by Lots of things always seem to be happening in June. I was a June bride 20 years ago, and this is why I never forget that the anniversary of Waterloo is 18 June. Lots of jokes about meeting Waterloos and it being a close run thing punctuated the speeches. And my advice to any June bride is not to lock your knees as fainting just after you say ‘I do’ – tends to get remembered.
June also marks the 10th anniversary of Nicola Cornick becoming a Harlequin Historical author, as well as the release of her 25th book: The Last Rake in London
. It features Jack Kestrel, whose ancestors were in the Regency Bluestocking Brides trilogy. Nicola says:
“It was a huge thrill and an honour for me to be asked by Mills & Boon to write a book set in 1908 as part of the centenary celebrations. That book, The Last Rake in London, is also my 25th for Mills & Boon, so it is even more of a celebration for me! I had never written an Edwardian era book before and found the research challenging but was soon swept up in the fascinating history of the period. It had a very personal resonance for me because my beloved grandmother, to whom the book is dedicated, was born in 1908 and died this year, a month short of her 100th birthday. She was a true Edwardian lady and a great inspiration to me.”
It was out last month in the UK, and is a great read. It is tremendously exciting to see what she has done with the Edwardian era. Also her next HQN book Unmasked is out in July.
Seduction Summer begins for Silhouette Romantic Suspense, starting with Nina Bruhns’ Killer Temptation
in June. Other titles are: Killer Passion by Sheri Whitefeather (July) and Killer Affair by Cindy Dees (August). Nina explained why she is so excited about the launch.
If you’re looking for pure page-turning sizzle for those lazy days reading on the beach, this series is for you! For Killer Temptation, I loved working with the Fiji setting…spent hours on the Internet just drooling over the gorgeous scenery. And I so fell in love with these characters, Zoe and Breeze. This book was so much fun, it practically wrote itself. One of my personal faves! And working with Sheri and Cindy on the series was a blast. Such talented writers and great ladies.
Jill Sorenson makes her debut with Romantic Suspense this month. Jill said,
Dangerous to Touch
is special to me for many reasons. It’s my debut and I couldn’t be more excited about seeing my first book in print. I absolutely love the cover. But most of all, the book is important to me because I thought it might be my last. I wrote it during my second pregnancy and was afraid that with two little ones underfoot, I’d never find the time to write again. It wasn’t easy, but I managed to complete another manuscript. That book, Dark Canyon, and my single-title debut, Crash Into Me, will be released by Bantam Dell in 2009.
Julie Miller’s first book in her latest miniseries for Intrigue, The Precinct: Brotherhood of the Badge, is Protective Instincts and features Sawyer Kincaid and Melissa Teague from Up Against the Wall.
The details of the Desire pitch contest are now up on the eharlequin.com site. It is a wonderful opportunity for anyone interested in writing for the series. Certainly, the editors are keen to find a new author before the RWA National. Deadlines for entires is 30 June.
Kate Walker’s latest, Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife
, will be available as a free download with DailyLit starting on 1 June. The offer continues until 31 August. The book will be sent in short email/rss segments.
“We have had a wonderful response from Harlequin fans using DailyLit to receive these novels, and we wanted to give them something back in return,” said Susan Danziger, President and Publisher of DailyLit. “We thought what better way than to offer them a brand new title by one of their most popular authors.”
Over 200 Harlequin titles are currently available for purchase from DailyLit.com.
The long awaited exhibition to celebrate Mills & Boon’s centenary opens this month in Manchester. Nicola Cornick is giving a workshop on “Regency Pleasures and Pastimes” 14 June at the Manchester Library in connection with the exhibition. Mills & Boon editors have been busy visiting literary festivals. To see the full list of where they will be, plus see some great early covers, visit the M & B Facebook fansite.
On the website, Mills & Boon has a signup for those of you interested in getting M & B ebooks. I am not sure when this is starting, but it is a great development. You can sign up to get more news about the launch date.
One of my favourite things about June is that it marks the start of summer holiday reading, and a chance to indulge. Happy reading, and I will be back with more news in July.
Just want to congratulate Jill Sorenson on her debut–Go you, Jill!
I’m sorry. I know I’m going to lose my “Romance Novel Lovers Anonymous” card for this. But when I read “The Last Rake in London” the first thing that came to mind was “then go to Home Depot”.
I SAID I WAS SORRY!
😆
Oh Gwen, I lurvs you!
I want to escape to Fiji.
Oh Gwen — I am usually better on puns, but that one never occurred to me. LOL
It is a excellent read btw, Nicola is one of my fave authors, an autho buy. But I am now seeing the speech bubbles above the couple, discussing the whereabout of rakes and other misplaced gardening implements.
LOL! That pun never occurred to me either until now! There’s always the internet for all one’s gardening needs… In one of my earlier books the hero emerges from the river and borrows the heroine’s picnic blanket to cover his modesty. She calls him “a rake wrapped in a blanket” and he objects to being referred to like some delicate gardening implement. So really I should have thought of it!
Thanks so much for your kind words on the book, Michelle. I’m so pleased you enjoyed it!
Thanks for the congrats, azteclady. And for the mention, Michelle.
Nina has been nominated for lots of awards this year! (Rita and DD, if I remember correctly) Can’t go wrong with SRS.