Hi, everyone! I’m over at Petit Fours and Hot Tamales today, and I’m giving away a copy of A HINT OF WICKED, so please come on over and say hi!

And now for the Fun Fridays Winner:

First Name: Jo

Last Name: W.

Email: nmjaw@y…

Congrats! Jo, please go to my contest page and select the two books you’d like. Then email me with your books and your snail mail address.

Thanks to all of you who entered! And–yay!–almost everyone had the right answer! Tristan is the hero who had dreams of traveling to Egypt when he was young.

Here is the question for this week:

What is your favorite historical romance or historical fiction book of all time?

You can also let me know why you loved it so much if you like (but this is not a requirement!). I’m looking for new books for my to-be-read pile!

So head over to my contest page and enter! Have fun!

Today’s winner, selected by random.org:

First Name: Pam

Last Name: P.

Email: pambook@o…

Congratulations, Pam! Please go to my contest page and select the two books you’d like. Then email me with your books and your snail mail address.

Thanks to everyone who entered! The answer to the question “Who is Jennifer’s alter-ego and what is her current release?” is “Dawn Halliday and Highland Obsession.” Just about everyone got it right!

This week’s question is:
Which character in A HINT OF WICKED dreamed about visiting Egypt when he was younger?
(Hint: read the excerpt of A HINT OF WICKED)

So head on over to my contest page and enter! Have fun!

I’m blogging over at Grand Central Cafe about the end of summer today! What’s going to be most memorable to you about this summer?

Please come on over and say hi.
http://grandcentralcafe.blogspot.com/

Today’s winner, selected by random.org:

First Name: Brenda

Last Name: R.

Email: dancealert@a…

Congratulations, Brenda! Please go to my contest page and select the two books you’d like. Then email me with your books and your snail mail address.

Thanks to EVERYONE who entered! Of course, the two most common answers to the question “A TOUCH OF SCANDAL features one of the heroes from A HINT OF WICKED as its hero. What is his name?” were “Tristan” and “Garrett.” I’m not going to tell you which one is right!

This week’s question is:
What is the name of Jennifer’s alter-ego, and what is the title of her current release?
(Hint: check the blog archives, the answer is found in August 14th’s post…)

So head on over to my contest page and enter! Have fun!

I’m so excited-I’m starting to see the reviews trickle in for HIGHLAND OBSESSION. Here’s what people are saying about this book:

“…uses a love triangle to explore not only the possibility of loving more than one person but the bonds of male friendship and how obsession warps the soul. All these strong themes are well handled in this satisfying read.”

4 Stars, RT Book Reviews Magazine

“A fantastic balance of erotic detail and deep emotional connection. This one is going on my keeper shelf.”

Jess Michaels – Author of TABOO

“Two bold, scorching hot heroes and the woman that ignites the flame…this book sweeps you off your feet and into a romance as untamed as the wild Scottish Highlands. I was captivated.”

Emma Wildes – Author of AN INDECENT PROPOSITION

“…Highland Obsession hits the mark for me … Dawn Halliday has done a beautiful job of making it all come to life.”

5 Hearts, Recommended Read, Night Owl Romance

I had the most fun ever writing this book, and the research…ahh! LOVED it!

The Highlands are such a rugged, grounded place, and its people and their ideas about honor and duty are fascinating to me.

For an excerpt of HIGHLAND OBSESSION, click here (adults only, please!).

To buy it:

Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | Borders | Chapters.ca

I’m researching scandalous marriages today and came across a lecture entitled “On Woman” delivered by Colonel Willyams at the Cornwall Literary and Philosophical Society in 1819.

The good colonel spends some time extolling the virtues of women, but then turns to their more despicable qualities. Then he says he’s set up some “rules and regulations” for women that he intends to get passed as an act of parliament. For women who break these rules, he suggests a “female court martial” made up of “gentlewomen of tried candour.”

What are the proposed rules, you ask? Well, here they are. I have to chuckle when I relate this to the writing community/blogs/etc. Most of us would be in big trouble!

ARTICLE 1st:

RULE: All ladies must diligently attend holy services.

PUNISHMENT: If a lady goes to church and behaves improperly, if married, she will be brought before the court martial to be “publicly and severely reprimanded.” If she’s not married, she must forfeit twelve pence.

ARTICLE 2nd:

RULE: Ladies must never speak in a disrespectful manner towards their superiors.

PUNISHMENT: Any lady to use “treacherous or disrespectful” words against her superior in rank or reputation must be rejected by her own society and “put to the bottom of the list.”

ARTICLE 3rd:

RULE: A lady can’t be mean to anyone who’s prettier or more accomplished than her, and she can’t hurt their feelings or dishonor them.

PUNISHMENT: “Any married unmarried or widow lady who shall behave herself contemptuously or spitefully towards her superior in beauty or accomplishment or shall speak words tending to her hurt or dishonour shall be punished accordingto the nature of her offence by the judgment of a female court martial.”

(Yep, I hurt your feelings, so I must PAY!!!!)

ARTICLE 4th:

RULE: No lady can cause or join in any scandal.

PUNISHMENT: If a lady is found guilty, she must “suffer silence, or such other punishment as by a female court martial shall be awarded.”

(Yeah, “silence” was italicized. What is “silence,” I wonder? She’s not allowed to talk at all?)

ARTICLE 5th:

RULE: Any lady present at a scandal must immediately “impart the information to her husband, father, brother, or other commanding officer.”

PUNISHMENT: Those who break this rule shall suffer the same punishment as article 4th.

(‘Cause, you know, the guys MUST know all the gossip, too….)

Here is the lecture (from Ackerman’s Repository) in full from Google books:


Sometimes, we’ve just got to appreciate the fact that we don’t live in the 19th century!

Congrats to Jessica M., who won (per random.org) my most recent contest! She gets a copy of A HINT OF WICKED by me, a copy of HIGHLAND OBSESSION also by me (but writing as Dawn Halliday, lol), and a bunch of author goodies.

Thanks to all who entered the contest! I asked about online sites that you go to for book information and your entries introduced me to several brand-new-to-me sites!

Stay tuned for my next contest. I have a wild idea for an ongoing contest to build up for the release of A TOUCH OF SCANDAL…

And, if you’re a writer, be sure to check out my contest over at Dawn Halliday’s site. There’s still time to enter for a critique by agent Barbara Poelle!

Thanks again! And congrats to Jessica!

Ahhh…HIGHLAND OBSESSION. It’s a love triangle like A HINT OF WICKED…but different. A touch more erotic, with two hotheaded Highland men and one very determined woman. I LOVED writing this book! I’m so thrilled about its release!

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.