Former Texan, creator of Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent and one of those people you would swear is just too nice to be real – Lisa Kleypas – will be dropping by the pond today. She is VERY close to deadline… soon to be shaking hands with her drop dead date. The way I look at it, this should work in our favor cuz really what more does a author want at that time than distraction.
::innocent blink::
To get you started I asked her a few questions, you can ask her some more in the comments, anything that doesn’t get answered we will put together in an ‘interview’ and post after Leo is ‘Married by Morning‘ and on his way to her editor. Until then if you haven’t already read Tempt Me at Twilight you can check out excerpts: on her site here, the ‘raw’ one here (that didn’t change much) and the new one here.
Thanks again to Lisa for taking time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions.
**the following quotes are from Tempt Me at Twilight ©2009 Lisa Kleypas
“Well, to start with—“ Poppy tried to sound pragmatic even though her eyes watered. “I’m not a virgin anymore.”
Leo gave her a mock-shamed glance. “Neither am I,” he confessed.
A reluctant giggle escaped her.
Leo rummaged in his coat for a handkerchief, without success. “Don’t cry, darling. I have no handkerchief, and in any case, virginity is nearly impossible to find once you’ve lost it.”
How do you feel Tempt Me at Twilight turned out? Are you happy with the finished novel?
I am very happy with it!—it was a great writing experience, and I think part of that was because I finally settled in comfortably with the Hathaways. Whenever there was a group scene, it was incredibly fun to write, because I knew exactly how each character would react to what was going on.
After the previous year, when I wrote a couple of darker, more angsty novels (Blue Eyed Devil and Seduce Me At Sunrise) I felt a little worn out emotionally, and ready for some fun. So the two books I wrote after that were Smooth Talking Stranger and Tempt Me At Twilight, and I think they both reflect the sheer joy I felt in writing.
Poppy wondered what was wrong with her, that she should be amused rather than frightened by his confession. “Harry. You’re not supposed to court a girl by telling her you’re the villain.”
He gave her an innocent glance that didn’t deceive her in the least. “I’m trying to be honest.”
“Perhaps. But you’re also making certain that whatever anyone says about you, you’ve already admitted it. Now you’ve made all criticism of you ineffectual.”
Harry blinked as if she’d surprised him. “You think I’m that manipulative?”
Harry has a fabulous line, well really he has many, “In the fairy tale you mentioned last night, I would probably be the villain.” I have to admit I adore that and him. As you know I have a fondness for Sebastian (Devil in Winter), Leo (Married by Morning) and we can’t forget Kev (Seduce Me at Sunrise). All of them have bastard like qualities, why do you think that works in a ‘hero’?
Thanks, Sybs, I love to hear that! I think as long as there are deeper, authentically motivated reasons for a hero behaving badly, readers are always generous enough to forgive him. I adore nice-guy heroes, but the bastards are always more exciting, aren’t they?
I think it’s the tension of wondering what they’re going to do, and wondering how the heroine will react. And the character arc is so emotionally satisfying when a hero goes through experiences that force him to change. It always gives me a pleasant shiver at the moment when the hero who has been so dangerous and destructive in the past, is now going to use all power to protect and satisfy the heroine.
“Before you leave,” he said softly, “I have some advice for you. It’s not safe for a young woman to wander alone through the hotel. Don’t take such a foolish risk again.”
Poppy stiffened. “It’s a reputable hotel,” she said. “I have nothing to fear.”
“Of course you do,” he murmured. “You’re looking right at it.”
What makes Harry different from your other heroes?
He’s unusual for me, in that he is a mechanical engineer, and he is so remarkably isolated. He knows how to manipulate people, but not how to have a close relationship with them. So he has an emotional innocence that seemed very sweet to me, despite his villainous qualities. When he meets Poppy, he falls for her immediately because she is so open to the kind of emotional connection that he secretly craves.
She is a very warm and talkative character, and she is a little bit nerdy in the same way he is. When Harry visits the Hathaways and sees how they relate to each other, he is thrown off-balance because he’s never been part of a family . . . there’s this magical something in the air, and he’s not sure what it is, until he finally realizes it’s love. So normal for them, so unfamiliar to him.
“As it happens,” Harry murmured, “I’m American by birth.”
I totally loved that Harry Rutledge is from America (as is Lily and Daisy from your Wallflower series) any chance we could see an American Historical from you in the future? ::coughwesterncough::
I would so love to set a historical in America! If I’m ever able to, I would probably set it in Victorian era New York—what an exciting place, and so much was happening! Self-made men with big fortunes galore.
You soooooo are not helping my western agenda… just saying ::pout::
You ever read a book called Give Me Tonight? It is out of print and hard to find but I hear it is good ::innocent blink::
“Afraid?” he asked softly.
Poppy forced herself to meet his gaze. “No.”
“Maybe you should be. I’m much nicer to people who are afraid of me.”
“I doubt that,” she said. “I think the opposite is true.”
Poppy is a very strong female character, even when she is making choices Rutledge has manipulated her into. I see that trait in all the Hathaway sisters and could say it is true for most of your heroines. Is this a personal choice as an author – something that speaks against the ‘sterotypical weak female’ in romance or something you honestly see reflected in the history of the time?
I appreciate that—I’ve always thought that true strength is not displaying the hoyden/vixen/bitch type of behavior, but rather the patience and persistence and resilience that Poppy displays.
She has her moments of frustration and temper, but she is also quick to forgive and apologize. I think women did have to summon a lot of patience back then, because it was so frowned upon for a woman to be outwardly demanding or aggressive—they had so many constraints placed on them. You wonder if all the “nervous ailments” that women suffered from were really just a reflection of the stress and frustration of having to let men be in charge all the time!
“Those who have special requests,” Mr. Lufton continued, “or don’t like their rooms cleaned at certain times, those who insist on bringing pets, things of that sort. We don’t discourage them from staying, but we do make a note of their peculiarities.”
Speaking of the history of the time, odd question but I have a background in hotels, and totally love the setting of the book. Any books you can recommend you used for research into hotels of the time?
I wondered if you would like that! Yes, I had some fantastic resources and it was so much fun to research. There was a great book titled Hotel: An American History by Andrew K Sandoval-Strausz that provide a ton of information about the development of American and European hotel industries, and a great biography of the great hotel developer Henry Flagler, and I researched the histories of some classic London hotels such as Brown’s and Mivart‘s (the latter turned into Claridge’s).
The Rutledge is a composite of those old hotels, with some of the innovations that were happening at the time, food lifts and en suite bathing-rooms and plumbing . . . in fact, I spent so much time contemplating and “designing” the Rutledge that it almost seems like a real place to me now!
Jake’s face fell. God. Another scene. “Sir, I’d rather go on an errand in east London and be pummeled by street thieves.”
Rutledge smiled. “That will probably happen later in the week.”
When is Jake getting a book?
I truly hadn’t thought of that. You think he’s hero material?
I did! He sort of reminds me of a derek character… not as hardcore but we didn’t really see him at ‘work’ so to speak. I figured he got his hands plenty dirty or did before for Harry. NOT that I am asking, if I were to ‘request’ a story I want a novella on ‘where are they now’ on St. Vincent and Evie *g*. I know you soooooooooo didn’t see that coming.
“And there’s one more thing to be aware of,” Cam said, with a wintry softness that disguised all hint of feeling. “If you succeed in marrying her, we’re not losing a sister. You’re gaining an entire family–who will protect her at any cost.”
If you were a book what would your ‘summary’ be? (totally stole that from Sandy M Duck Chats cuz it amuses me)
Oh, this is not easy. Hmm. How about “A cookie-loving daydreamer turns her love of words and fantasies into a writing career, and finds true love along the way. She is surrounded by a brilliant cast of characters, including witty and wacky friends, a great publisher, a sock-stealing cocker spaniel, and an adorable duck-loving reviewer who always makes her laugh.”
“No. I’ve found that life is far kinder to shallow people.” Turning her, Leo drew her up against his tall, well-muscled frame.
What super TOP secret info can you give us on Leo’s book, Married by Morning.
Leo has been secretly drawing naked sketches of Catherine (imagining what she might look like), and she finds out.
**highlight over the blankspace if you want to see the spoiler
“She has experience with primates?” Harry asked sardonically.
Poppy considered that. “We’ve just been through the London season. Does that count?”
What super TOP Secret info can you give us on Beatrix’s book, Love in the Afternoon?
Beauty and the Beast theme.
That’s all I can say for now!
**highlight over the blankspace if you want to see the spoiler
That is really not that much to go on but since you haven’t even started the book I will give you a pass on it.
When will we get to see the cover for Married by Morning? LOL I know, I always want something…
If you have questions or comment for Lisa Kleypas, please put it in the comments of this post. If you have read Tempt Me at Twilight, do tell us what you thought of it.
I enjoyed Poppy and Harry’s story, they make a great couple. She sees right through his manipulative ways and calls him on it, which makes her understand him I think and see there’s more below the surface. I love how Harry falls right off when she’s not initimidated by him like everyone else, and becomes fascinated with her chatter, doesn’t quite know what to make of her but sure knows he wants more.
Now after that cliffhanger ending, Lisa, I sure wish these two had come out back to back. I suspected something happened with Leo and Cat when he all of a sudden returned to London after the wedding. Can’t wait even more now for it, so for now will have to be teased with that excerpt – soon please. And I was rooting for Leo all along with Sybil, knowing he just needed more time to get past losing Laura. Love his sarcastic wit and baiing Cat.
I’d love to see you do a setting in Victorian era NY one day.
Thanks for the responses Lisa. It’s nice to understand the Cam/Daisy thing, it’s always been this niggling little ‘why?’ in the back of my mind – do not ask me why! Now I have ‘closure’ 😉 Scandal in Spring was perfect! In reference to other comments, and an american historical, I also would love to hear from McKenna and Aline. So if you could go there, I’m sure we’ll follow and buy. 🙂 And before I forget to ask, any chances of Derek’s sons coming to life, not sure I neccessarily want to read about Derek as a older gentleman, but also can’t help but wonder what his offsprings are like? Gosh, maybe you can do a reversal from americans going to british shores and have Derek’s son go to the States, I think the oldest one was in shipping right…? *** mind already excited by the idea*** And calm down Sybil! But I do know what you mean, when I need a good shot of historical, it’s nice to know I have Lisa to look forward to. And Lisa, I don’t think you could be ridiculously derivative if you tried, and I’m sure you’ll weave your own special magic if you find the right spark in any genre. I was asking because I was curious if you ever considered it, paranormals take ‘suspending your disbelief’ to another level…who knows where it could take you? 😉 Thanks for your continual supply of happy drugs – oh, I mean novels. 🙂
Yes, forget paranormals, I need more of LIsa’s historicals. And I see Lisa mentioning how all others followed my favorite DEREK, the original! LOL
Thanks for this great post, Lisa and Sybil! I really enjoyed Tempt Me at Twilight, particularly the glimpses into the family. I thought Poppy and Harry had a great romance but I have to admit, you have me dying for Leo and Catherine’s story, and I didn’t even like Leo for a long time. He was a character I definitely had to warm up to.
So, you’ve mentioned your historicals, but when will you have a new contemporary romance coming out?
Rowen, thank you . . . I certainly hope so, I would love to help nudge historicals into new directions!
Pam, I wish they’d come out back to back too . . . as a reader, I always hate waiting, which is probably why as a writer, I always put excerpts out as early as possible. Wasn’t it Carrie Fisher who once said “instant gratification takes too long?” *g*
Linny, I have thought about writing stories for Derek’s sons, but they just have too much to live up to . . . and I don’t want to think about Derek getting older . . . but I do so love the idea of American historicals. Thanks for your kind words about the paranormals . . . I will admit to having a few private little vampire fantasies (but don’t tell my husband!)
Sarah, I’m so glad you enjoyed TMAT–thank you! I will be starting the Friday Harbor series after I finished Beatrix’s novel “Love In The Afternoon,” and I am very excited about the challenge. I’m in the fun part of planning right now, just gathering ideas and trying to decided what would be interesting.
Lisa K, let me start by saying that I absolutely your books. SUDDENLY YOU was the first thing I’d ever read of yours and from that point on, I was hooked. Of your many fabulous heroes, I have 3 favorites (I can’t pick 1 no matter how hard I try). They are Jack Devlin, Marcus Westcliff, and of course the devilously sexy Sebastian St. Vincent. While it doesn’t seem likely that we will see Jack again *sigh* will you be working on any novels that will include any of the Wallflower series heroes? Maybe a new generation of Wallflower women. I’d love to see how Sebastian would deal with eligible bachelors courting his daughters.
BTW, I loved Tempt Me At Twilight. Summer 2010 is looking further and further away 🙂
Thank you for being so generous to give us excerpts and little tidbits. It really is appreciated!
Hi Lisa, Thanks so much for sharing tidbits from Married by Morning. I must tell you I love, love, love the Hathaway series, even more so than the Wallflower series. I just have one question for you, which I hope you can answer, why does Cat’s relationship with Harry have to be kept a secret? I know this would be revealed next summer, but I’m just dying to know!!!! 🙂
Lisa Thank you so much for visiting. You are one of my favorite authors. I’m sure I’m not alone in my sentiment that I eagerly look foward to each book that you write!
Wow. That Leo spoiler was just…WOW. Naughty boy. *blushes wildly* Thank you, Lisa! I can honestly say you’ve probably made my year with all the juicy tidbits you provided! I’ll be scouring the internets for that MBM excerpt, by the way ;D TMaT was simply excellent. Thus far, Poppy’s the Hathaway sister I can most relate to…the babbling when nervous, the need to feel safe as the ultimate motivation, the incandescent beauty…well, maybe not the last one. xD I’m loving what’s been done with Beatrix, also. In “A Hathaway Wedding” especially, Beatrix seems to have developed almost a streak of cynicism. The character could easily have turned into a Mary Sue or a Disney Princess-esque caricature that talks to animals, but instead she seems to have deep-seated emotional issues stemming from quite a bit of loss and abandonment in her life. I can’t wait to see how a big, broody beast of a hero and our wild-child Beatrix will hook up. *bounces up and down excitedly* By the way, count me in as someone who was always rooting for Leo, mostly because I knew he had to shape up…we couldn’t possibly put up with Obnoxious!Drunkard!Leo! for the entire series, lol! I love Leo as he is now…he’s always trying to give orders to people, Cat included, and assert himself as an aristocrat and it never goes over well. I wonder who Leo’s competition for Cat’s heart will be, other than a love-struck ferret named Dodger?
Ooooh, I got another one! Leo and Marks should totally have a Titanic-esque scene where he gives her a necklace and she tells him to draw her wearing it and he’s like “sure” and she clarifies that she’ll be wearing *only* the necklace and he’s like WOOHOO…okay, I’ll stop.
I’m more thinking that Miss Marks catches him in the act, wrongly assumes he’s making fun of her, grabs the illicit drawings and wacks him across the head with it, outraged. Leo tries to defend himself and they end up tussling on the floor…things could get hot and steamy at that point. (hehehe) Ah well…however Lisa does it, it will be good and I CAN NOT WAIT – I’m so impatient for MBM, even though I’m still tragically tapping my feet for the TMAT to arrive in the mail! To keep myself sane, I re-read Seduce me at Sunrise and I already feel that Leo is going to be the most endearing hero and has the potential to be an all-time-favorite of mine. And if you’re reading this Lisa, I just wanted to say I like your response to Tinaviel re Laura dialogue/flashbacks, I’m glad you didn’t focus too much on Laura, we’ve heard so much in previous stories especially when she came back as a ghosty in book 1. I’m not sure I really want to read about the Ex…so I’m all for keeping it brief but enough to give us context and focus on the couple we’re really interested. But another question to Lisa, have you considered keeping an active blog on your website, a central place to go for updates on what you’re up to, a place we can badger you about to starting on those american historicals.;-) Finally, thank you for the Hathaway short story, I so didn’t expect it so it was a pleasant surprise. Any short story teasers to MBM will also be very much welcomed…gawd, the wait will be soooooo long. 🙁
Lisa, I’m not sure if you’re still answering questions, but I have one about Love, Come To Me. Did you ever have any plans for the secondary male in the story, Damon Redmond? I found him much more interesting then Heath! You can always dust him off if you need a hero for an American historical 🙂
In reference to your other comment Meg, I’ve not read TMAT so I’m not up with the latest on Leo/Miss Marks…but I sincerely hope that Leo has competition that will seriously give him a run for his money and a reality check before the pair are ‘Married by Morning’. After all those digs at Miss Marks, he deserves to be insanely jealous. 🙂 Lisa, I hope you don’t make it easy for the lovable Lord Ramsay!
Be prepared to read TMAT three times in row, cover to cover…in fact, you might want to devote an entire week to savoring this book xD You’re in for a treat, that’s for sure. I love your idea about them in a heated tussle…something tells me there will be a lot of heated tussles in store for those two. Something tells me they’ll fight just to make up sometimes 😉 In regards to the competition, I’m wondering if Cat’s aunt/grandmother/whomever tried to sell her to some creepy, lecherous old baron that became obsessed with her and/or abused her or something. That would explain her mistrust of men and her disguise, although that would be really similar to the plot of “Worth Any Price.” Or maybe it’s not an outwardly creepy guy at all but a charming, handsome man whose outer beauty hides a sociopathic heart. Someone who could be seen by Leo as serious competition at first…either way, it seems that she automatically hated Leo for a reason, so he must remind her of whomever she’s hiding from in some way.
Meg, this “charming, handsome man whose outer beauty hides a sociopathic heart” seen as serious competition sounds like Dr. Harrow from SMAS. 😉 Don’t forget that rumour that plagued Miss Marks in that book, as well, that she supposedly ‘squandered her favours’ to some man. This was a long time ago, but someone on another bulletin board was speculating that the man in question (whoever he is) may have forced himself upon Marks and she was the one who society blamed — that most certainly would explain why she doesn’t want men touching her. That would be my guess, and also that if this is the case the guy was probably a devil-may-care rake, which may be why she hates that type, Leo included…
Hi, Tina, this is Meg the Conqueress from the Eloisa James board, BTW… xD We’re just taking over the Internets with our speculating selves, aren’t we, LOL! And you’re absolutely right, my “charming sociopath” scenario sounds an awful lot like Doc Harrow…I hadn’t thought of it that way. I’ve often wandered myself if Miss Marks was the victim of some kind of sexual abuse, especially after she screamed “Don’t touch me!” to Leo when they first met and he was only trying to help her up. I kinda hope (for Miss Marks’s sake as well as my enjoyment of the story) that Mr. McVillain didn’t go all the way and actually rape her…that they just got caught in a really compromising position instead, although if that were the case, it looks like it would be all over the ton by now and wouldn’t be some huge secret. Looks like the Hathaways, particularly Leo, would’ve gotten the scoop by now. In general, I’m kind of turned off by the stories in which the hero isn’t the heroine’s “first.” Unrealistic? Yes, but it is a fantasy, after all 😉 If anyone can pull it off, it’s Lisa, though. Also wondering whether Leo marries Cat at the beginning or the ending of the book. Harry married Poppy to save her from scandal and they spent the rest of the book trying to figure out how to live like a married couple. Same with Evie and St. Vincent…those kinds of plots are always great, but I’ll leave it in Lisa’s capable hands. Needless to say, I can’t wait!
I would rather they marry early in the book, which is sort of the vibe the title gives. LOL I prolly know too much to play the guessing game and sadly thinking about it… I don’t know much.
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I.are.abused.
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Sort of funny though Leo has four sisters he grew up with and took care of (if you reread MtM he was verra different pre-laura’s death) where as St. Vincent lost all four (IIRC it was 4) sisters when he was very young. Or at least 3 of them with one dying in childbirth.
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But they grew up nothing a like and I can see Leo being reformed because at his core he is a good person. St. Vincent is a better person by being with Evie and in part for Evie.
TMAT finally arrived…and yep, read it three times! Leo was as endearing as ever… 🙂
Anyway, I sincerely hope that it was a case of Miss Marks wrongly assumed to have ’squandered her favours’, and I just don’t see her as a rape victim so I really hope that Lisa doesn’t go there. I’d like to think despite a troubled past, Miss Marks is made of sterner and smarter stuff than to let a sleazy man have his way with her. And I’m wondering if her dislike of men in general has something to do with her mother’s own behavior. I do hope that her ‘first’ experience will be with Leo, and I think it will be hilarious if our accomplished lover struggles to perform optimally in bed because he feels she’s judging him, or worst tries to instruct him with her limited knowledge. 😉 If I had a preference, I would hope he marries her mid-way through the book so we can get the full lead up and the aftermath. And I have to admit, I’m not sure entirely sure about the cliffhanger…but only because I hope they don’t get into the tender, I’m-so-vulnerable-and-you-are-the-man, mush, mush too prematurely. I love their attacking chemistry and I hope they drive each other nuts with secret and not so secret lust/longing for each other. I reeeeeeally really hope there is competition in some form, it doesn’t need to be a psychopath, and could just be someone so perfectly nice, dull and safe (someone Miss Marks feels she can fade into anonymity with) that he bores Leo to tears, but then discovers that he can’t stay away just in case the competition gets the upper hand. Nothing would be funnier than to have him sniping on the sidelines when the man comes to call on Miss Marks. Also I’ve always had this fantasy that she announces to the family during supper one night that she’s planning to retire from her position and marry, causing Leo spit out his wine or choke on his chicken, and maybe Merripen thumping the life out him to dislodge a bone. (lol) Ah well…all this crazed speculation, but that’s what you get Lisa for making me wait so long. (arrgh..)
Sybil, that’s another interesting parallel! Having four sisters would give a guy an understanding of women…whether he uses his power for good or evil is another thing entirely! 😉 Linny, glad you’ve finally gotten to partake in Kleypas-y goodness like the rest of us! I guess if Cat was a rape victim, she couldn’t help that, but maybe she was just taken in by some guy that seemed like Prince Charming and he spread nasty rumors about her, even though I doubt it’s something that mundane. If she’s taken so much trouble to go into hiding, I imagine our villain is a powerful dude. I also wonder how Cat’s and Leo’s first time will play out…I can’t imagine Cat as a shrinking violet, either. We’ve seen her be vulnerable but I can’t picture her letting her guard down in that way just yet. She does wear those scandalous garters, though, so maybe she’s a tigress in bed 😉 Leo may be shocked. Although they’ll have their tender moments, I can’t see them ever really losing their love for bickering with each other, especially since it turns them on so. I love your “perfectly nice, dull and safe” competition scenario, I can picture maybe some nice man that works in the village or even on the estate as a blacksmith or horse master or something…someone Leo would have to see every day. I wondered for a while if Beatrix’s book would come after Poppy’s so that by the time Leo’s and Cat’s rolled around, Cat would no longer have a reason to stay at Ramsey House with both her charges married and settled. Then Leo would really have to step up. I suppose her past will take care of that, though. I adore your scenario…I can just picture Merripen giving him the Victorian version of the Heimlich Manuever xD
“some nice man that works in the village or even on the estate as a blacksmith or horse master or something” sounds like the kind of hero I (deep down in my heart of hearts) would love to see Beatrix get. Though replace ‘nice’ with brooding/beastly/etc.
See, I have a feeling that if Miss Marks did get raped we would have had more foreshadowing by now… because it would be a really, really big deal. However, I would not be surprised if perhaps Villainous Dude With No Name had made the attempt, which would be terrifying in and of itself. Also, we do not yet know if the parties Cat is hiding from happen to be this man and his cronies, or dear old Grandma and Auntie (as LK mentioned to us on the other bb, Meg — and we really are taking over, aren’t we? 😉 ).
And Linny, that’s a good point that Cat had to live with her mother for so long (and Harry mentions he realised he was ‘fortunate’ for not having had to do so) — Cat is definitely the victim of an awful situation no matter which one we’re speculating about might be true — maybe her sternness originates in a fear of being vulnerable again?
Tina, my guess is that Mr. McVillain and his cronies somehow work for dear old Grandma and Auntie, or at the very least expect a nice little reward for finding Cat. All purely speculation, though 😉 Man, if Lisa comes back and reads all this, she’s bound to get a good laugh, hehe! Regarding Bea’s hero, I agree. I can see her with a dark, scary brooding recluse that lives in the woods on their estate and somehow they haven’t noticed, LoL. I wonder if her hero will be physically deformed (but still devilishly handsome) in some way, or only beastly on the inside?
Hey Meg, I do like the tigress idea…I think a shocked, excited and extremely pleased Leo would be very appealing. 😉 And I never really saw Leo to be anything like Sebastian, sure they both have a reputation as rakes…but don’t most heroes in historials? Maybe we’ll hear more of his bad behaviour and I definitely want to see his alpha instincts drawn out by Miss Marks. And I’m with you Tinaviel, I would have thought there would be more foreshadowing if it was going to be really really bad. Anyway, I get a little belly sick when I think it could go down that dark path. *** trying to blank mind *** I also want to crow on about how lovely the Hathaway book covers are. I’m not a cover-caring reader, but I’m already imagining Catherine wearing a luscious yellow-gold gown. And finally, I love love LOVE beauty-and-the-beast like themes. A sexy gruff Blacksmith with a mysterious past for Beatrix could be very intriguing. But if I had my pick of a beast, it would be a Prince/Duke with an un-pretty face (the a hot muscly body is mandatory), possibly scarred from some dreadful disease, maybe he’s been in one fight too many, he could even have a slight limp so he’s an awful dancer…But whatever it is, he’s an unsociable type, hangs out in his cold castle/mansion with no-one to love him. Conveniently, he could have a menagerie full of exotic animals, but somehow I feel there are enough furry friends crawling all about. Anyway, I have waaaaaay too much time on my hand, but that’s the great thing about Lisa’s characters, they’re so vivid they fuel the imagination. 🙂
Oh gosh…Meg when you put it that way, a dark scary recluse out in the woods…that could also reaaaally work. Maybe dodger found a new temporary home after escaping being a meal, he could be recuperating under Mr Beast’s bed…and our beastly man (with the hot body – still non-negotiable) has been feeding him. Following a trail of evidence, Beatrix could stumble onto his house and finds her injured pet…Our Beast could already a crush on Beatrix having watched her from afar for ages, and listening to her strange conversations to her pets…YES, this could completely work for me too… 😉
And I hope Lisa is reading all our posts…maybe she will be moved to pity and give us more hints and snippets, she could write that little bit faster…and push the publishers to get the books out sooner. I pop onto this site quite often now waiting for the exerpt to MBM, so a date of some sort would be lovely. **** REALLY BIG TRAGIC SIGH *** I’ve not anticipated a historical quite like this ever, and though it seems like a swear word in this thread, I normally only read paranormals these days. But forget Nalini Singh and Kresley Cole…where is that Lisa Kleypas novel?!?!?
Linny, she promised an exerpt “in another week or two,” so I have a strong feeling that this upcoming week might be the week! *crosses fingers* Anything later would be too cruel, but I’ll take what I can get 😉 And don’t worry about loving paranormals…romance novels are supposed to be an escape, and if paranormals do it for you, more power to you. I feel a little guilty sometimes because I generally don’t like contemporaries and/or books written in the first person, but then I realize that unless it’s for school, if a book’s just not doing it for me, I don’t have to read it! 🙂 And I’m with you on the cover art anticipation…I usually dread looking at the inner covers of most romance authors because the hero and heroine look nothing like what I’d imagined them previously, but whoever does Lisa’s art is wonderful. Tina, I love your ideas! There’s just something about the “love from afar” scenario that sends my heart aflutter. Win and Merripen were kind of like that…even though he was literally by her side all those years, he could never touch her, and when he finally did…let’s just say that SMAS is my fave in the series so far, LOL! There’s also a series of novels by Alyssa Johnson that include love from afar…in “McAlistair’s Fortune” in particular, the hero is a mercenary/recluse (but not to the point where he’s irredeemable, of course) and he falls in love the with the heroine when he hears her laugh drifting to him over the hills. After that, he watched over her when she went on her walks through the countryside, and she never even knew. Of course, she finds out eventually. That was the sweetest thing I ever read, aside from Lisa’s books, and it could totally work for Bea’s story! I can’t picture it’s anyone she’ll meet at a ball…
Meg, out of desperation for something to read, I discovered Kresley Cole, her vamps and lykaes are to die for…You know she’s good when you can’t decide which hero or which couple you love more. 🙂 That started my love affair with paranormals, couldn’t believe I wasn’t into them sooner. I don’t have many contemporary favourites (I don’t include paranormals) and I’m like you, I don’t like first person pov. As for covers, it’s a crime to get the hair colour wrong! And I soooooo loved Merripen and his devotion for Win, I could read another book on them and not get enough. Out of both the Wall Flower and Hathaway series, SMAS was the standout for me…the window cleaning thing, the nightshade poison thing…**sighing** No pressure Lisa, but I’m expecting that MBM to be as good if not better. But as for love-from-afar, Scandal In Spring was like that with Mathew Swift, it was my favourite after Sebastian’s book. I only wished I got to see a little more of Mathew’s actual love-from-afar-ness, back in the days when he dressed funny and came to dinner as an interloper. But anyway, I can never get enough of that theme, the whole unrequited love thing, wish writers would do them and do them well more often. Anyway, you’ve also intrigued me with “McAlistair’s Fortune”, sounds like my kind of story – I’m waiting for it to arrive now. 🙂 If it wasn’t for Lisa Kleypas, I doubt I would be reading historicals. Though I loved Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series, she killed me with those awful Duke of Wyndham books…and to this day, I still want my money back…Back to Lisa though, I’ve another question, not that I expect you to get this far down the page and see it, but if you do…Besides that fact that you already write beautiful sex scenes full of emotion and sensitivity, I wanted to know if you plan to turn it up a few notches in future historicals…more specifically, will Leo and Catherine be burning up the pages? I hope so… 😉
am i the only one who’s a little tired of “tall, dark and brooding” heroes? why not someone full of fun and laughter? something along the lines of the hero from mary balogh’s “slightly scandalous”. i won’t deny the fun of the “beauty vs beast” theme, but why should the “beast” in question be the guy? beatrix has already been established as not quite tame, after all, and she does her share of brooding too (well, ok, if you could call it that), as seen in “the hathaway wedding” short story. 😉 i don’t know. just a thought.
nekobawt, I believe we’ll be getting someone full of fun and laughter when Lisa presents us with Leo. 🙂 He always makes me grin, and I’m expecting a whole lotta laughter there. And so funny your idea that maybe Beatrix being the actual beast, never thought of that. (lol) I have no problems with the female being unattractive to the general public for whatever reason. In fact I would want to read that book, I just love characters with imperfections. As for tall, dark and brooding men…they’ll never go out of fashion, and thank goodness for that. I do think we have too many hero’s that are dark haired though and never understood that fixation. But Tall is a must, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman never did it for me…
yeeeeeah, i don’t think i’d characterize leo as “full of fun and laughter” so much as “full of snark for all occasions,” which is great fun to bring to the party, but after a while you just want to whap him upside the head; ergo, catherine marks. *big grin* leo’s definitely been showing some healing and growth since MTM, though. next summer can’t come fast enough.
my ‘objection’ (so to speak) to “tall, dark, and brooding” has nothing to do with the “tall and dark” part. he could be 5’3″ with red hair and if he broods i’d be rolling my eyes. (actually, “short, red, and brooding” could be fun. *snicker* …but i digress.) i’m just tired of all the angst; if i’m in the minorirty, i can live with that. i’ll be haunting local bookstores next summer till/when leo and bea’s books come out and reading them 3 times in a row when i get them (er, if the past few hathaway books are any indication :)), even if beatrix’s partner is Hulky McEmopants. i love me some hathaways. *cough*
Haha, I love me some Hathaways, too — and I really do love me some Hulky McEmopantses (both the brooding archetype AND that name!!).
“I only wished I got to see a little more of Mathew’s actual love-from-afar-ness, back in the days when he dressed funny and came to dinner as an interloper.”
THIS. Linny, I agree so much. I also agree with the utter disappointment in newer Quinn.
Meg, I love your ideas too. I so totally want the hero to be a rough-cast, country-dwelling dude whose gruff exterior belies a huge capacity for emotion — a straight-up brooding peasant poet sort. And I am in love with Linny’s ideas for this whole reclusive love-from-afar deal. I’m thirding you guys — Lisa, are you still watching this thread? 😉
nekobawt, if you’re going to go down the “5’3″, red, and brooding” path you may as well add balding, a paunch and just to make it challenging, bad personal hygeine…You may be the only readership out there. 🙂 And I didn’t quite get the lingo Hulky McEmopants, are you trying to say Beatrix’s man is going to be an oversize man with a butt too big for his pants? (lol) I can see Lisa trying to pull that one off. (OK, I’m just being silly and really digressing) Anyway, I’m never tired of angst, or any type of hero really, as long its well done. All fav heros just happens to be “tall dark and very much brooding”…I’m sure it wasn’t deliberate… 🙂 If someone has to have a chip on their shoulder so we have conflict, it may as well be the man, especially since the whole fixing-a-man is an all time favorite. 😉 As for Leo, he is completely full of fun and laughter when you strip away the whole Laura thing, of course I wouldn’t say he was all sweetness and joy…But yeah, like the not-so-hot chicky, the sweet nice guy doesn’t get as much as a showing.
Heya Tinaviel **waving** As you can see, I’m still clinging tenaciously to this thread awaiting the excerpt, I’ve tried to telepath all my demands to Lisa, but I’m getting nothing but a black screen in my head. Maybe Lisa is still listening, maybe she’s not…but wouldn’t it be lovely if after all our speculating she surprises us and still hits all the right buttons…In the meantime a full works love-from-afar burger with a recluse on top please…Ok, I’m really not well.
Linny, I’ll definitely try Kresley Cole! The last paranormal series I read was the Twilight series after it became popular, so I should jump back in. I hope you like Alissa Johnson. She’s fairly new on the scene, I think. “As Luck Would Have It” is the first, then “Tempting Fate,” then “McAlistair’s Fortune,” and I think another book is in the works. Her relationships don’t have quite the depth of emotion/obsession/all-consuming passion of Lisa’s, but she does have her own unique, dry, sweet, and very funny voice. As to Beastly McEmopants, his only beastly traits will probably be his attitude and some kind of sexy scar. Which is completely okay. Sad to say, but Bea being courted by the Hunchback of Notre Dame wouldn’t exactly appeal to our deepest fantasies 😉 The Phantom of the Opera? Eh, maybe. Lisa, if you’re reading this, I just want you to know that I’m sure whatever you do with your stories will be wonderful, as usual. We speculate because we love.
Meg, I have to laugh, we must have alike minds, in reference to nekobawt’s McEmopants, I also pictured Hunchback of Notre Dame hanging out with Beatrix. LOL – Oh and you’re in luck if you want to try Kresley Cole, the very first in her Immortals After Dark series is a novella, and is now FREE as a downloadable PDF from Amazon as a promo. It’s called “Warlord wants forever” and the link is found on the page for her latest “Deep Kiss of Winter” Amazon book page – Please note, Kresley is a little more explicit than Lisa, but for me Kresley strikes the perfect balance, really raunchy without going OTT and sex-mad. For me, the novella was one of my absolute favourites and I continue to begrudge it was not a full length book. I was won over immediately by the scene when Nikolai a human turned vampire General was storming a castle with his army and he kept getting distracted by a gorgeous Valkyrie checking him out from a tower (she’s imprisoned and full of attitude). So he’s busy fighting, killing things, all the while he can’t take his eyes of her…***sigh, what a man*** and the warlord vampire himself…** more sighs ** Her other novel, “A Hunger Like No Other” is one of my all time favourites…Kresley’s lykaes/werewolves are alpha hot….the tortured hero made the book edgier which some women had a problem with. It has one of the best wimp to warrior princess heroine development. I find Kresley snappy, hilarious and I’m completely engaged in every story. *** looking at my shelf of books *** There has been no failures so far. Oh she’s done historicals as well in the past, they were good but her paranormals just outshines them, it better suits her style I think. Every IAD hero is an all time favourite of mine, and yes, they are all broody and growl alot… 😉 I can go on and on…and on forever…but I should really just say I’m glad Lisa and Kresley keeps churning out the HEAs with lotsa laughs. Sorry about the Kresley raving…talk about going off topic, can’t help myself. Gosh…I’ve been up for hours…should be catching up sleep. Seeya!
Thanks for the recommendation! I’ve been looking for something adequate to take the place of my “Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel” paranormal fix for quite some time; there hasn’t been anything like it on TV since. I’m getting a little sleep-deprived (or sleep-depraved) myself, lol! xD See ya later!
lololol Linny “REALLY BIG TRAGIC SIGH” poor baby
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Hey Meg
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For those wondering lisa is hard at work finishing up Married by Morning. When will I post the ‘raw and unedited excerpt’ dunno… soonish
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I know, I. R. EVOL! But not really, Lisa mention she had a better one for me to put up than the one I already have. Soooo I am willing to wait a bit to pick. I know I know you want and you want NOW. Trust me. soon.
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Sorry didn’t mean to drop out of the convo my migraines have been going wiggy (think it is stress and the rain in texas as of late) and the neuro is messing with my meds again to see if he can come up with something better to help. I will work my way back through the posts to see if there is anything to answer. No clue if Lisa will make it back to this post or not.
Hey Sybil, thanks so muchly for the update! I trust you will pick the best (my gosh I am so jealous) and wow us with it. 😉 Sorry to about your migraine, I hope reading back all the post won’t make it worst… Anyway, this has been a fun thread, a fab Q&A, and has refreshed my interest in the historical genre so again thanks for organising it. I’ve also been meaning to ask, all this chatter of american historicals has really put me in the mood for one. I was wondering if you could recommend any that you would consider to be of the same quality as Lisa’s work? I read your review of Never Love a Lawman, and your mention of slow paceness and my own reading of the prologue has made me a hesitant. I do prefer faster pace stories…I’m an impatient soul.
You might want to check out our Great Western Drive Posts:
http://goodbadandunread.com/tag/great-western-drive/
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They will also link you over to Wendy’s blog aka the super librarian (she does some harlequin reviews here) and KristieJ fellow Lisa Kleypas fan. There are loads of recs there as we recently started pimping out our lurve of the western because we want it to come back.
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Off the top of my head I would say check out Harlequin Historical if you haven’t, they have some GRAND authors. I touch on it here – http://goodbadandunread.com/2009/08/22/recs-put-up-your-dukes-get-down-to-it/. There is an antho (faster pace *g*) Cowboy Christmas that might be right up your alley with two of my fave HH authors Elizabeth Lane and Pam Crooks. I hae also enjoyed Carol Finch but she is more hit or miss. I have only started the the book so I can’t rec it either way yet but so far I am enjoying it.
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Kate Bridges has another of her Alaskan set novels which are generally very good (just got it so again can’t say if it is good or not yet) but we do have a review on TGTBTU from Wendy for the last one.
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And I talk about Cheryl St.John tons in the post, she has a novel coming out in Dec. I have started it and so far I am loving it.
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Moving away from HH Pamela Clare’s Ride the Fire was reissued this year not so much a ‘western’ and it is somewhat violent (torture). The author does a great job of showing that people aren’t all good or bad. I have a review on the blog. LOVE love love the book. Would rec most of her historicals and RS don’t care for I think one of each.
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Linda Lael Miller is reviewed here as well. I adore her old novel The Vow and think her new contemp trilogy Montana Creeds is some of her best in a while. As well as Sandy M as reviewed The Bridegroom her latest historical (I haven’t read it yet).
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Never Love a Lawman is really really wonderful and has some of the BEST banter. As someone who loves Lisa Kleypas work I think you would really enjoy Goodman. NLaL is a ‘light’ book for Jo Goodman which isn’t saying much.
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this is off the top of my head and I will think about it some more and I have a stack of books to review so I will look and see if any are westerns… let me know if older books are ok cuz honestly the best ones tend to be those
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On another note for the person who was looking for a ‘lighter books’ you might want to try Jillian Hunter’s A Wicked Lord at the Wedding, Devil of the Highlands by Lynsay Sands (reviewed here a few times but not by me) or Karen Hawking’s newest series (I haven’t read this one).
Wow, you’re the best Sybil! I will comb through your post just now and find me some suitable western romance to distract myself as I wait for all things MBM-related. 🙂
Sybil, you can disregard my posts as nothing but a big ol’ speculation fest! ;D Hope your migraines get better soon!
LOL Meg isn’t that half the fun for readers? A long ass time ago I spent more time than I care to remember in X-Files Fanfic… I know ALL about the love of ‘speculation fest’. Tis fun. Play on 😉
Oh, yes, I know all about the X-Files love. Mulder and Scully were officially my first “ship.” Oh, to go back to junior high, when the world was cool and my only concern was whether Mulder would ever freakin’ kiss Scully already… As of now, I’m a huge Daniel/Betty shipper for “Ugly Betty” and I have been for quite some time. They got together in the Columbian version, why can’t they get together in the American version, darn it?! Oh, and you are EVOL indeed for taunting us with the promise of MBM goodness! ;D Can you at least tell us if the snippet you have is good?
I just read ‘Tempt me at twilight’ and I can’t wait for some more Leo Marks action!!!
is the exceprt posted? thank you.
I, too, am wondering when I can get my hands on that excerpt! So exited! AGH!
I think my hair’s turned grey…We’re all so invested in MBM that after such a long wait, I only hope it’s super good to make the torture worthwhile.
MEG: I finally got to reading McAlistair’s fortune (took FOREVER to arrive in mail) and overall the novel was a little too ‘sweet’ for me. For some strange reason, I didn’t care for Evie…also found McAlistair’s restraint kinda annoying. But of course I can see why it would appeal to those who like a sweet romance, I’m the insatiable sort and need more steam and desperate passion. 🙂 Hope the wait for excerpt hasn’t been too excrutiating for you. Thankfully I’ve found a new distraction!
I have the excerpt and will format it tonight ;). Should we do a Sunday or Monday post?
What is your new distraction linny? Did you read Kresley’s newest book or are you still on the older books? Yes sadly I am WAY behind…