Welcome once again to Duck Chat!

Today Cara Elliott is here to talk about her new series, so pull up a chair and get ready for some fun!

Some of you will have read Cara under the name of Andrea Pickens and enjoyed her swashbuckling lady spies. If you had fun with those books, just wait until you read her newest stories, which are sexier and slinkier than ever before.

Circle of Sin is the name of Cara’s new series, and To Sin with a Scoundrel is the first book out, to be followed by To Surrender to a Rogue in June. So now’s the time to get started enjoying all the fun! To help you along, Cara will be joining us throughout the day and has offered to give away three copies of To Sin with a Stranger.

So let’s chat!

DUCK CHAT: Cara, welcome to The Good, the Bad and the Unread. We’d like to congratulate you on your new series and the release of the first book. If you could retire any interview question and never, ever have it asked again, what would it be? Feel free to answer it.

CARA ELLIOTT: “What made you want to write?” I find it far too difficult to answer in a few simple paragraphs. I always had stories bubbling around in my brain, even when I was very little. And though it was a long and roundabout journey, I came back to that creative passion about ten years ago and realized that writing makes my heart sing!

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?

CE: Oh, all the time! I tend to have a very basic outline for a book, and develop the nuances of story and character as I go along (otherwise known as a seat-of-the-pantser!) So there are many times when I find myself shaking my head after finishing a chapter and saying, “I didn’t know they were going to do THAT!” And actually, I find that part of the fun of the creative process.

DC: You wrote your popular spy series, The Spy Wore Silk, Seduced by a Spy, and The Scarlet Spy, under the pseudonym of Andrea Pickens. Why have you decided to begin your latest series under a new pseudonym?

CE: Well, I wish that I could regale you with some romantic story of being kidnapped by the Duke of Elliott, who found my wit and beauty utterly irresistible. However  . . .

In all seriousness, my publisher was so excited about the new direction in my writing that we agreed it deserved a new name. In a word, the books are sexier than ever. My Andrea Pickens “Spy” trilogy was swashbuckling adventure. (Think Jane Austen meets James Bond!) As Cara Elliott, I slide out of buckskins and into pearls and a slinky little silk dress . . . Hey, what girl doesn’t like a makeover!

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

CE: We do sometimes have rather, er,  animated discussions. Seeing as I control the delete key, they can’t curse quite as loudly as they would like. However, being the reasonable person that I am, I listen, and we are usually able to come to an understanding. (And those who insist on misbehaving soon find themselves banished to a dark corner of the manuscript.)

DC: Your new series is titled The Circle of Sin. Would you please give us an overview of the series as a whole first and then we’ll talk about the books individually.

CE: Drawn together by their sharp intellect and shared cynicism concerning the opposite sex, the Circle of Scientific Sibyls—informally known as the Circle of Sin—is a group of brilliant, beautiful female scholars who meet each week to share their knowledge—and their friendship.

Each lady has her own field of expertise—and her own reason for being wary of men.

The three books are all about past deceptions, dark secrets and hidden passions . . . Ciara, Alessandra and Kate must each draw on her own cleverness and courage—as well as help from a sinfully sexy rogue—when a past sin stirs up a swirling mix of deadly intrigue and dangerous desires.

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

CE: The smell of chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven!

DC: To Sin with a Scoundrel is the first book in the series and it hit the shelves earlier this month. Would give us a look inside the story of Ciara and Lucas?

CE: Ciara is a reclusive widow and because of her expertise in chemistry, she has  been shadowed by rumors that she poisoned her late husband. When his relatives try to gain custody of her young son and his inheritance, her friends decide that she needs a rich and influential fiancé to help quell any scandal. The rakish Earl of Hadley doesn’t seem to be an ideal choice. A fun-loving, hell-raising devil with women, he is her exact opposite—but in science, there is an old adage that says “opposites attract . . .”

Now, I have to admit, I have a real soft spot in my heart for Lucas . He’s a charming rake who cheerfully admits to having no interest in anything but sybaritic pleasure. But at heart, he’s far more sensitive than he cares to admit, and as his best friend Jack says, he simply needs a challenge to bring out his better nature.

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

CE: I really love this current cover for To Sin With A Scoundrel (and a close second is the wonderfully luscious red cover of The Scarlet Spy.)

DC: How about your least favorite cover?  Why?

CE: Oh, don’t get me started on bad covers! I have a master’s degree in graphic design, so I’m a terror for the art department. However, readers should know that we actually have very little “say” in the covers. That said, I think the worst one I ever had was for my RITA finalist  Signet Regency, The Storybook Hero. If you look at the front of the hero’s breeches, you will see a very large dark stain on the front of his breeches that makes it look as if he as . . . Yes. That bad.

When I called to whine at my editor, she thought I was overreacting until she found the cover proof and took a closer look … then she burst out laughing on the phone—ˆ kid you not!

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?

CE: I like to think that my writing has grown and become more fully developed, with greater depth and nuances, than when I first started. And I hope my characters reflect that. I love creating complex individuals who have strengths and weaknesses—as we all do. How they learn to conquer their doubts and fears has always been at the core of my storytelling, but I hope I keep learning how to explore and create compelling emotion.

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

CE: I’ve always wanted to write historical mysteries, as I love creating complex plots. And I’m delighted to say that I will soon be having an announcement to make about that!

DC: The second book in the series is To Surrender to a Rogue and will be released in June. Can you give us a little sneak peek?

CE: To Surrender To A Rogue features Alessandra and “Black Jack” Pierson, who play a secondary role in To Sin With A Scoundrel. An expert in ancient antiquities, Alessandra  has come to London in order to live a life of quiet scholarly study. But when she accepts an invitation to oversee the excavation of newly discovered Roman ruins near the city of Bath, she soon discovers that a fellow member of the expedition is threatening to dig up the dark secret from her scandalous past. Alone and vulnerable, she dares not confide in anyone—especially Lord James Jacquehart Pierson, a sinfully handsome rogue with whom she has clashed before. She is in desperate need of a hero, but Jack’s presence at the excavation ignites a different danger . . .

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

CE: I wish I had known more about all the great organizations like RWA that are out there for authors. I was clueless when I first decided to sit down and write a book, and so missed out on the great camaraderie and energy one gets from attending a conference or workshop.

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

CE: That’s too tough! I’d rather let readers decide.

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

CE: Smart, savvy, sophisticated, sexy.

DC: Book 3, To Tempt a Rake, will be out in March 2011. Can we push our luck and find out what to expect in Kate’s story?

CE: Kate has spent most of her life sailing to exotic ports around the globe, acquiring an expertise in botany, along with a few less ladylike skills. So when a deathbed promise to her parents brings her to London to seek a reconciliation with her grandfather, the imperious Duke of Cluyne, she feels like a fish out of water in Polite Society. Her outspoken views and fiery temper tend to set off sparks—especially with the arrogant Conte of Como. The man has a knack of getting under her skin, And if he gets too close, he might uncover her scandalous secret . . .

DC: What romance book would you recommend our readers pick up during their next bookstore run? (Well, along with any of your books, of course!)

CE: Lauren Willig’s latest, The Betrayal of the Blood Lily. (Lauren and I are co-teaching a course in historical romance at Yale this semester, which has been an amazing experience) Also, Laurel McKee’s Countess of Scandal, a wonderful historical romance set in Ireland.

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

CE: As I mentioned, I’m trained as a graphic designer, with a specialty in publication design. So I would be designing lavish, beautifully illustrated coffee table books.

DC: You’ve also written a couple of books, A Kiss of Spice and The Tiger’s Mistress, under the name of Andrea DaRif. Will you be writing books under either that name or Andrea Pickens in the future?

CE: Never say never! But right now, there are no plans for that. I’m really enjoying the direction of my Cara Elliott books and hope to continue with them for the time being.

DC: What’s on the horizon for Cara Elliott?

CE: My publisher and I are just working on an idea for a new trilogy, so I hope to be able to announce that soon!

Lightning Round:

– dark or milk chocolate?     – dark

– smooth or chunky peanut butter?     – chunky

– heels or flats?     – flats

– coffee or tea?    – both!

– summer or winter?     – summer

– mountains or beach?      – mountains

– mustard or mayonnaise?      – mustard

– flowers or candy?     – flowers

– pockets or purse?    – pockets

– Pepsi or Coke?     – neither

– ebook or print?    – print

And because we still enjoy the answers we get:

1. What is your favorite word?     – gallimaufrey

2. What is your least favorite word?     – no

3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?    – sunlight filtering through spring leaves

4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?    – preconceptions

5. What sound or noise do you love?     – waves breaking on a beach

6. What sound or noise do you hate?     – cellphone chatter

7. What is your favorite curse word?      – x-rated!

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?     – concert pianist (though I have absolutely no aptitude for music.)

9. What profession would you not like to do?     – Anything routine

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?    – “You made people smile.”