Happy Spring everyone! It feels a bit like fall but I am not complaining. Soon it'll be sweltering outside and guess where I'll be... Curled up under an air conditioner catching up on reads! I have so many life updates to share with ya'll, including being | | this close to finishing undergrad, but more on that later. Today we have one of my fav new(er) authors on the blog celebrating the release of her second novel! She literally left me in tears from laughter after her last appearance so you guys can expect more of the same today.
Without further adieu:
About Alison:
Alison DeLaine lives in rural Arizona, where she tries to keep her hillbilly side under control (but generally fails) and can often be found driving a dented old pickup truck out to her mining claim in the desert. When she’s not busy striking it rich, waiting on spoiled pets, or keeping her husband in line, she is happily putting characters through the wringer. Alison is a two-time Golden Heart® finalist and currently writes historical romance for Harlequin HQN.
About the Book:
A WEDDING BY DAWN
A hellion on the run.
Lady India Sinclair will stop at nothing to live life on her own terms—even stealing a ship and fleeing to the Mediterranean. At last on her own, free to do as she pleases, she is determined to chart her own course. There's only one problem….
A gentleman determined to possess her.
Nicholas Warre has made a deal. To save his endangered estate, he will find Lady India, marry her and bring her back to England at the behest of her father. And with thousands at stake, he doesn't much care what the lady thinks of the idea. But as the two engage in a contest of wills, the heat between them becomes undeniable…and the wedding they each dread may lead to a love they can't live without.
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Lady India Sinclair will stop at nothing to live life on her own terms—even stealing a ship and fleeing to the Mediterranean. At last on her own, free to do as she pleases, she is determined to chart her own course. There's only one problem….
A gentleman determined to possess her.
Nicholas Warre has made a deal. To save his endangered estate, he will find Lady India, marry her and bring her back to England at the behest of her father. And with thousands at stake, he doesn't much care what the lady thinks of the idea. But as the two engage in a contest of wills, the heat between them becomes undeniable…and the wedding they each dread may lead to a love they can't live without.
We've all heard that old adage about watching sausage get made. I'm convinced the principle holds true for watching books get written. If you actually did observe this entire process, you might never read again! It's that messy.
Which is why I'm not going to tell you about all those bits of tired dialogue and eye-rolling prose littering the DeLaine factory floor. I want you to think my stories flow perfectly formed from my fingertips like...
um...
Well, there goes the sausage metaphor.
As messy as my process was, A Wedding by Dawn was especially fun to write. I already knew Nick and India from my debut novel, A Gentleman 'til Midnight, and I knew they would hate each other. Well, "hate" may be a bit strong. Let's just say that Nick would not have considered Lady India for a single second were it not for the money that came with marrying her. And India would rather have given her virtue to a stranger than give herself to Nick in marriage.At least, that's how it starts. If you're a romance reader, I don't have to tell you that's not how it ends. But getting these two together wasn’t easy! And sometimes, as an author, I am my own worst enemy.
Since this is a behind-the-scenes post, I'll share a few glimpses into the sausage factory after all by revealing three Important Lessons I learned while writing A Wedding by Dawn:
1) A Romance Hero cannot have, shall we say, an anatomical failure. Not even if he's been drinking heavily. Apparently, some kinds of realism are undesirable in a romance novel. (Who knew?) The Romance Hero must be able to "stand at attention" under any and all circumstances. So rest assured, you'll not have to worry about any unseemly moments of underperformance from Nick.
2) A Romance Heroine must have certain standards of modesty. Just call me Alison "Taking things too far" DeLaine. I could fall back on the old "just doing what the characters told me to do" excuse, but the fact is, I'm the one who thought it would be a good idea for India to bare all in her quest to prove herself unmarriageable. Enter my editor... and exit the semi-public nudity. My bad.
3) A Romance Author should not use the dart-board approach to decide when and where the Romance Couple will consummate their relationship. Seriously, there was a point at which I had absolutely no idea when Nick and India would first do the deed. Here? There? (No, not everywhere. Sorry.) Don't get me wrong... There's plenty of spicy stuff. I mean, there has to be lots of lead-in before the Big Scene, right? But when it came to that Special Moment, it wasn't until one of the very last drafts that I finally realized, "Yes! Now!" (At which point, fortunately, I had already learned Lesson #1.)
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A WEDDING BY DAWN will be on-sale TOMORROW (4/29/2014) !
A WEDDING BY DAWN will be on-sale TOMORROW (4/29/2014) !
Order your copy of A WEDDING BY DAWN today!
Barnes&Noble (paperback) | Barnes&Noble (kindle)
~*~GIVEAWAY~*~
Alison has generously offered to give away a copy of her latest novel, A WEDDING BY DAWN, to a lucky commenter!All you have to do is comment below with your favorite historical dish AND fill out the rafflecopter form below. Giveaway ends 5/12 at midnight! A winner will be chosen/emailed and announced shortly thereafter!
The names seem familuar to me. I know that they are commonly used in book but will be excited to read yours.. Thank you for the update
ReplyDeleteThe pastries!
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