Contest & Conversation with LADY MAGGIE'S SECRET SCANDAL New York Times Bestselling Author Grace Burrowes

There are times when it is good to be me.  And right now, having New York Times bestselling author Grace Burrows drop by has got to be right up there on my Highlights-of-the-day list. I am flying over the moon and walking in sunshine, excited that she has once again dropped by to chat with us. This time it’s all about Lady Maggie and some scandalous secrets she’s been hiding. So, let’s make Grace feel warmed and welcome here at RCJR eZine blog and let’s get to it.

A few weeks back I was chowing down on my favorite veggie lover’s pizza, flipping through several of my RT Book Reviews magazine. I came across this fantastically fun article by Liz French, Stephanie Klose, Faygie Levy and Elissa Petruzzi titled LEGACY OF LOVE.  In short the article was about how the market might be changing but romance, which I agree whole heartedly, is forever. I love this question.  So, I have decided I would ask a few authors what their opinion of what the  LEGACY OF LOVE was for them.  Grace, would you like to give it a go?

GB: Interesting question and it’s wonderful to be here. I’d say there are several legacies of love. The first is, when somebody loves you, you get to be yourself. For some of us, this gift is profound because we’ve been struggling along trying to be somebody else, somebody we think is better, more worthy or more loveable than our true selves. Then someone comes along and really, truly loves us, and all our genuine qualities can see the light of day.

Love also challenges us to live lives based on courage rather than fear, to live in hope          rather than bitterness.

You’re in the thick of your new series, Windham Family.  Can you tell us more about it and this wonderfully rich family you have created?

GB:  Percival and Esther Windham, the duke and duchess of Moreland, have raised ten children, including two of Percival’s pre-marital by-blows. Their Graces have lost two children, one to war, one to consumption, and the eight remaining siblings are very close. The bedrock of the family’s emotional health—also the seeds of some of its problems—lie in the abiding love of the duke and duchess for each other.

We started with the stories of the surviving sons—The Heir, The Soldier, and The Virtuoso—and now we’re working our way through the five daughters. Many spin offs, prequels and sequels are also planned.

You latest installment LADY MAGGIE’S SECRET SCANDAL is a wonderfully sassy love story with breathtaking protagonists.  Can you tell us more about it?

GB: Thanks! Lady Maggie is His Grace’s illegitimate daughter, but she was raised in the ducal household. She’s pretty, intelligent, and very self-contained, having passed up numerous offers of marriage, much to her family’s consternation. Unbeknownst to them, Maggie has been coping alone for years with problems created by her maternal antecedents. When those problems threaten harm to everybody Maggie holds dear, investigator Benjamin Hazlit is prepared to be Maggie’s champion—also her lover, best friend, advisor, and most of all, her husband.

Maggie Windham is the Duke of Moreland's eldest, but illegitimate, daughter. What made you decide to go this route with Maggie?

GB: It’s historically quite plausible, for one thing. The Duchess of Devonshire raised the daughter born to her husband’s mistress prior to marriage and by all accounts loved the girl as her daughter. In Georgian and Regency society, cuckoos and by-blows were the natural consequence of human nature, aristocratic license, and marriages formed out of practicality rather than sentiment.

 I also built a story around Maggie because in foster care court (my day job) I see how hard it is to choose between a family of origin, and a family that might come along later in our lives, but offers us a much healthier variety of love. It’s not a choice made easily or    all at once, regardless of how simple it might seem to others.

For readers who have yet to read LADY MAGGIE’S SECRET SCANDAL I’m curious to know the family dynamics and how Moreland’s legitimate children treat Maggie. How does the family treat her in general?

GB: This is a great question, because what Maggie learns is that if there’s distance, or a sense of differentness, it’s largely her doing. Her siblings love her, her ducal parents love her, and in some ways, they worry about her more than they do the rest of the family. This is particularly true of Her Grace, Maggie’s step-mother.

A stolen reticule brings Maggie to investigator Benjamin Hazlit's door. What can you tell us about Benjamin? Mind sharing what you found out about life as an investigator in the Regency era?

GB: Benjamin, like Maggie, hasn’t come to terms with his family issues. Years ago, his sisters were involved in a scandal not of their making, one of them being the victim of a crime, and the other a witness to the crime (more on that in subsequent books). Benjamin spends his energies trying to preserve other families from public scandal, but this occupation leaves him socially suspect, ostracized, and carrying around secrets he can share with no one. When he meets Maggie, he can smell the secrets on her every bit as clearly as her mille fleurs perfume.

In researching LADY MAGGIE’S SECRET SCANDAL was there one thing that jumped out at you?  Did you use what you found in the story?

GB: The extent of illegitimacy in titled and lower class Regency society. Prinny was rumored to have multiple by-blows, one of his sisters apparently had a child out of wedlock, the brother who would become William IV, had ten bastard children with his actress-mistress, and so on. Queen Victoria had nearly twenty illegitimate cousins. William Wordsworth had an illegitimate daughter (who was half French!), Charles II had a dozen bastards, and on and on. Little stigma attached to the fellows involved in these goings on, provided they looked after their love children.

I absolutely adore the Regency era.  What is it about that time that piques your curiosity?

GB: The Regency was a pivotal moment in history for a lot of reasons. This is the society where political power tipped from the hands of the aristocracy into the hands of the commoner, though it was a slow, gradual tip that took some time to manifest. This is the society that defeated Bonaparte, that laid the ground work for the Victorian empire, and that saw the industrial revolution gain tremendous momentum. These folks dealt with change, with social issues on an unprecedented scale, and yet managed to retain their essential Englishness in the process.

Okay, I want to give a warm welcome to, Lady Maggie Windham and Benjamin Hazlit (Waving franticly, trying to get the besotted couple’s attention). I know you two have gone through a lot to get to your happily ever after so I will try to be brief. (Blushes scarlet as she catches the intimate glance between the newlyweds, clears her throat).Okay, so you two are still in the honeymoon stage, I see. I would like to know what each of you thought when you first laid eyes on the other. Was it love at first sight?

Maggie: My first recollection of Benjamin was at one of His Grace’s political dinners. I watched Benjamin until I realized in a much more subtle fashion, he was watching me. He listened a great deal more than he spoke, which suggested to me I’d have to be careful around him.

Benjamin: I recall the same dinner, and how hard it was to pretend to pay attention to old Quimbey’s nattering about the Catholic question while a woman so subtly beautiful tried escape everyone’s notice. That intrigued me, and I’m still intrigued with her today.

Maggie, name the one thing about Benjamin that you believe won your heart.

Maggie: He brought me a dog who needed a home. Our first kiss was in the rose arbor, where nobody could see us. He took the time to win Her Grace’s approval… I could list a dozen more moments like that, but they add up to a man who saw me more clearly than I saw myself, and valued me more highly than I valued myself.

Benjamin, name one thing about Maggie that you believe changed your outlook on love.

Benjamin: Maggie loves ferociously, but she’s quiet about it. Her brothers and sisters are all under her watchful eye, though they probably don’t even realize it. For the people she loves, Maggie would give up her every chance at happiness, and she’d do it without an audible whimper. This is courage, and a generosity of spirit that leaves me in awe.

Maggie, what was one of your biggest fears about getting involved with Benjamin?

Maggie: Benjamin also loves ferociously, admitting of no secrets or timidity. He quite frankly overwhelmed me.

Benjamin, were you concerned at all about taking on Lady Maggie as a client?

Benjamin: Concerned, no. Suspicious, yes. It’s not unusual that my clients would attempt to keep some secrets from me, but Maggie’s secrets were of a greater magnitude than the standard prancing ninnies’ misplaced love letters, and I knew she’d guard her secrets with her life.

Do you, Benjamin and Maggie, believe that love conquers all?

Maggie: Yes. It might take years, it might take a lifetime, but there is no wound to the soul that love cannot heal.

Benjamin: Maggie’s love, and love for Maggie, conquered all for us, and that’s what I care about most.

One more thing before I let you go.  Do you believe that everything you two went through to find one another, fall in love and find your happily-ever-after was worth the price you had to pay?

Maggie: The price for me was to let go of some long held fears and misconceptions, to trust the people whose love has sustained me my entire life. Of course it was worth it.

Benjamin: The price for me was similar: I had to give up half a life skulking around on moonless nights after straying spouses and purloined necklaces to take my place beside the only woman to appreciate me for who I really am. I would do it again in a heartbeat—though I’d kiss Maggie sooner and a lot more often.

Now back to Grace…

Grace, while you were writing Benjamin and Maggies’s story was there a scene that popped out the most?

GB: Oh, you bet there was. It’s the scene were Maggie finally, finally says, and means, “That woman is not my mother.” I still cry when I read it.

Out of the Windham Family series was there one book that was more emotional to write?  Or did they stand alone, emotionally wiping you out as they all did for me?

GB: I probably cried most writing The Soldier, and if I had to marry a Windham brother (such a dire fate!) it would be Devlin St. Just. I’m happy to report though, that each book has rewarded me with some good, strong, emotional scenes that seem to work for the readers as well.

Grace, what is more difficult to write: an intense sexual scene or a heart-wrenching emotional scene? Why?

GB: The intense sexual scenes should be heart-wrenching emotionally. In a romance, there’s no place for gratuitous eroticism any more than there would be a place for gratuitous violence. Every scene must advance the plot and/or develop character. This is particularly true of the hot scenes, and yes, they are mighty hard to write well.

When you were writing LADY MAGGIE’S SECET SCANDAL did you have music playing in the background? If yes, what type? Does music play an intricate part in your writing?

GB: I have a degree in music history, and for some books, I’ll adopt a signature piece. For Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish, it was the Christmas portion of “Messiah;” for Maggie it was Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on Theme by Paganini.” Lots of passion that eventually resolves to peace. I don’t listen to these pieces when I’m writing—for that, all I want to hear is Noble Hound snoring at my feet.

Grace, please share with desperate readers where they can connect with you in cyber world.

GB: I have a Grace Burrowes Author page on Facebook, where I’ve been known to ask for help naming bad guys and country estates; I’m on twitter @graceburrowes; my website isgraceburrowes.com, and I can be reached by email through that website. I LOVE to hear from readers.

What’s next in the works for you? When can readers expect to see it out on shelves in their local bookstores?

GB: Lady Louisa’s Christmas Knight will hit the shelves in October, and I adore that book. Move over, Devlin St. Just, because Sir Joseph Carrington has stolen my heart. In December, we’ll start a Scottish Victorian trilogy with, The Bridegroom Wore Plaid, and you guessed it: Move over, Joseph Carrington, because I’m also in love with Ian MacGregor.

Grace, as always you rocked RCJR eZine blog and its readers.  Thank you so much for stopping by to dish about Benjamin and Maggie from your new Sourcebooks Casablanca historical romance LADY MAGGIE’S SECRET SCANDAL

LADY MAGGIE’S SECRET SCANDAL BY GRACE BURROWES – IN STORES MAY 2012

Lady Maggie Windham Has Secrets…

And she’s been perfectly capable of keeping them...until now. When she’s threatened with exposure, she turns to investigator Benjamin Hazlit to keep catastrophe at bay. But Maggie herself intrigues Benjamin more than the riddle she’s set him to solve. As he uncovers more and more of her past, Maggie struggles to keep him at a distance, until they both begin to discover the truth in their hearts...

Praise for Lady Maggie’s Secret Scandal

“Delicious... Burrowes delivers red-hot chemistry with a masterful mix of playfulness and sensuality, and her themes of healing and familial strength give this page-turner unusual depth. Charming and original with superb characters ready to walk off the page, this is a splendid addition to any Regency fan’s bookshelf.” —Publishers Weekly Starred Review

“An unconventional tale of strikingly unique characters with realistic emotions and exciting antics. It’s always a delight to read one of Burrowes’ creations...” —RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Grace Burrowes is a prolific and award-winning author of historical romances. Her debut, The Heir, received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist, and was selected as a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year for 2010 in the romance category. Both The Heir and its follow-up, The Solider, are New York Times and USA Today bestsellers. “Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish,” has been nominated for a RITA, and was chosen as the RT Reviewer’s Choice Best Historical Romance for 2011. She is a practicing attorney specializing in family law and lives in a restored log cabin in western Maryland without a TV, DVD player or radio because she’s too busy working on her next books. Please visit http://www.graceburrowes.com/, follow her on Twitter: @GraceBurrowes, and check out www.sourcebooks.com for more information.

~ CONTEST~

RCJR eZine is proud to present an extraordinary romance author that we absolutely adore.  New York Times  bestselling author Grace Burrowes is an incredible talent and nothing says it better than her latest  in her Windham Family series, LADY MAGGIE'S SECRET SCANDAL which released on  earlier this month by Sourcebooks Casablanca.

THE PRIZE: One (1) lucky reader will win a copy of LADY MAGGIE'S SECRET SCANDAL.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment for Grace Burrowes including your email address

(Email address are required for ALL entries.)

***

*Connect with RCJR eZine at:

 

***

Contest is open to ALL

It will runs until May 13,2012

I will contact the winners directly on May 14, 2012

HAPPY READING! =)

KARMA Comes Back Around in New York Times Bestselling Author Carly Phillips Latest in Her Serendipity Series

There aren’t many jobs where you get to fall in love everyday.  Reading romance is beyond pleasure.  For me, it is the apple to my pie, the cherry to my coke and the icing on my birthday cakes. I am one of the lucky ones.  Today is extra special.  New York Times bestselling author Carly Phillips has stopped by to dish about her recent release KARMA from her fantastically sassy Serendipity series.  I have been on the Barron bandwagon since Ethan rode back into the little town known as Serendipity, NY.  Things have not been all sunshine and roses as the Barron Boys reconnected, found out they have a teenage half sister and dealing with life’s ups and downs on their way to happily ever after.  This time around it’s all about baby bro, Dare Barron, the sensible, lovable brother that has his own hang-ups.  Help me welcome Carly and the Barron boys and the delicious citizens of Serendipity.

While chowing down on my favorite veggie lover’s pizza I was flipping through one of several of my RT Book Reviews magazines. I came across the fabulous fun article by Liz French, Stephanie Klose, Faygie Levy and Elissa Petruzzi titled “Legacy of Love.”  In short, the article explained about how the market might be changing but romance, which I agree whole heartedly, is forever.  Carly, my curious mind and readers would love to know your thoughts on what you believe is the “Legacy of Love.”

First, thank you for that fantastic introduction and I’m so glad you’re enjoying my Barron brothers. 

The “Legacy of Love”?  Hmm.  Contemporary romance, I think, represents what the Romance genre does best – it puts together a couple that is meant to be together.  From the moment they lay eyes on each other, no one else exists for them, whether they are ready to admit it or not.  Despite the obstacles in their path, this couple is destined to be together.  A reader who picks up a contemporary romance is guaranteed a happily ever after, no matter how rocky the path there might be.  That is why I read and write Romance.  All other genres of Romance evolved from there.  I’m thrilled that contemporary romance is on an upswing!

You’re in the thick of a new series, Serendipity.  Can you tell us more about it?

Serendipity is the name of both the series for Berkley and the first book set in a fictional small town in upstate New York.  At the center of the town is the landmark Harrington Mansion, the epitome of wealth and privilege.  The series opens with SERENDIPITY, which introduces readers to the estranged Barron brothers, brought together by a teenage sister they didn't know they had and family drama they haven't yet put to rest. SERENDIPITY is the story of Ethan Barron, the "bad boy" oldest brother.   DESTINY is Nash Barron’s story.  Nash is the middle brother, the angriest brother, the one who wears his hurt on the outside.  And now, of course, is KARMA.

Your latest installment, KARMA, is a wonderfully sassy love story with two of my favorite protagonists.  Can you tell us more about it?

Thank you! Dare makes life look so easy on the outside but inside he's wrapped up in the past and full of angst.  He needs the right woman and he needs to forgive himself for past mistakes.  Then there's Liza, who reminds him of his biggest error in judgment, and who he's always been attracted to.  Once he gets to know her? Attraction becomes secondary to how much he cares.  To me, it's a beautiful thing watching him take care of a woman who's never had anyone look out for her before.  And vice versa.  I hope readers enjoy Dare and Liza and love them as much as I do!

You deal with some difficult issues in KARMA.  I don’t want to give any spoiler alerts for those who’ve yet to read it.  But, what drew you to writing about alcoholism?

The incident in Dare’s past has roots in something that happened for real in my current town over ten years ago.  It was the ultimate tragedy dealing with teenage drinking, bad judgment, mistakes … but sadly few consequences. I often wondered how those who were there the night someone died would live with the guilt of what they didn’t do – and I found my chance to explore those themes here. Dare and Brian took very different life paths after that fateful night.

I could really relate to your heroine, Liza McKnight.  So many times I found myself shaking my head along with Dare about Liza constantly coming to Brian’s rescue.  But, when the reader continues to read they come to find out that her parents emotional abandoned her.  While, constantly bailing on Liza her parents continually bail her brother out of trouble.  Could you explain a bit about the McKnight’s family dynamic?

Thank you! You relating to Liza is one of the nicest things anyone’s said to me as an author J The McKnight Family dynamic is incomprehensible to me.  It’s the story of people who never should have had children, who had no sense of responsibility, yet who perpetuated the “golden son” notion while ignoring the good girl/daughter.  Interestingly, Liza ended up with the family business – but what good was that without a solid foundation upon which to rely? Somehow she ended up a kind, caring woman despite her family.

Name one eye-opening thing you learned from your book research.

I learned that one person’s vicious cycle can take so many others down with them.  Even at the end of Karma, what guarantee is there that Brian’s actions won’t hurt his sister again? There is none … and that’s a sad reality of life.

I adore the fact that you set your contemporary romances in small town New York! (Holler out to you, Carly…small town girl right here =)  Why a small town?  How did you come up with Serendipity, NY?

Thanks! I love writing small towns, and except for a few detours to New York City in The Hot Zone (and a few other books), I’ve always written small towns.  It’s what I know and relate to.  It’s where “everyone” can live and settle down.  The people, the quirks, it all just works for me.

Okay, I want to give a warm welcome to, Liza McKnight and Dare Barron. (Waving franticly, trying to get the besotted couple’s attention). I know you two have gone through a lot to get to your happily ever after so I will try to be brief. (Blushes scarlet as she catches the intimate glance between the newlyweds, clears her throat).Okay, so you two are still in the honeymoon stage, I see. I would like to know what each of you thought when you first laid eyes on the other. Was it love at first sight?

Dare: For me it was.  From the time I was a teenager and would see her around town, I was hooked. She, on the other hand, didn’t know I existed.

Liza: (blushes) You were younger than me! When I got older, we didn’t go to the same school …

Dare: Excuses, excuses. 

Liza: Well from the second I saw you at the police station, I knew.  But you were such a jerk to me that –

Dare: You didn’t give me the time of day.

Liza and Dare: But that changed.

Cut to more lovey glances and a too-long, embarrassing kiss.

You two grew up together until Liza and Brian’s parents sent them to a private school in the next town over.  I’m curious. What did you think the first time you laid eyes on one another?

Dare:  Great legs and a gorgeous face.

Liza:  He was hot.

Liza, name the one thing about Dare that you believe won your heart.

The man has a protective streak a mile wide – once he turned that my way, added to his charm … I was gone.

Dare, name one thing about Liza that you believe changed your outlook on love.

I always had family – even in foster care, I had Nash.  Someone had my back.  Liza didn’t have anyone – and that didn’t stop her from looking out for others.  She was so strong and so alone.  I wanted to be her person.  The one she could turn to.

Dare and Liza I absolutely adore you two. If you could turn back time, would you?

Liza: No! We struggled for too long to get where we are.  I’m happy right here, right now.

Dare: What she said. One hundred percent.

Liza, what was one of your biggest fears about getting involved with Dare?

I didn’t think he’d ever get past my brother.  Brian’s a constant reminder of things better forgotten.

Dare: Not really forgotten.  (He points to his tattoo that serves as a reminder).

Dare, were you apprehensive about getting involved with Liza due to your animosity towards her brother?

Do I have to answer that? Ummm yeah.  But she was worth it.

Do you, Dare and Liza, believe that love conquers all?

They look at each other with mushy eyes.  “Of course it does.”

One more thing before I let you go.  Do you believe that everything you two went through to find one another, fall in love and find your happily ever after was worth the price you had to pay?

ABSOLUTELY.

Now back to Carly.

Carly, while you were writing Dare and Liza’s story was there a scene that popped out the most?

The scene at the fair where Liza gets clocked in the head by her brother by accident.  That was a huge turning point in both their relationship and the story.  It forces Liza to begin to see Brian in a different light.  At the same time, it brings out Dare’s protective instincts – which for me were a joy to write.

Out of the Serendipity series was there one book that was more emotional to write?  Or did they stand alone, emotional wiping you out as they all did for me? =)

Aww. Glad you were affected! Hard question.  Every book is different to write, difficult in it’s own way, easier in others.  I’d say Nash was the hardest because he barely knew himself – it was hard for me to know him.

Carly, what is more difficult to write: an intense sexual scene or a heart-wrenching emotional scene? Why?

Without a doubt, an intense sexual scene is the most difficult for me to write – the emotions are easier for me – the love scenes – making them unique, appropriate to character, worrying about words for the mechanics of the thing, that’s where I get hung up.  It takes me much longer to write a love scene than any other in a book!

When you were writing the Serendipity series did you have music playing in the background? If yes, what type? Does music play an intricate part in your writing?

Interestingly this question has come up often lately – and the answer is no.  I definitely like to write to background noise, usually television.  I tend to find music more of a distraction (despite the fact that my very first book I ever wrote (never published) was written to music.  That was it though. Never again!

Carly, please share with desperate readers where they can connect with you in cyber world. =)

I love the cyber world! I love talking to readers on Facebook, Twitter, my website has blog boxes and places to comment.  The website also has social media SHARE buttons – where readers can share things they like from the website on the various social media outlets mentioned above!

Here’s where to find me:

~ Website - www.carlyphillips.com

~ Twitter - www.twitter.com/carlyphillips

~ Pinterest - www.pinterest.com/carlyphillips

~ Blog - www.plotmonkeys.com (blog)

~ Facebook - www.facebook.com/carlyphillipsfanpage

What’s next in the works for you? When can readers expect to see it out on shelves in their local bookstores?

I’m currently working on the next Serendipity trilogy – spinning off from Karma – based on the police officers of Serendipity.  First up, Cara Hartley and Mike Marsden (Sam Marsden in Karma’s brother); then Erin Marsden (sister) and then finally Sam gets his happily ever after!

Perfect Fit – February 2013

Perfect Chance – September 2013

Perfect Together – February 2014

Carly, as always, you rocked RCJR eZine blog and its readers.  Thank you so much for stopping by to dish about Dare and Liza from your new Berkley contemporary romance KARMA.

Thank you for having me! I really enjoyed talking with you J

"Publishers Weekly

Bestseller Phillips rounds out her sexy trio of contemporary romances set in Serendipity, N.Y. (after Serendipity and Destiny) with another well-crafted tale. Officer Dare Barron hates dealing with the frequently drunk and disorderly Brian McKnight. The only benefit is seeing Brian’s sister, Liza, as she bails Brian out yet again. When the handsome cop confesses his attraction, Liza tentatively agrees to see where things go despite fretting over her brother being a public nuisance. Liza’s habit of enabling her brother keeps tripping up the relationship, but Dare will do anything to keep her safe when she’s targeted by her brother’s menacing creditors. Phillips creates sympathetic and interesting characters who realistically grow and mature despite their unhappy past actions and experiences. Excellent writing, deft plotting, believable situations, and a satisfying romance add up to a winner. Agents: Kimberly Witherspoon and David Forrer, InkWell Management. (May)"

~ CONTEST~

RCJR eZine is proud to present an extraordinary romance author that we absolutely adore.  New York Times  bestselling author Carly Philips is an incredible talent and nothing says it better than her latest and final Serendipity series installment with KARM which released on May , 202 by Berkeley, an imprint of Penguin Groups.

THE PRIZE: One (1) lucky reader will win the complete Serendipity series set: SERENDIPITY, DESTINY and KARMA.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment for Carly Phillips including your email address

(Email address are required for ALL entries.)

**Read RCJR eZine's review of KARMA**

***

*Connect with RCJR eZine at:

 

***

Contest is open to ALL

It will runs until May 7,2012

I will contact the winners directly on May 8, 2012

HAPPY READING! =)