’ Club series.

1. Can you give us a little taste of what we can expect in Grace’s story, due to hit bookstore shelves on February 24th?

A Taste? How about: A rugged, wildly attractive mysterious stranger tempts twice-jilted countess to unleash her hidden reserves of desire while snowbound in the wilds of Yorkshire …

Michael Ranier is definitely my very favorite hero to date. He gives Luc St. Aubyn (from A Dangerous Beauty) a run for his money in more ways than one. Aside from the intense chemistry between the hero and heroine, I really enjoyed writing the interactions between the three male characters in this book. They reminded me of all my handsome, cocky male cousins trying to outdo one another on every level. And the ladies in the club grow even closer as more bits of pieces of their pasts were revealed.

This is a stand alone book (just like the other books in the series) which means you don’t have to read them in order. In fact many people have written to say they prefer to read them out of order!

2. Each of your books in this series feature widows and the club formed by the outrageous Dowager Duchess of Helston. What attracted you to the idea of writing stories about widows? And why do your widowed heroines keep changing the name of their club? Can’t these ladies make up their minds <g>?

The idea for the series came during a luncheon with a group of my friends when someone asked how all our lives would change if our husbands suddenly were taken from us. The responses were startling. Some said they would never recover. Others said they would survive and make a new life. And most shocking was one who admitted she would be relieved. I was intrigued that one question revealed so many different answers—and a series was born.

Soon an image formed in my mind of a mysterious dowager duchess who comforts a bevy of women left alone in the world and the gentlemen whose fates intertwine with the ladies’ own. I set the first two books in Cornwall, England — truly one of the loveliest places I’ve seen in the world. But with the third book, I moved the location to London and Derbyshire.

And no, just like me, these ladies can not arrive on a suitable name for their club. The Widows Club sounds just like a bunch of old crows. Merry Widows is a bit overused. They tried Barely Bereaving Beauties, and now The Wicked Ways of Willful Widows. Who knows what it will be by the end of the series…

3. I know I’ll be savoring every page-turning moment of Love with a Perfect Scoundrel and be left wanting more when it’s over. To tide us avid readers over, can you share a few hints about the next book and how long we’re going to have to wait until we can read it?

There is a novella (see below) to break up the lull between books. But I can give this hint: The working title for the fourth book is “Four Weddings & a Scandal.” This will probably not stick given the title of the anthology! But it does give you a feel for the content… A huge secretwill be revealed in the last book (and one of the weddings might surprise you!)

4. You have a novella coming out this summer in the Four Dukes and a Devil anthology. Will the story feature another willful widow or an entirely new set of characters?

Tracy, I am so excited to be in this anthology with you, Jeaniene Frost, Elaine Fox, and Cathy Maxwell. I have always wanted to savor the challenge of a short story. It was so much fun that I am hoping we get to do it again! And yes, the novella, “Catch of the Century” is a spin-off story from the series. It is completely stand alone but readers will also catch glimpses of the Duke of Helston and the outrageous Dowager Duchess as well as two other characters (including the heroine) from the series.

5. And lastly–because enquiring minds want to know–what is your favorite movie? Favorite book? Favorite food? And if you could go anywhere in the world all-expenses paid, where would you go and why?

Ack, I LOVE movies…and have so many favorites. I just finished watching “Intolerable Cruelty” again yesterday, which I love. The plotting and repartee is priceless. Favorite book? Now, I know you’re joking. There are too many to list. But the book I reach for the most? The DICTIONARY! Favorite food? Sushi and French desserts. Fave dream trip? Lately, I’ve had a hard-to-ignore hankering to go to Australia. I keep waiting for Anna Campbell to step up to the plate and invite me, but alas, I think she is secretly afraid I will eat all her Tim Tams and never leave. Scotland and Ireland are a close second and third.

Hi everyone! Tracy and I belong to the same local writer’s community and since we’ve both got books coming out on Tuesday, we thought it would be fun to interview each other…

Hope you enjoy!

Best wishes,

Sophia Nash

1. Tracy, I’m so excited a fellow Washingtonian has joined the Avon family! And I know readers are clamoring to hear all about your new series. Can you tell us a little about the Byrons of Braebourne and the first book, Tempted By His Kiss, which will be available on Feb. 24th?

Sophia, thank you so much for the warm welcome! It’s great to have an opportunity to chat with you and all my readers here at AvonAuthors.com. I’m tremendously excited to be writing for Avon Books and about the release of my new Byrons of Braebourne series.

The series is set in Regency-era England and will follow the Byron siblings––a daring bunch known for their scandalous ways and rakish exploits. Just like Lord Byron, the poet, my Byrons are every bit as ‘mad, bad and dangerous to know,’ as their poetic non-relation. There are eight of them––so lots of romance and excitement lies ahead!

In Tempted By His Kiss, soldier and spy, Lord Cade Byron, returns home to England after being tortured by the French. Wounded in both body and soul, he buries himself in his remote Northumberland estate wanting only to be left alone. But fate intervenes when a snow storm lands orphaned Admiral’s daughter, Meg Amberley, on Cade’s doorstep. Stranded together, Meg’s reputation is soon compromised. A false engagement and a London Season seem like the perfect solution . . . until they find themselves tempted by a kiss that just may lead to forever.

2. In the past you’ve had back to back-to-back releases (i.e. three books in three consecutive months): the Trap Trilogy and the Mistress Trilogy. Can you tell readers and writers what are the pros and cons of writing/releasing books in this fashion?

You’re precisely right, Sophia, that both my Trap Trilogy and my Mistress Trilogy were originally released on a back-to-back schedule. That kind of quick release schedule is one that many readers really love, since it allows them to get deeply involved in a fictional world, knowing they’ll only have to wait a few weeks at most to read the next book in the series. The downside, however, is that once those three months are up, there are no new books until the author has time to write more. This lag between books is one of the biggest drawbacks for both readers and authors alike. There’s a definite element of instant gratification with back-to-backs, but then there’s the “withdrawal” of having no new novels from a favorite author for as long as a year or more.

In addition to the lag time between releases, writing back-to-backs is a very intensive process that can be draining for an author in terms of energy and creativity. This is one of the reasons I’ve decided to transition to a more traditional release schedule for my new Byrons of Braebourne series. I want to keep writing great stories that readers love, and being on a schedule that allows me to produce one book every few months, instead of three right in a row, will help me stay creatively fresh and full of new ideas!

Plus, the upside for readers is that while they’ll only be able to read two full-length Tracy Anne Warren novels in 2009, they’ll get two more in 2010. So actually, over a two year period, they’ll be one book further ahead in the series than they would be with a three book back-to-back release! A win for author and reader alike.

3. A week from now, after I devour Tempted by His Kiss, I know I will be dying to know the story behind book two, Seduced by His Touch. Can you drop a few hints now? Please?

Since you asked so nicely, Sophia, how can I possibly resist? Seduced By His Touch is about rakehell brother Jack, and I can safely assure you that he is a very bad boy! When a game of cards goes horribly awry, Jack finds himself deeply in debt to a rich shipping merchant. But the merchant doesn’t want his money. Instead, he wants Jack to woo and wed his spinster daughter. But there’s a catch . . . Jack has to convince her it’s a love-match!

4. Ahem, a little bird told me you’ve also got a novella coming out this summer. Is it part of the Byrons of Braebourne series?

It sure is! My novella is part of the Four Dukes and a Devil Anthology (which curiously enough features a novella by you as well, Sophia!), and is scheduled for release on June 30th! The story features a Byron cousin, India Byron, who finds herself in need of rescue from an unwanted suitor. To create the illusion that she’s being courted by another man, she demands a kiss from the devilish Duke of Weybridge. Little does she know what she’s started when she finds him only too happy to oblige.

5. OK–cramming all the things I’m dying to know in one long question: Chocolate or Vanilla? Tea or

Coffee? Alpha Male or Beta Male? Tiger Red or Bridal Blush? Angelina or Jen? And cats or dogs? (OK, I know the answer to the last one ; }…

Chocolate––hands down.

Tea—I adore tea, and not just because I write Regency historicals.

Alpha or Beta Male—Alpha. Although I like Beta’s sometimes too!

Bridal Blush—I adore soft pastels.

Jen—but only because Brad should have broken it off with her before he hooked up with Angelina.

Cats—Yes, you do know the last one. To see pictures of my three adorable cats and learn more about my books, please visit my website at www.tracyannewarren.com!

Sophia, it’s been wonderful chatting with you. Thank you so much and happy reading everyone!

ANNA: Margo, your latest historical romance is WILD which came out in January. Can you tell us about this story?

MARGO: I would love to! The premise of WILD was to pit a prim and proper young spinster against a young man with no sense of propriety, no decorum. I came up with Grace Hawthorne, the companion to a dowager countess, and Anthony Maddox, the heir to an earldom who was lost on safari in Africa as a child. Twenty-some years later, Anthony is back on his grandmother’s estate (that would be Grace’s employer) and Grace is given the task of making him a suitable earl. Of course Anthony loves to push Grace out of her comfort zone with his inappropriate, “uncivilized” behavior. And Grace pushes back with strict rules to govern his actions. Yet in spite of their differences, sparks of attraction fly between them interfere with what each one thinks he or she really wants.

ANNA: Sounds great! There’s more than a touch of Tarzan in this latest book. Do you have a favorite version of Tarzan? Why?

MARGO: [Blush] I am embarrassed to admit I never read any of the Graystoke novels. But I did see the Johnny Weissmuller film version on TV as a kid. I should see if I can rent it one of these days and see if I remember it correctly. There was Jane, of course …and Cheetah. And weren’t there a few Nazis wandering around the jungle? WILD doesn’t have any scenes of Africa (nor does Anthony do that “Tarzan call”). For WILD, I had to figure a way for Anthony to have remembered English, or else the dialogue in the book would have been problematic. He had an old bible that he read during his years in Africa. So, er, to answer the question … I guess the Johnny Weissmuller version would be my favorite Tarzan – because it’s the only one I can remember!

ANNA: What’s coming up next?

MARGO: TAKEN BY THE LAIRD is coming out in October. It features a brooding Scottish castle, a brooding laird, and a runaway bride. I love adventure-romances, and this one is full of it – there’s smuggling, and a daring sea rescue… not to mention a lot of steamy interludes between the hero and heroine. It’s going to be a perfect book to curl up with on a chilly autumn night!

ANNA: What’s your favorite film?

MARGO: Independence Day – with Will Smith and Bill Paxton. I know that seems weird for a romance author, but it has all the elements I love – including a bit of romance!

ANNA: Tell us five quirky things about Margo Maguire.

MARGO: I’m almost always reading four or five books concurrently.

I used to be a director of the 17-18 year-old division of a large travel ice hockey association. I can quote all kinds of hockey rules. Aren’t you glad you know this? (ANNA: Delighted, LOL!)

I have more pets than I ever wanted: two 90 lb Labrador Retrievers and two house cats. And somehow, they all get along!

My body doesn’t tolerate caffeine. I can’t even drink a coke without having problems with it! And yet, I somehow manage to live a full and happy life.

I do my computer “mousing” with my left hand. It was awkward at first, but when I broke my right hand and had to have pins and a cast, I didn’t have any choice. Now that I’m used to it – I won’t go back!

ANNA: What makes a great romance hero?

MARGO: He’s a man with issues to resolve, but the issues don’t turn him into a whining wimp – they propel him forward toward a resolution. He is strong in his own way, and learns to appreciate the heroine for all of her strengths. He is never threatened by her (OK, maybe at first, but he gets over it pretty quick!). He has an innate kindness inside, but it’s not always obvious – except to the heroine. He can appreciate humor and irony, although he doesn’t always apply those insights to himself. Most of all, he will protect and respect the heroine from the very start – even before their love has a chance to get off the ground.

ANNA: Lovely description of a romance hero, Margo! Thanks for being my victim…uh, guest today! I’m really looking forward to reading WILD! Sounds like it combines two of my favorite themes – the fish out of water and opposites attract.

Gayle Callen caught up to Susan Elizabeth Phillips to talk about her new book, What I Did For Love–and no, Gayle isn’t stalking her again, although there are some videos on the Avon Books site that are pretty incriminating…

GC: Your new book, WHAT I DID FOR LOVE, deals with celebrities. How famous are you?
SEP: Nothing like starting off the interview with a little sarcasm… Let’s just say that I’m not quite as famous as Bram and Georgie, my hero and heroine. Wait! At our neighborhood bookstore last week, a customer asked me if I was Janet Evanovitch. Does that count?

GC: What’s one thing we’d be surprised to learn about you?
SEP: I’m a terrible speller, I can cry at the drop of a hat, and I have a crush on Tim Gunn from Project Runway. As for my other secrets… Not telling!

GC: Which classic have you always meant to read and never got around to it?
SEP: Any classics I meant to read, I’ve already read. A few I’ve never forgiven myself for opening. MOBY DICK springs to mind.

GC: Do you have any favorite place to write?
SEP: I have a beautiful office. (See photos) But I end up carrying my laptop to our upstairs guest room. Laptop doesn’t connect to Internet. Guest room has a beat up Laz-E-Boy. ‘Nuff said.

GC: What is your favorite word?
SEP: Ice Cream. Oh, wait, that’s two words. Still…