Debut Avon Author Jaime Rush recently took the time out of her busy schedule to have a chat with the lovely and talented Julianne MacLean. Here’s what was said:

JR: You have said that you enjoy the process of making video trailers, and the video for The Mistress Diaries is indeed spectacular. What is it that appeals about both making them and putting them out there for the public?

JM: We’ve had great fun filming those videos, and mostly it’s just for the pure joy of it. My husband is a doctor by day, but filmaking is his creative outlet. He loves making movies, and works on a lot of projects in our local area (Nova Scotia is a popular place for movies. Part of Titanic was filmed here, and The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, among many others). My husband also has a wacky sense of humor, and we wanted to something outside the box, which would purely entertain.

JR. Your recent books seem to play with that tantalizing theme of forbidden love. In The Mistress Diaries, for example, she is a noblewoman and he, a mere groomsman. In When a Stranger Loves Me, she is an heiress, and he, a stranger with no memory of his previous life. She must seduce him to have the child she needs to secure her family’s estate. Have you purposely been drawn to this theme…or is it something in your own life that inspires?

JM: (Tracy – the hero in The Mistress Diaries is the son of a duke (not sure where the groomsman comes from, LOL!) – but it was still forbidden because he was engaged to another woman.)
Yes, I’ve always been drawn to this theme of forbidden love, because it makes the obstacles intense and emotional. Wanting someone when you can’t have them can drive a person to the point of obsession. Also, a love scene where both characters are trying to resist “going all the way” is very exciting to write. It adds an element of danger and conflict and inner turmoil to the scene. In WHEN A STRANGER LOVES ME, there’s also the possibility that the hero might have a wife, but he can’t remember because he has amnesia. It made their decision to make love so much more complex. I also love it when passions threaten to override common sense. I’m sure we’ve all been in the position of knowing in our heads that something is not prudent, yet we still want to do it. The lure of the forbidden – it’s a universal theme as old as Adam and Eve.

JR: Amnesia has been used many times in novels. What makes this fascinating situation different in When a Stranger Loves Me?

JM: It’s funny, it is a classic theme, but I haven’t read that many historicals lately that have used it. For a while there were a ton of contemporaries with the world “amnesia” in the title, and I’d certainly heard many editors over the years say that “amnesia sells.” So people obviously like it.

I wanted to do one for a while, but I also wanted to make sure that it was not so much an external plot device, but more of a characterization issue. I wanted the lost memory to be a great sense of torment for my character, and cause him inner pain and confusion and sorrow. I think I accomplished that with Blake. He had to rediscover his identity, not just in an external sense (to learn that he was the son of a duke who needed a wife) – but also internally. He didn’t know if he was a scoundrel deep down, or a decent, responsible man, because he had no history in which to recall his previous actions in life. He felt torn between both traits sometimes.

JR: What is the best thing about being a romance writer?

JM: Reliving the experience of first love, over and over again.

JR: What is the most indulgent thing that you do for yourself?

JM: I insist on private time when I need it – whether it’s to read a book or watch a movie by myself. Thankfully I have a wonderful husband who is an amazing Dad and loves to do fun things with our daughter, so I never feel guilty about it.

Hi, it’s Anna Campbell here. And I’m delighted to introduce an author who’s new to Avon if not new to discerning historical romance readers. Caroline Linden’s latest Regency historical release is A VIEW TO A KISS and you can find out all about it at Caroline’s website. www.carolinelinden.com

ANNA: Caroline, your newest book is the deliciously titled A VIEW TO A KISS which is out in February. Can you tell us something about this story?

CAROLINE: But of course! It’s about a very well-bred young lady and the mysterious, fascinating man she meets on a dark balcony, but can never seem to run into again…because he’s a spy, working undercover to protect a number of prominent politicians, including her father. One reviewer described it as a cross between Jane Austen and James Bond, but it’s also a twist on Romeo and Juliet. Harry Sinclair is smitten at first sight by the lovely Lady Mariah Dunmore, the only daughter of the earl of Doncaster. Harry’s problem is that he’s not only a commoner and way beneath Mariah’s notice, he’s also a spy–and when he first sees her, he’s in disguise as an elderly gentleman. But a chance meeting on a dark balcony offers him the chance to talk to her as himself without revealing himself, and by the time he slips away into the night, Mariah is utterly entranced. The only way Harry can see her after that is by climbing through her window at night, a secret courtship that makes Mariah even more determined to find him, any way she can…

ANNA: Sounds great! What draws you to the Regency period?

CAROLINE: Mr. Darcy. Do I have to explain more than that?

ANNA: Nah, I think I get it! What was your favorite book when you were 12?

CAROLINE: I think it was GONE WITH THE WIND, although no doubt at least two thirds of it went right over my head. But I adored the costumes in the movie and was sure that if I had been Scarlett, I would have shoved Ashley Wilkes off a balcony the moment Rhett Butler showed up. Because even then I knew he was baaaad.

ANNA: If you were an animal, what animal would you be and why?

CAROLINE: A cat, because I love to sleep in warm, cozy places, I love having my hair brushed, and I would really like to have someone feed me three times a day when all I’d have to do was yowl a little. (Perhaps you can guess that my cat is a spoiled little creature)

ANNA: Describe your ideal holiday location.

CAROLINE: There are waiters, and busboys, and pool boys, and babysitters, and a personal masseuse. Also, low-calorie desserts and a 24 hour open bar. And my husband and I have the place all to ourselves. And it is WARM.

ANNA: What’s your favorite part of the writing process?

CAROLINE: Finishing! No, no, wait: opening the big box of brand new, sweet-smelling books with my name on the cover in shiny gold letters. No, no, wait: signing books and getting to meet fans. No, no, wait: going to conferences and meeting awesome authors like Anna Campbell in the bar. No, no, wait: none of those have much to do with writing, do they? OK, the best part is that moment when the whole plot falls into place, when the characters finally show themselves (to me, at least), when I realize there is in fact enough story there for a whole book, and I know just what to write.

ANNA: Ha, I know just how you feel! Thanks so much, Caroline! And good luck with the book – I love stories based on class conflict and this one sounds like an absolute doozey!

Kathryn Smith recently had a chance to chat with bestselling Avon Author Stephanie Laurens. Here’s what was said:

KS: When you were six years old, what was your life’s ambition?

SL: I’m not sure I had a “life ambition” at that age – I was very much in a “living in the moment” stage then. I do, however, know I used to write stories at that age. Not for anyone, not thinking I would be a writer, but just because. I never intended them for anyone else to read, I just used to have fun thinking up and writing stories.

KS: Who was your first ‘famous’ crush and what do you think of him now?

SL: First “famous” crush…I think it was the guy who played Illya Kuryakin in The Man from Uncle. David…was it Davil Ireland? I can still see him clearly in my mind, but clearly I have no memory for names! Not sure he’d make my top 10 list today – times, and the eye of the beholder–and the competition–have changed.

KS: When did you decide you wanted to become an author?

SL: I think it was after I had my 5th book published. Prior to that, I was just playing, doing something I enjoyed, and incidentally someone was paying me for it. Then, for completely unconnected reasons, I decided to “retire” from my scientific career, and so had lots of time on my hands and felt compelled to fill it in some way, so I thought I might as well put more focus on my stories and writing, and my writing career really expanded after that. I suppose the true answer to your question is never. I never “decided”–I just became one.

KS: What is your favorite scene in your latest book?

SL: In most of my books, the first scene when the hero and heroine meet is the one where things get “ooh! interesting…” Those scenes are my favorite to write, because there’s always a lot of promise, and an element of humor inherent in the set-up – so in WHERE THE HEART LEADS, it would be the opening scene of the book, in which Penelope Ashford talks Barnaby Adair into helping her find missing ophan boys, and in the new Cynster novel, TEMPTATION AND SURRENDER, it’s the scene where Emily goes to Jonas’s home, and gets him to hire her as manager of the local inn.

KS: If you were a single Regency miss and you could capture the attention of any of your heroes, who would you most want to have pursue you?

SL: That’s an easy question – Royce, Duke of Wolverstone, aka Dalziel – the hero in my August (late July!) release, the very last Bastion Club novel, MASTERED BY LOVE.