You’re in for a treat today! Welcome to Duck Chat!

Ohmyohmyohmy!  Squeeeeeeeeeeeee!  Kathryn Smith is here!!!!!

As most of you know, Kathryn’s vampire series, Brotherhood of the Blood, is a favorite of fans everywhere, but the really big news lately is that she’s writing straight historicals once again, and Kathryn will be talking about that and so much more today.

So no more lollygagging! Let’s chat!

DUCK CHAT: Kathryn, of course, the big news, the happy news for your fans is that you’ve returned to writing historical romance. Was it just time? Did something specific happen to prompt you to write that next one?

KATHRYN SMITH: The simplest answer is that yes, it was just time. I’d been writing a lot of paranormal, and even though most of it was historical, it wore on me. I loved my vamps, but they couldn’t go out in the sun! Actually, the sad truth is that historical paranormal just does not sell like contemporary paranormal and while I had some success, the move didn’t really help my career. It was upsetting to say the least, but historical was always my first love and it took me back with welcome arms.

DC: If you could retire any question and never, ever have it asked again, what would it be? Feel free to answer it.

KS: Where do you get your ideas from? Only because I never know how to answer it. It’s not like I have a magic hat or anything! My ideas can come from anywhere.

DC: And fans will not get just one new historical from you, but an entire series. Lots of happy dancin’ is going on out there! Tell us about the new series, please.

KS: Thank you! I’ve dubbed the new series a ‘Victorian Soap Opera.’ I’m introducing lots of recurring characters that will appear in some or all of the books, and there will be secrets and intrigue afoot. There’s even a gathering place – a hub – where all the characters go to be social, much like Ruby’s on General Hospital. I even have a ‘love to hate’ character that I hope readers will embrace. It’s going to be difficult keeping track of everyone, but I think I’m up for the task.  The series begins with a trilogy, and after that I’m treating it as a world rather than a series. That way I don’t feel locked in to write books about specific characters. Anyone could have a book! And just like on soaps, a new character could arrive on the scene at any time.

DC: I’ve heard writers often say their stories take them in surprising directions, or dialogue flows from some unknown place. Is it the same with you? Do your characters surprise you sometimes?

KS: Yes! I’m mostly a plotter, but I like to leave room for my characters to express themselves. That sounds slightly psychotic I’m sure, but once you’re in their heads, writing from their POV, you start to understand what they’re all about. That’s when they surprise you.

DC: Do you ever argue with your characters while you’re writing? Who usually wins?

KS: No. I trust them to do the right thing. LOL. I let them do what they will and if it doesn’t work, I do it my way. There’s no arguing because either way I win.

DC: The first book of your new series is When Seducing a Duke and it will be released later this month. Would you tell our readers about Grey and Rose and how their story came about?

KS: Grey and Rose are a little bit Phantom of the Opera and a little bit Luke and Laura. He’s a little older, jaded and a little tortured. He’s had an awful past that haunts him still, and he doesn’t want the taint of that to touch her, but it’s going to just by association. He promised her father he’d look after her and to him that means NOT giving in to his feelings for her. Rose on the other hand is determined and slightly naïve. Part of her is convinced that if she can make Grey confront the attraction between them everything will magically be wonderful.

I have no idea now where the idea for them came from! I’ve always loved the kind of hero who has been ‘rode hard and put away wet.’ Grey is definitely one those. He feels awful for his past, but he also knows he’d still be the same if not for the event that changed his life. He didn’t change willingly, and he’s not sure what kind of man he is anymore. I think Rose is a little bit like me – she thinks if she wants something bad enough and works at it hard enough, she’ll get it. That doesn’t always work out for the best! It’s a ‘be careful what you wish for’ situation.

DC: What is sure to distract you from sitting down and working/writing?

KS: Email. Phone calls. iTunes. YouTube. Twitter. Cats. Shiny things.

DC: How’s work coming on the second book in your Victorian series? May we have a little sneak peek?

KS: Currently I’m working on revisions for When Marrying a Scoundrel, the second book in the series. It’s about Jack Friday and Sadie Moon. He’s a self-made man with a secret and she’s a tea leaf reader – with a secret. The secret is that they married when they were very young, but then Fate tore them apart. Now, the two of them are reunited and neither one of them is very happy about it.

DC: What has been your favorite book cover from all of your releases and why?

KS: Wow, what a difficult question. The lovely man who runs the Avon Art Dept is one of my favorite people in the entire world. He’s been so very generous with me over the last few years. I’ve always loved the cover for Into Temptation painted by Diane Sivavec. More recently I think the cover for Dark Side of Dawn, which comes out in December – but that might just be because of the gorgeous nekked man on the cover!  Of the Brotherhood covers I think Let the Night Begin is my favorite. I love the golden color of it and the fact that she’s going for his neck.

DC: How about your least favorite cover? Why?

KS: Wow. I’ve never had a cover I hated. I’ve been very lucky. Although if I had to choose it would be In Your Arms Again. I’m not a fan of the pose where the hero is behind the heroine and she has her skirt hauled up. Not sure why. And then, if you don’t look closely it looks like the hero isn’t wearing pants – just a belt and boots. His trousers are almost the same color he is. Still, I’ve seen much worse.

DC: How do you feel your male or female characters have evolved over your career? Do you think you write them differently now than you did when you started?

KS: Oh yeah! I think my heroines have gotten more realistic. They’re not entirely good little girls. Nothing interesting in that. My heroes have changed as well. I used to think I had to write Alpha guys, but I’m not good at that. I like guys who can be both tough and sweet. Real people have uncharitable thoughts, absurd thoughts, insecurities and vanities. That’s what I’m interested in writing now.

DC: Your Nightmare Chronicles is also a fairly new urban fantasy series, one book out last year and the second due out in November. Would you tell us about the series over all and and then we’ll talk about each book.

KS: Dawn Riley is the half-mortal daughter of Morpheus, God of Dreams. That’s the crux of it. Dawn is able to walk between both worlds, something no one else can do. It makes people fear her. The veil between the dream realm and our world is thinning, strange things are happening. And no one is sure if Dawn is the solution to the problem, or the cause of it.

DC: First in the series was Before I Wake, which was out last year, and next month Dark Side of Dawn is being released. Would you give a look inside each book, please?

KS: In Before I Wake, Dawn has repressed who she is. She’s working in a sleep center and crushing on one of her ‘clients,’ Noah Drake. One night Noah is attacked in his dreams and somehow Dawn gets pulled into that very dream. She becomes the target of a Night Terror and the only way to stop it is to accept what she is and use her abilities. This means reconciling with Morpheus and her mother. It also means telling Noah the truth about who and what she is.

In Dark Side of Dawn, Dawn is working on honing her abilities and dating Noah. But then someone close to Noah is attacked and Dawn has to use both her professional skills as a psychologist, and her skills as a Nightmare to help. But this puts her in the path of another monster – an earthbound one this time. She’s also in trouble with the Nightmare Council for something she did in book 1. Dawn just can’t catch a break, and if she doesn’t do something fast, she might not live to stand trial in the Dreaming!

DC: Is there a genre you haven’t tackled but would like to try?

KS: Hmm. Young Adult. Historical. Paranormal. Urban Fantasy. I think I’ve written everything I’ve wanted! Actually, I would love to write mysteries, but I don’t think I’d be very good at it. I really want to do more Young Adult. I had two historical YAs out in 2001-2002, and I’ve wanted to do more ever since. So, while there’s not a genre I would like to try, there certainly is one I’d like to do more in.

DC: What advice would you give to your younger self?

KS: Don’t date him. LOL. Actually, I think everything we’ve done has led to where we are, so I don’t think I’d encourage myself to do anything differently. I might, however, tell myself to have more confidence and not take quite so much attitude from other people.

DC: If you were a book, what would your blurb be?

KS: She’s a big girl with a big mouth and an even bigger heart, but does she have what it takes to make the big time?

LOL. That’s so corny, but it’s the best I can do without sounding totally bollocks.

DC: What would be your “voice’s” tagline?

KS: Realistic characters. Fantastic passion. I’d actually have a ‘wink’ after that too. I have a hard time talking myself up.

DC: Your vampire series, The Brotherhood of the Blood, is a favorite with readers. There’s five books in the series so far, with Night After Night being released earlier this year. First would tell those one or two people who aren’t familiar with the series what it’s about?

KS: The Brotherhood was originally six mercenaries who found what they thought was the Holy Grail, but it was actually the Blood Grail, made from the silver paid to Judas, infused with the essence of Lilith. When they drank from it they were turned vampire. 6 centuries later the group who originally had the Blood Grail wants it back – and they want the Brotherhood as well.

DC: Is the series evolving as your originally envisioned it?

KS: Yes. It played out exactly as I’d planned book-wise. I had an arc and I followed it. Success wise, I have to be honest and say that I was much higher hopes for it. Maybe someday paranormal historical will become what I’d hoped it would be and I can give fans of the series some new books.

DC: Please tell everyone about Night After Night.

KS: Night After Night was Temple’s story. He was the leader of the Brotherhood of the Blood once upon a time. In Be Mine Tonight, you discover he’s gone missing, and throughout the series the mystery of what happened to Temple runs through every story. This is also the book that reunites the Brotherhood. It is a romance, however. Temple meets Vivian, who is far more than she seems – more than she even knows. And she’s part of the group that would see the Brotherhood destroyed. That’s conflict, huh?

DC: Are there more books planned in the series? What can we expect next?

KS: As of right now, there are no more books planned for that series. That story line ended with Night After Night. If I do anything in the future, it will be with a new group of vampires or other supernatural creatures.

DC: If you had never become an author, what do you think you would be doing right now?

KS: I’d be a rock star. Actually, I once wanted to be a makeup artist. I love makeup.

DC: Who’s your favorite author(s)?

KS: I have so many. I love Julia Quinn, Laura Lee Guhrke, Connie Brockway. Sherry Thomas and Meredith Duran are two new authors that I do not feel worthy of when I read them! Lorraine Heath is another favorite, along with Jenna Petersen, Sophie Jordan, Sabrina Jeffries, Loretta Chase, and Liz Carlyle.

DC: How about a favorite book or two?

KS: Stranger in My Arms by Lisa Kleypas. Love that book. Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase. Secret Desires of a Gentleman by Laura Lee Guhrke is a current fave, as well as When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn. Those are the first that come to mind.

DC: What else is on the horizon for Kathryn Smith?

KS: More Victorian soap opera books. I’m currently outlining the third, which I’ve tentatively titled When Tempting a Rogue, but that will probably change to better suit the story. I’m hoping to perhaps continue on with the Nightmare Chronicles, and I do have a little something else I’m working on, but I’m keeping mum until I see what happens. That makes me a tease, doesn’t it? Sorry!

Lightning Round:

- dark or milk chocolate?     – milk
- smooth or chunky peanut butter?     – chunky
- heels or flats?      – heels
- coffee or tea?      – both
- summer or winter?      – Actually, autumn
- mountains or beach?      – beach
- mustard or mayonnaise?     – mayo
- flowers or candy?      – flowers
- pockets or purse?      – Purse – anyone who knows me is laughing at this, because they know I collect purses.
- Pepsi or Coke?     – Coke
- ebook or print?     – Print – but I want to try an e-reader.

And because folks still like seeing the answers:

1. What is your favorite word?    – friend
2. What is your least favorite word?     – nourishing
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?     – nature
4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?      – willful ignorance
5. What sound or noise do you love?      – the sound of Steve’s voice
6. What sound or noise do you hate?      – a cat coughing up hair balls.
7. What is your favorite curse word?     – I don’t curse! Right. I say fuck a lot, but I’d like to use the word twat more. I can’t believe I just admitted to that.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?     – makeup artistry. Maybe teaching.
9. What profession would you not like to do?      – anything where I’d have to put my hand in another person.
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?     – “I’ve read all your books.”

DC: Kathryn, it was such a pleasure to have you here today! Thank you so much!

Many thanks to Jenna Petersen for spending a very pleasant day with us here at the pond during her Duck Chat a few weeks ago!

We now have some winners to announce. Using that handy-dandy random number organizer and with a drumroll please, here they are:

A copy of Lessons from a Courtesan: Julian (22)

A copy of Scandalous: Juliana (4)

Congrats!

Please send your snail mail addresses to lighthousetagger (at) gmail (dot) com and we’ll contact Jenna for you!

Thanks for joining us again at Duck Chat!

Today historical author Jenna Petersen is our guest.

With books like Scandalous, Lessons from a Courtesan, Her Notorious Viscount, and her Lady Spies series, which includes From London With Love, Desire Never Dies, and Seduction is Forever, Jenna has become a premier and much loved author since her first book hit the shelves. She’s now working on a new series, The Billingham Bastards, which she talks about here.

Jenna is married to her high school sweetheart and they live in Central Illinois. She has a degree is psychology, loves to travel, live baseball and football, and runs ever-popular The Passionate Pen blog. And some of you may know her as Jess Michaels, the name under which she spices up her historical stories.

We have a lot to talk about, so make sure you leave a meaningful comment to be in the running for a copy of Lessons from a Courtesan and Scandalous that Jenna is graciously donating to give away. So let’s chat!

DUCK CHAT: Jenna, let’s talk about your most recent release, Her Notorious Viscount, first. Can you give us a look into how the story idea started and then tell us about the itself and its characters?

JENNA PETERSEN: Sure! Her Notorious Viscount was released in April of this year, so it’s likely still in many bookstores and online outlets everywhere. I am a huge MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fan and I’d been wanting to write a fighter hero for a long time. I had written an older book before I got published and it had some elements I really liked (wild twin inherits brother’s title), so I ended up combining the two and voila! HNV was born.

In the story, my hero Nicholas has been living in London’s notorious underground for years, making his living and his name as a fighter. But when his twin brother dies, he has no choice but to return to Society and take the title of Viscount. My heroine, Jane, lost her own brother to the Underground and the ravages of opium addiction and she sees an opportunity to use Nicholas’s connections to perhaps find him again. But Nicholas has a price: Jane must “retrain” him in the niceties of society.

It’s sort of a reverse My Fair Lady with a touch of Cinderella.

DC: If you could retire any question and never, ever have it asked again, what would it be? Feel free to answer it.

JP: I don’t know if I would retire any question. I can’t think of any that I roll my eyes at when I see them. LOL

DC: For those folks who don’t know, tell them about The Passionate Pen, how it got started and what you do there.

JP: The Passionate Pen is my site for writers which I started in 1999. It contains a list of romance publishers, romance agents, articles and links, as well as my diary toward and beyond publication. Right now I’m updating it once a month. We’re celebrating our ten-year anniversary this year and the last contest ends on Monday (June 29). We’ve had interviews with some wonderful editors and agents, as well as prizes. This month’s prize is a year-long membership to Romance Writers of America. You can enter at PassionatePen.com (go to the Happy Anniversary page to find the contest).

DC: I’ve heard writers often say their stories take them in surprising directions, or dialogue flows from some unknown place. Is it the same with you? Do your characters surprise you sometimes?

JP: I’m a big plotter, but even with that, there are always some surprises in every book. As I get to know the characters more and become more comfortable with their story, often what I planned isn’t as germane as wherever they take me. So I try to hear it and go with it when I can.

DC: Do you ever argue with your characters while you’re writing? Who usually wins?

JP: Not as often as some authors describe. I think it comes from being a plotter again. But occasionally a character will not go the way I want them to. At that point I’ll usually backtrack and try to figure out where I went off the track. And sometimes the way I’m being pulled is right.

DC: Do you have a favorite character from any of your books, one who made you laugh, cry, gasp in outrage, anything along those lines?

JP: I really like both Nicholas and Jane from Her Notorious Viscount. I think I can relate to them. The idea that you just don’t belong and maybe you don’t even want to… that’s sort of poignant. And in the end, they find a friend and a partner in each other, which I also liked. Plus their shared pains over lost brothers did have me tearing up a couple of times. LOL

Excerpt from Her Notorious Viscount:

Chapter One

April 1816

Jane Fenton watched as another group of giggling, simpering young women spun by her in the arms of the current group of eligible bucks and titled lords. She held back a sigh and tried to keep her toes from tapping to the beat of the country jig, beneath her plain, serviceable gown.

How quickly things changed. Just two years ago, she had been one of those silly girls, enjoying her Season with all the hopes in the world for the future. “Jane,” the Countess Ridgefield said at her side. Her employer lifted the gold-rimmed spectacles she kept on a chain around her neck and scanned the crowd. “Do you see anyone of my acquaintance?”

Jane stifled a smile at the picture Lady Ridgefield made. The feather Jane had placed in her employer’s hair earlier in the evening had begun to list downward, sticking out at an odd angle to the side of her head. Her spectacles, which she really should have been wearing all the time, although she argued that point with Jane incessantly, were crooked and gave Lady Ridgefield a madcap appearance that lightened Jane’s heavy heart considerably.

Although flighty, Lady Ridgefield was one of the kindest women Jane had ever met. She knew full well she was lucky to have obtained a position as her lady’s companion. Other young women of her acquaintance had not been so fortunate in their employers.

Rising to her tiptoes, Jane scanned the crowd.

“Lady Williamston is over by the punch bowl,” she said, then lowered her voice to indulge in Lady Ridgefield’s love of gossip. “Likely putting whiskey in her cup from that secret stash she keeps inher reticule.”

Her employer giggled like a school miss. “Anyone else?”

Jane continued to whisper little details of the attendees around the room, adding her own commentary to the descriptions until Lady Ridgefield’s cheeks were pink with pleasure.

“Whom would you like to speak to first?” Jane asked with a pull of dread in her chest.

Once they were with the other ladies of her employer’s rank, she would be forgotten again, despite the fact that many of the women had once been friends of her mother and father. This constant reminder of what she’d lost was never easy for Jane, no matter how she prepared herself for the inevitable.

“There is a commotion over there,” Lady Ridgefield said with a wave of her fan. “What is happening, Jane? I cannot see!”

Jane turned toward the entrance to the ballroom. As silly as she was, Lady Ridgefield could be quite observant when it came to matters of Society. Indeed, an unnatural crowd had formed at the entrance to the ballroom. Someone very important must have entered. How pleased Lady Ridgefield would be if Wellington or even the prince himself joined their party tonight. It would keep her employer happy for months, which Jane had come to see as a lofty life goal.

Finally the crowd parted, almost as if Moses himself were moving them aside. But it wasn’t a biblical figure who stepped away from the fray. No, indeed, the man who sauntered into the ballroom did not look like the kind to read a Bible, let alone belong in one.

Rather, he looked like sin.

Jane sucked in her breath despite herself. The stranger was tall, very tall. More than half a head bigger than any of the men who surrounded him. But it was more than his superior height that drew her attention. He had a presence about him. A strength that was reflected both in the lean lines of his body and the way he moved.

He was dressed . . . oddly. His coat was a few seasons behind the fashion and his shirt looked a little faded. Plus the items were ill-fitted, too tight in some places and far too loose in others.

Certainly he was aware of the scrutiny of those around him. One would have to be daft not to see and feel it. And it wasn’t friendly interest, either. Shock, anger, even disgust were reflected on the faces in the crowd.

Jane looked at the interloper more closely, surprised by the ire he inspired. There was something familiar about him, but she didn’t think they had ever met.

“It is a man,” Jane murmured since Lady Ridgefield had now begun tugging on the woolen sleeve of her ugly gown. “I do not know who he is. I feel like I’ve seen him before, but . . .”

She trailed off. He was getting closer now, and for some odd reason her heart began to pound.

“I know who it may be!” Lady Ridgefield whispered. “Oh, I had heard he might be making a return to Society, but I never thought he’d dare come here tonight!”

“Who is he?” Jane asked, ever more distracted the nearer the man came.

His eyes, God, they were beautiful. Bright, almost painful blue against his tanned skin and dark, close-cropped hair. She started when she realized one of them was faintly blackened, as if he had recently been in a fight.

And then he turned his gaze on her. Those eyes that had so surprised and captivated her moved over her in one sweep. If Jane’s heart had pounded before, now it felt as though it stopped completely. As though time had frozen as this man looked at her.

But then he moved on, dismissing her just as everyone dismissed her.

Jane sighed.

“Yes, indeed,” Lady Ridgefield crowed as she lowered her spectacles and grasped Jane’s arm in a death grip. She was practically vibrating with excitement. “That is him! His name is Viscount Nicholas Stoneworth. He just inherited the title from his poor late brother—”

“Anthony Stoneworth,” Jane finished, her gaze rushing to the man who now had a name to go along with his harsh, handsome face.

DC: What is sure to distract you from sitting down and working/writing?

JP: The computer. Email. Right now I should be writing. LOL

DC: Is there an old story in the back of a drawer somewhere that you’d like to pull out some day to work on again?

JP: Her Notorious Viscount was the first time I had looked at an older story for inspiration, though I never once used any of the old writing. I tend to like to move forward. I have so many new ideas that are exciting me right now, I can’t imagine wanting to go back and re-write over writing something new. It doesn’t mean I never will, I certainly have a lot of stories in my back pocket (9 that were never published before Scandalous, October 2005), but for now I’ll keep moving forward.

DC: How do you feel your male or female characters have evolved over your career? Do you think you write them differently now than you did when you started?

JP: I’m not sure I write my characters differently as much as just natural evolution in my writing. I think working with my editor, May Chen, and my agent, Miriam Kriss, has really helped my writing evolve over the years. I hope readers will see that too when looked at, say, Scandalous (my first book) versus Her Notorious Viscount (my latest).

DC: I’m excited about your Billingham Bastards series. First, would you tell our readers about the series as a whole?

JP: I am too! The Billingham Bastards is about a Duke who finds out his father isn’t exactly who he thought he was. When he realizes he has a number of illegitimate brothers, he decides to find them.

What the Duke Desires is the first book in the series and is due out in October of this year.

DC: Can you give us a sneak peek into Simon and Lillian’s story, please?

JP: It’s out on October 27, so it’s technically a November release based on the wacky world of romance release dates. LOL Here’s a little summary of Simon and Lillian’s book:

Simon Crathorne has never felt quite “right” in his own life. Even with his friends, he never fit. But now his father is dead and he has inherited the Dukedom, and all the responsibility that goes with it. And since his father was always known as a highly moral, upstanding man, Simon has big shoes to fill. Lillian Mayhew doesn’t buy the late Duke’s exalted reputation one bit. A lifetime of hearing her father talk about the man’s sins and seeing the torment her family endured at his hands has made her bitter and a final secret she discovered as her father lay dying has turned her bitterness to a drive to destroy the good name of the man she feels wronged her. No matter the price.

But when Simon and Lillian meet, sparks fly and passion erupts, leaving Lillian with an ugly choice. Can she abandon her quest for revenge, just as she is on the cusp of fulfilling her duty? Or will she betray a man whose past turns out to be a murky sea of lies and betrayals neither one could have ever anticipated? A man whose kiss could change her life forever.

DC: Anything you can tell us about the next two books at this point?

JP: I’m writing Book 2 right now, An Unwanted Duchess, and it is scheduled for August 2010 at this point. My hero and heroine are already married, but it’s not a love match when the story begins and when the hero finds out he doesn’t really know who he is, he runs. My heroine follows and their evolving relationship, as well as my hero’s redefinition of himself, is really the story of the book. I think when people read What the Duke Desires, they’ll know exactly who the hero/heroine of An Unwanted Duchess are.

The third book I’m very excited about. When my July 2008 release, Lessons From a Courtesan, came out , there was a LOT of interest in seeing a story for my hero Justin’s brother, Caleb, and my heroine, Victoria’s best friend, Marah. The two of them obviously shared some kind of “off screen” moment at the end of the book, but Caleb had discovered he was a bastard and it tore his world apart. So…their story will be the final one in The Billingham Bastards series! And you’ll see a little of Caleb in An Unwanted Duchess, as well.

DC: Is there a genre you haven’t tackled but would like to try?

JP: Not really. I love writing historical romance, whether defined as “erotic” or not. That is where I get most of my ideas and where I feel the most passion for my work. So I can’t really see myself writing something different, at least not at this point.

DC: You also write as Jess Michaels, where you write steamy historicals. Your next book out is the third in the Albright Sisters series, titled Nothing Denied, and it’s due out next year. May we get a quick look into that book?

JP: Sure! It was such a challenge taking Beatrice, who was a real jerk in Everything Forbidden and Something Reckless and making her into a heroine. But it was fun, too, especially with the hero I matched her with! Their story is a February 2010 release (which means a late January date for “in stores,” probably). Here’s a description:

Shrewish Beatrice Albright is beginning to realize that her difficult nature has consequences. As her seventh unsuccessful Season begins, her younger sister is taken under the wing of her elder sisters and the invitations have dried up. Terrified she’ll be forced into old maidenhood and the company of her mother, she vows to find a groom by Season’s end. Even if he is suspected of murder.

The Marquis of Highcroft, Gareth Berenger is just as shunned as Beatrice since he is thought to have murdered his first wife. But when she demands they wed since no one else wants them, he isn’t sure. Gareth is a man of intense sexual desires and dominant predilections and he’s already seen the consequences if his partner cannot accept them. He proposes instead a trial affair. If Beatrice can handle his sexuality, then they will marry. But as much as Beatrice is drawn in my Gareth’s sensual and shocking seduction, she is also afraid to trust and surrender fully. And there are darker forces sworn to keep them apart and they will use violence to take Beatrice from Gareth.

DC: What advice would you give to your younger self?

JP: Probably just to breathe, it will all work out. I tend to be very “what’s next” about life and worry about the unknowns. I am trying to learn to enjoy the moment more.

DC: If you were a book, what would your bluRb be?

Good question, though it’s hard to “blurb” yourself. It’s hard to blurb a book! LOL Um…

Jenna Petersen: You’ll want to sit next to her at dinner….

I don’t know. LOL

DC: What would be your “voice’s” tagline?

JP: I think it’s the same tagline I have on my bookmarks:

Darkly sensual. Highly Emotional.

DC: If you had never become an author, what do you think you would be doing right now?

JP: I have a degree in psychology from the University of Washington and was planning to go back to school to get a Masters in Counseling. So I probably would have done that.

DC: What’s on the horizon for both Jenna and Jess?

JP: Well, the three Billingham books will be taking up a lot of Jenna time in the next couple of years. Right now Jess just has Nothing Denied on the horizon, but we’ll see if she has something else up her sleeve. LOL The best way people can keep in touch with me and see what’s next is to go to my website regularly, and you can also join my newsletter, which I send once a month!

Lightning Round:

- dark or milk chocolate?   – I know dark is better for you, but milk!
- smooth or chunky peanut butter?  – CHUNKY!!
- heels or flats?  – Bare feet at home usually, but when out and about, heels.
- coffee or tea?  – Diet Vanilla Coke.
- summer or winter?    – Summer.
- mountains or beach?   – Mountains.
- mustard or mayonnaise?    – One look at my ever-expanding ass should tell you I’m a mayo girl.
- flowers or candy?    – Candy, but only because my cats eat flowers and I find that stressful.
- pockets or purse?   – Purse!
- Pepsi or Coke?    – Coke!!!!!!!!! There should be only one.
- ebook or print?    – I still like to hold a print book, but I love that technology makes getting my books easier! All of them are available in various eformats and Seduction is Forever was the #1 bestselling romance at Fictionwise for almost a month when it came out. Which was CRAZY!

And because it’s still a lot of fun?

1. What is your favorite word?     – Yes.
2. What is your least favorite word?    – Hugs. I hate it when people say “Hugs” in email.
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?    – My husband’s never-ending support.
4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?      – People who are mean just for the sake of being mean.
5. What sound or noise do you love?     – The cats purring.
6. What sound or noise do you hate?     – My nephew Jake crying.
7. What is your favorite curse word?     – Fuck. I use fuck all the time. I should be better about swearing, but we don’t have kids so I’m afraid I often just GO TO TOWN.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?    – I can’t imagine being anything but what I am. I love writing.
9. What profession would you not like to do?    – Anything that has to do with screaming children. I have a very low tolerance for that sort of thing.
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?     – “You made a difference.”

Thanks so much for having me! I look forward to talking to you guys in comments!

DC: Thank you, Jenna! We had a wonderful day!

This just in…

Those of you living in Georgia and surrounding states get ready for a terrific weekend October 3-5 for the Moonlight and Magnolias Conference, featuring some great names in romance.

~ The conference is being held at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast in Norcross, Georgia.

~ Award-winning, New York Times Best-selling author Teresa Medeiros will be the Keynote Speaker.

~ Tanya Michna, aka Tanya Michaels, is the GRW Featured Author.

~ Their Book Fair and Signing is open to the public and will feature such authors as Jacquie D’Alessandro, Kimberly Killion, C.L. Wilson, Stephanie Bond, Jess Michaels/Jenna Petersen, Alyssa Day, Cynthia Eden, Raven Hart, Jennifer St. Giles, and many, many more.

Consider yourself flashed.

Ok I am going to work toward getting all the nifty prizes logged today and we will start giving them out. Some of them will go to random comment in a post with these icons. WHAT icons?

SSE EXCERPT: Dear Santa by Karen Templeton

EXCERPT Part II: Thigh High: Thigh High by Bonnie Edwards

EXCERPT: Give Me a Texan: The Love Letter by Linda Broday

EXCERPT: Give Me a Texan: No Time for Love by Phyliss Miranda

EXCERPT: Give Me a Texan: A Shade of Sunrise by DeWanna Pace

EXCERPT: Give Me a Texan: Amarillo By Morning by Jodi Thomas

EXCERPT Part III: Thigh High: Twinkle Twinkle Little Thong by Bonnie Edwards

Excerpt from Viking Warrior, Unwilling Wife by Michelle Styles
new historical release from Mills & Boone with a UK release in June 2008

Yours, Mine…or Ours is book two in Karen Templeton’s Guys & Daughters series (Dear Santa, Yours, Mine…or Ours? and Baby, I’m Yours)

Excerpt of Taken by the Viking by Michelle Styles, coming 1 May!!
Historical romance released by Harlequin 1 May 2008

Excerpt Unlawful Contact by Pamela Clare aka the one to steam the screen

I am missing some and will add them tomorrow (I see Kresley Cole’s aren’t here). More excerpts to come from Lisa Kleypas, Jill Shalvis, Lynne Connolly, Stephanie Tyler, Caroline Linden, HelenKay Dimon, EC Sheedy, Liz Carlyle, Hope Tarr, Lora Leigh, Sabrina Jeffries, Jenna Petersen, Laura Drewry, Sydney Croft, Roxanne St. Claire, Jennifer Estep, Cheryl St.John and many more….

As well as some nifty prizes from t-shirts and books *g*. Some you will have to answer questions from the excerpts and other will be random drawings from the comments.

first recap can be found here

How Flashdance… LOL 

It’s Raining Excerpts!EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT: Secrets of Surrender by Madeline HunterEXCERPT Part I: Thigh High: Parlor Games by Bonnie Edwards

EXCERPT: Phantom Pleasures by Julie Leto

EXCERPT Part I: Unlawful Contact
EXCERPT Part II: Unlawful Contact
EXCERPT Part III: Unlawful Contact
EXCERPT Part IV: Unlawful Contact

SSE EXCERPT: Dear Santa by Karen Templeton

EXCERPT Part II: Thigh High: Thigh High by Bonnie Edwards

EXCERPT: Give Me a Texan: The Love Letter by Linda Broday

EXCERPT: Give Me a Texan: No Time for Love by Phyliss Miranda

EXCERPT: Give Me a Texan: A Shade of Sunrise by DeWanna Pace

EXCERPT: Give Me a Texan: Amarillo By Morning by Jodi Thomas

EXCERPT Part III: Thigh High: Twinkle Twinkle Little Thong by Bonnie Edwards

Excerpt from Viking Warrior, Unwilling Wife by Michelle Styles
new historical release from Mills & Boone with a UK release in June 2008

Yours, Mine…or Ours is book two in Karen Templeton’s Guys & Daughters series (Dear Santa, Yours, Mine…or Ours? and Baby, I’m Yours)

Excerpt of Taken by the Viking by Michelle Styles, coming 1 May!!
Historical romance released by Harlequin 1 May 2008

Excerpt Unlawful Contact by Pamela Clare aka the one to steam the screen

I am missing some and will add them tomorrow (I see Kresley Cole’s aren’t here). More excerpts to come from Lisa Kleypas, Jill Shalvis, Lynne Connolly, Stephanie Tyler, Caroline Linden, HelenKay Dimon, EC Sheedy, Liz Carlyle, Hope Tarr, Lora Leigh, Sabrina Jeffries, Jenna Petersen, Laura Drewry, Sydney Croft, Roxanne St. Claire, Jennifer Estep, Cheryl St.John and many more….

As well as some nifty prizes from t-shirts and books *g*. Some you will have to answer questions from the excerpts and other will be random drawings from the comments.

Jenna Petersen, author of LESSONS FROM A COURTESAN (coming June ’08) and SOMETHING RECKLESS (writing as Jess Michaels, coming April ’08), shares her “Brave List” with TGTBTU’s readers… 

 

12 Things I Hope I’m Brave Enough To Do in 2008

 12. Dress the Cat More Often. This year I bought our cat outfits. She doesn’t like them, but she sure looks cute. I have scars to prove the first thing. But pictures for the second. So next year I’m going to brave more pain and find more clothing for her. Because it makes me happy.

 11. Live in the Now! Authors have a strange life. We are forever writing books that aren’t coming out for a year and promoting and talking about books that we wrote a year or more ago. This leads me to always be looking back or looking forward in more and more of my ‘normal’ life, too. So this year I vow to be brave enough to live in this day. Whatever this day is.

 10. Get a Hobby. Every time I do an interview, I’m asked about my hobbies. And every time I answer that question I think, “I really need to get some hobbies.” So this year, I’m going to do it. Any suggestions? I can’t do knitting (it hurts my hands), but I’m open to all other suggestions.

 9. Be Exotic. After a year of travel in 2007, I decided that I’m going to be braver in where I go. This one I already have a little work done on. My husband and I are going to be going to China in March 2008! Which will mean I’ve got 3/7 continents down! One of my life goals is now to visit all of them. But while I’m in China, I also want to be exotic. So I hope I’m brave enough to eat what’s put in front of me, walk away from the group and ask questions.

 8. Fail at Cooking. I can cook, don’t get me wrong. I actually can put together a very nice dinner and great cookies and other treats. But I never try anything exotic and I doubt myself while reading recipes. So this year I vow to try new things when I cook. We’ll see if my husband survives it.

 7. Make Time for Me. This one is one we ALL can do. Especially us women. Why shouldn’t we be brave enough to do a little something for ourselves? Whether its take an extra hour of sleep or play hooky from work or take a bubble bath when we could be doing laundry. This year I’m going to do more things that are just about my pleasure. And I’m going to be brave enough not to feel guilty about it.

 6. Become Bendy. In 2007, I started taking pilates. In 2008, I vow to master the side plank. I will do the star pose and hold it. I will be brave enough to fall over in front of twenty people while I’m trying.

 5. Make Time for Everyone Else. You have to remember that writing is a solitary bit of business. There are actually times where I go days without any conversation (especially if my husband is traveling). So it’s become more and more of a brave thing for me to go out and meet new people and maybe do a little something for the world at large. So this year, I pledge to be brave enough to do all those things.

 4. Paint the Bedroom. Just like with cooking, I’m okay at decorating, but I’m so not Martha Stewart. This means for over five years, I have hemmed and hawed and put off doing anything with my bedroom, which is still blank white walls and a really old comforter and sort of…. meh furniture. So this year, I vow to be brave enough to take a risk and claim my space.

 3. Learn to Say No. And Yes. I vow to be brave enough to say I can’t fit something in. To not lock myself in my office and write for 12 hours every day. To say yes to my friends and my loved ones when I want to. And to say no when I can’t.

 2. Mismatch. This year I vow to wear pink cat socks with a green outfit. To wear funky shoes and new jewelry. To play with what I wear and let if reflect my mismatched little soul.

 1. Let Go. This is the hardest one. I want to be brave enough next year to let go of all the negative things. To stop worrying about what everyone else thinks. To stop stressing about the future. To just be.

So what do you want to be brave about next year? Any fears you plan to overcome?