As my hero prepares to undress my heroine in my current book (A SEASON OF SEDUCTION starring Lady Rebecca from A HINT OF WICKED!), I am researching stays (corsets) and how they were worn in the 1820′s, and I came upon a story of a mother who has three children, like I do.

Matilda is a fine woman of good breeding, great sense, and much religion. She has three daughters that are educated by herself. She will not trust them with any one else.

Gee, so far Matilda sounds like the kind of mom I am. So I read on:

Matilda never was meanly dressed in her life; and nothing pleases her in dress but that which is very rich and beautiful to the eye.

Okay, I’ll admit to being attracted to nice clothes. In fact, just today I bought my daughter a very cute outfit at Gap Kids…

I continue reading on:

She stints them in their meals and is very scrupulous of what they eat and drink and tells them how many fine shapes she has seen spoiled in her time for want of such care. If a pimple rises in their faces she is in a great fright and they themselves are as afraid to see her with it as if they had committed some great sin.

Oh dear! My kids aren’t at pimple age yet, but I sure hope if they ever get pimples, I’ll not blame *them* for it! Now I’m beginning to worry about this Matilda…

It goes on to say that if the girls begin to look flushed, she calls in a doctor to keep their complexion from becoming too “coarse and ruddy.”

Uh. Okay.

By this means they are poor, pale, sickly, infirm creatures vapoured through want of spirits, crying at the smallest accidents, swooning away at anything that frights them, and hardly able to bear the weight of their best clothes.

This is seriously beginning to depress me. And then I read this:

The eldest daughter lived as long as she could under this discipline and died in the twentieth year of her age. When her body was opened it appeared that her ribs had grown into her liver and that her other entrails were much hurt by being crushed together with her stays which her mother had ordered to be twitched so strait that it often brought tears into her eyes whilst the maid was dressing her.

Wow. Just wow.

From A serious call to a devout and holy life: adapted to the state and condition
by William Law – Religion – 1821 – 346 pages

To win a copy of A HINT OF WICKED plus a pre-release copy of my alter-ego Dawn Halliday‘s brand-new hot Highlander book, HIGHLAND OBSESSION, just visit my CONTEST page and let me know your favorite site to go to to find great new books to read!

Here’s the cover of HIGHLAND OBSESSION. Isn’t it…yum?

Congrats to Marie C., who won my “Wicked” contest with Christine Wells. Marie wins signed copies of A HINT OF WICKED and Christine’s WICKED LITTLE GAME! Here are Marie’s favorite wicked characters:

“Wicked-yum! — Right now I’m lovin’ two men, Lucas from Nalini Singh’s ‘Slave to Sensation’ and Viscount Vale from Elizabeth Hoyt’s ‘To Seduce a Sinner’.

Wicked-eeeuuuwww! — Prince Humperdinck (from the ‘Princess Bride’)”

LOL! I love the “Wicked-eeeuuuwww” answer! Congratulations, Marie!

Wow, what a month. Between baseball, end-of-school craziness, and the book release & blog tour, I think the dust is finally beginning to settle. Well, except for the fact that my agent called to let me know book #3 is now due a month earlier, because my publisher would like to schedule 2 books for me in 2010! Yay! But…eek! For the next few months I’m going to be The Little Engine That Could…

I have a GREAT contest in the works! (Hint: It involves my agent and/or a barrel of awesome signed books!) So please check in often! I don’t know exactly when we’re going to get started, but I do know it’s going to be a blast.

I’m holding a contest with the amazing Christine Wells, whose next book, WICKED LITTLE GAME, is releasing in July. I’ve had a sneak peek at this story, and it is absolutely fabulous. If you’d like to be entered in the drawing, just visit my extras page.

Though my books generally are more about characters than they are about actual historical events, I spend a great deal of time researching the historical backdrop. When I researched A HINT OF WICKED, I spent a lot of time neck-deep in divorce and separation laws of the period, and I read some really interesting case studies! I blogged about one of them today:

My Book Addiction and More

Come by to read the wild story of the 3rd Duke and Duchess of Beaufort’s nasty divorce and comment to win a copy of A HINT OF WICKED!

Also, just a reminder, through June, the publisher is offering A HINT OF WICKED in ebook format for just $1.99 (or even less). Check the Sony eBook store, Books on Board, the Kindle store, the iPhone App store, Fictionwise (where it’s only $0.85 for club members! WOW!), or anywhere ebooks are sold.

Thanks to everyone who entered the scavenger hunt! The winner of the Victoria’s Secret products is….(((drumroll)))….

Mary P!

Mary, please email me with your snail mail address by next Friday, and I’ll get these in the mail!

BLOG TOUR UPDATE

Today, you can find me at two great sites!

http://www.thebookgirl.net – review and giveaway
http://yougottareadreviews.blogspot.com/ – review and giveaway

The second site talks about what happens on page 18 of the book. Are you curious what that might be? Well, head on over to Barnes & Noble, where you can click “see inside” and read up to (and beyond) page 18. It’s a great way to see whether you think A HINT OF WICKED is for you!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Hi, everyone! I’m in huge state of excitement, because A HINT OF WICKED is being sighted everywhere around the country, in Canada, and even in Australia! So I think it’s time for a little celebration!

So here it is: A Scavenger Hunt. Browse around this website and find the answers to the questions below. When you’ve found them, go to my contact form. In the subject field, put “Scavenger Hunt.” In the message field, answer the following questions:

(1) In the first chapter of A HINT OF WICKED, Sophie has been kicked by a horse, and she’s bruised. Where is the bruise located? (Hint: Read the excerpt…)

(2) In the step back of A HINT OF WICKED, what color is the ribbon that binds Sophie’s wrists? (Hint: Put your mouse on the book cover…)

(3) When will A TOUCH OF SCANDAL be out? (Hint: Check the FAQs…)

(4) Can I add you to my email and snail mail mailing list? (you can still win if you say no, lol!)

If you send me the correct answers by midnight (PST) on Friday, June 5, I’ll put you in a drawing to win the following *awesome* wicked-sexy products from Victoria’s Secret (retail value: around $58-click on each product’s name to learn more from the Victoria’s Secret site):

-Rapture Golden Pearl Shower Cream, 4 oz.
-So Sexy Root-Lift Volumizing Spray, 5 oz.
-Very Sexy For Him Hair & Body Wash, 8.4 oz.
-Secret Charm Ultra Softening Body Butter, 7 oz. (brand-new scent!)
-Vanilla Lace Ultra Softening Body Butter, 7 oz.
-Plus Jennifer Haymore’s WICKED Raspberry Crush Hand & Body Lotion, 2 oz.
-And a few fun author goodies!

Remember, you have until midnight, PST, June 5! Have fun, and thanks for stopping by!

BLOG TOUR UPDATE: If you’re interested in winning a copy of A HINT OF WICKED, Isalys has five to give away! Head on over to Book Soulmates and check it out. This is a new-to-me blog, and it’s great. I can’t wait to try the recipe for the brownie-bottom cheesecake…yum…

Hi Everyone!

This is my son’s first baseball tournament weekend. Game at 10:30 today, and if they win, championship game at 1:00! Busy, busy!

But even though I won’t be here much, I’m out and about on the web! Come check out my interview at Robin Bielman’s blog, and my guest blog at Lust in Time, where I’m talking about my personal love triangle experience!

PLUS, my publisher is giving away 5 (count ‘em-FIVE!) copies of A HINT OF WICKED on today’s blog tour stop: http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/. There’s a nice review up at that blog as well! I’m still a little bowled over when I hear someone has actually read the book! LOL!

Okay. Must have more coffee… Was up verrrry late last night writing about hot Highlanders…

Happy Memorial Day to all my fellow Americans!

Tomorrow I’ll be interviewing Jackie Barbosa, the author of Behind the Red Door, which releases from Kensington next week. Behind the Red Door is erotic Regency romance you don’t want to miss! At the end of the day, Jackie will be giving away a copy of Behind the Red Door to one commenter!

Also, be sure to check out the Wicked contest I’m having with the brilliant Regency romance author and RITA nominee, Christine Wells, for a chance to win a prize pack containing both of our upcoming Wicked releases!
Contest Page: http://www.jenniferhaymore.com/bonus-features/contest/

Finally, take a look at my busy schedule for the next couple of weeks! I’m doing a Blog Tour organized by my publisher, as well as tons of interviews, guest blogs, and giveaways. Some of these book/reading blogs and sites are new to me, and they’re fabulous! So go check them out, and maybe win a book while you’re at it!
Appearances Page: http://www.jenniferhaymore.com/bonus-features/appearances/

Congrats to Pam P, who won a copy of A HINT OF WICKED from my last blog post.

I’m gearing up for the blog tour, answering interview questions like a madwoman! Do you think it’s okay to copy and paste when two people ask me a similar question? Hmmm….I feel kind of guilty doing that!

I’m also gearing up for more contests here, more giveaways, and more silliness as my excitement (and craziness) mounts every day before release day! So stay tuned. There will be more (much more!) fun to be had hereabouts…

In the meantime, a copy of A HINT OF WICKED is up for grabs over at Jackie Barbosa’s blog! So if you didn’t win the last contest, come check that out…more of my deepest, darkest secrets will be revealed! Hehe!