I have a fabulous contest starting tomorrow over at my Dawn Halliday site. If you’re a writer and you’re looking for an agent, this is for you! Go check it out!

www.dawnhalliday.com

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!

When Jackie Barbosa, the author of the upcoming erotic historical romance anthology, Behind the Red Door, offered me an early copy of her book, I was so excited! I’d heard great things about her writing, and couldn’t wait to dive in. I read it (devoured it, actually) as quickly as my nutty schedule would allow, and Jackie certainly didn’t disappoint! I thoroughly enjoyed all three stories.

JH:Can you tell me a little about how you sold BEHIND THE RED DOOR to Kensington?

JB: Mostly, it was pure, dumb luck. On something of a lark, I queried John Scognamiglio at Kensington Books with a novella called Wickedly Ever After. I was shocked when I received a request for the full manuscript within less than 24 hours. I dutifully printed and mailed the manuscript, then started checking the mailbox for the rejection letter. A couple of weeks after I mailed the manuscript, I received an email from John asking if I had outlines for the other two connected novellas mentioned in my cover letter. I said, yes, of course. (I didn’t say they were only in my head.)

I wrote out the outlines and sent them by email. A month passed. One afternoon at 4pm, the phone rang. My son answered it. “Mom, it’s for you,” he hollered. Thinking it was someone from my office, I came downstairs to answer in my bathrobe (I tend to shower late in the afternoon–ah, the life of a work-at-home mom!). When John identified himself, I nearly fainted. I don’t think I heard a word after that, but I knew I’d just been offered a contract for publication.

JH: How and why did you start writing romance?

JB: The why part of that question is a lot easier to answer than the how. I write romance because I love to read romance. Although there’s more to it than that, if I’m honest, because there are many other genres I also enjoy reading (I’m a sucker for a good murder mystery, for example, and love historical fiction). But I love reading and writing romance because it allows me to relive those giddy days when I, myself, was falling in love, and because, though I’m remarkably cynical and unromantic in many ways (I’d take a practical car over a diamond ring as a present any day), I do believe in happy endings and happily ever after.

The how is harder because, once I discovered romance in my reading material, I was already an obsessive writer (which is not to say a good one, lol). I can’t remember a time when I didn’t write and/or tell myself stories. Once I discovered romance as a reader, though, I knew it was what I wanted to write.

JH: Why have you chosen the historical period of the Regency as a setting for your stories? Do all the stories you write take place in the Regency?

JB: I’ve always like reading Regencies, but when I started writing, I actually concentrated on the early Victorian period more than the Regency because I’m interested in the way the social strata of English society was changing at that time and how that can drive the conflict between two characters from different classes. I’m not comfortable, however, in the later parts of the Victorian period (neither hoops skirts nor bustles sit well with me from a fashion perspective, lol), so I’ve always tended toward the earlier part of the 19th century.

Behind the Red Door wound up being set in the Regency primarily because the stories just seemed to FIT in that era. Particularly, Scandalously Ever After, the middle novella, virtually required a Regency setting because the hero is tortured by his memories of war, and although the English were certainly involved in wars throughout the 19th century, the Peninsular Wars were the most defining.

JH: Writing novellas can be a challenge for authors who are used to writing longer (like me!). What’s your secret?

JB: Um, short attention span? Seriously, one of the best things about writing short is that, when you hit 25k, you’re almost done. There’s just not time to become bored with the story or the characters or worry too much that everything you’ve written is a waste of byte space. I have a lot of unfinished manuscripts to my name, and they mostly remain unfinished because I lost interest in them and got a better idea at right around the 25-30k mark. But it’s a lot easier to avoid that if, at 25-30k, you’re darn near done.

That said, the first book I ever finished writing was a single title that clocked in at a massive 136k in the first draft. I didn’t have the first idea about writing short, and worse, I realized that in writing a long story with a complex subplot, I was losing sight of the romance, which after all, was why I was writing the book in the first place.

So, when Ann Aguirre challenged her blog readers to write a short (<15k) for an Ellora's Cave call for submissions, I took up the gauntlet and came up with an idea for a Regency-set short that I called Carnally Ever After. Writing that short was difficult, but I learned a lot from it, including exactly how to keep the story focused on the developing romantic relationship.

For me, writing novellas was a great exercise. I think it taught me how to write a tighter, stronger romance. Now, as I go back to tackling full-length novels with subplots, I find I do a better job of not wandering too far away from that romance, even when I’m exploring the sub-plot elements.

JH: Do you consider Behind the Red Door erotica or erotic romance? What is the difference between erotica and erotic romance?

JB: Behind the Red Door is definitely erotic romance because each of the stories focuses on the development of a single romantic relationship and ends with a happily ever after for the protagonists. For me, the defining characteristic of a romance is the focus on the courtship/falling in love and the HEA ending.

Erotica, by contrast, doesn’t need to have an HEA ending (or even a “happy-for-now” ending) and doesn’t focus on the protagonists developing a romantic relationship, but rather on the protagonists’ exploration of sexuality and sexual relationships. To me, that’s a key difference. One isn’t better than the other, by any means, but they are different.

I kind of think of the difference between erotic romance and erotica as being roughly akin to the difference between traditional romance and mainstream women’s fiction with romantic elements. It’s all about the focus of the story. If the focus is the romantic relationship (whether between two character or more than two characters), it’s a romance, even if that relationship is developed and explored primarily through sex. If the focus is on sexual exploration and discovery, then it’s erotica, even if there are some romantic elements.

Or at least, that’s my opinion .

JH: Of your three heroines, Miss Eleanor Palmer, Calliope, and Lady Jane, which one do you see yourself most likely to become close friends with?

JB: I suppose Eleanor and I have the most in common since we both spent a fair proportion of our time reading and translating Greek and Latin poetry–and at roughly the same age! But both Callie and Jane hold special places in my heart, so really, it’s a tough choice.

JH: If you were trapped on a desert island with your heroes, The Marquess of Grenville, Captain Jack Prescott, and Gerard Nash, and they all were vying for your “attentions,” which one do you think you’d succumb to first?

JB: Again, tough choice! But if I had to guess, I’d Jack would get to me first. He’s just so darned tortured and in need of rescue and sympathy. But I’m pretty sure I’d succumb to the other two in very short order!

JH: What are you working on now?

JB: I’m hoping to go out on submission soon with a proposal for a series of three single title historicals set in early Victorian England. The first, titled Unashamed, features a decidedly non-traditional heroine and a former French spy as the hero. More than that, I’m not willing to say. I have this curious fear of “jinxing” it by saying too much.

Thanks so much for visiting with me today, Jackie! You’ve got me thinking about super sexy erotic historical romances–after reading this fantastic book, I’m hankering for more!

If you comment with a book suggestion for me, I’ll enter you in a drawing to win a signed copy of Jackie’s Behind the Red Door! Winners will be announced at midnight (Pacific time) on Friday, May 22.

Today marks Tessa Dare’s first release. She’s going to have a huge debut for her novel Goddess of the Hunt in July, mark my words, but there’s been lots of buzz about her novella released today from Samhain Publishing, Legend of the Werestag. Tessa’s voice is exquisite and not to be missed!

Also, as I was browsing around the Samhain site, I realized two books I’ve critiqued (and loved) are currently on Samhain’s bestseller list. Called By Blood and Bound By Blood by Evie Byrne are not your “average” vampire books. Evie is, like Tessa, one of those writers that has a way with wit and words that will just make you happy while reading her books, guaranteed!

I’m so thrilled and excited to have worked with both these amazingly talented authors & to call them my friends. From the moment I opened the document and read the first pages of their writing, I’ve been hooked. They’re both great people, too, who have supported me on this wild journey to publication. So, to thank them, and to thank you for stopping by, I’m giving away three e-books to three different winners. If you win, you can select an e-book of your choice:

The Legend of the Werestag by Tessa Dare
Called By Blood by Evie Byrne
Bound By Blood by Evie Byrne

All you need to do is respond and let me know about an author you’ve been hooked on ever since you read that first page of the first book you ever read by that author. Who had you at “hello”?

I’ll announce the winners on Friday!

An average day in Jennifer’s life:

6:30: Mr. Haymore wakes me up. I’m not very happy about this and I turn over and try to go back to sleep. He’s forced to yank the covers off me and drag me to the shower.
7:00: Get the kids dressed, breakfast made, lunches made. Make sure everyone’s backpack is ready to go.
8:00: Drive carpool. Me and six kids in my car. Fortunately, I’ve discovered that books on tape is one way to calm them down. We’re currently listening to Lemony Snicket’s The Grim Grotto. Poor Sunny!
8:30: Go to the post office, run to the store to buy a birthday card for the preschooler’s teacher.
9:00: Take the preschooler to school. We arrive late, as usual.
9:30: Get home, finally get a cup of coffee and open my emails. As always, there are bunches of time-consuming issues to deal with and responses to make.
10:30: Finally get to work. Today I’m finishing up edits on a manuscript. I’d like to finish before picking up the preschooler. I don’t.
12:30: Pick up preschooler.
1:00: Pick up the two boys early from school and hurry them home to brush their teeth for dentist appointment.
1:30: Dentist appointment. I have computer propped on my lap in hopes of finishing the edits (I don’t).
3:00: Leave dentist, expressing disappointment in the oldest’s toothbrushing capability. He has four cavities. FOUR!
3:15: Run around like a chicken without its head looking for the middle child’s gear for baseball. He needs about 20 different items for these games, and never can find about half of them. Nor can the oldest find his fencing gloves (which I told him to put in a safe place!).
3:45: Arrive at baseball game in the cold. Bundle up and set computer on my blanket-covered lap in hopes of finishing edits (I don’t). Supervise the oldest doing homework while the game starts. The preschooler finds a friend and is occupied.
5:30: Mr. Haymore arrives at game, which is going fairly well, despite my son having a tantrum because he hasn’t gotten a hit. I immediately leave to take oldest to fencing class.
6:00: Fencing starts. My computer battery dies and there are no plugs (hence I’m still not able to finish those blasted edits!), so I watch my son fence instead.
7:30: Arrive home from fencing. Make dinner, get everyone ready for bed.
8:00: Deal with broken vacuum cleaner. It’s a true family affair as we debug the problem.
9:00: Kids are in bed, I’m exhausted, and…

My writing day begins!!

I mostly write when the house is quiet and no one’s around to use as a distraction. Last night, though, I was sooo tired. Instead of writing 3000 words (my goal) and finishing the edits, I wrote about…oh, zero and got through only about 2/3 of the edits. By by nine, I just couldn’t face any more, so I took a respite and watched the Oscars (Mr. H. DVRed them for me while I was off somewhere writing). Unfortunately, they cut off just as they were about to announce the winner for best actress. I could have cried. Thank goodness for internet…but it still wasn’t the same as seeing it live (well, DVRed, but live to me, anyway!).

Maybe I’ll get that 3000 words written today… Sigh! I tell you, some days I think it’s a miracle I’ve managed to write anything at all…

So I just finished researching marriage traditions of the 18th century. There are actually two marriages in this book…ahhh, but no spoilers today!

As usual, I ended up getting distracted–this time by marriage rites of various cultures during that same century, and I came across a description of the marriage ceremony of the Hotentots:

The Suri, or master of religious ceremonies, pisses on the bridegroom, who receives the stream with eagerness and rubs it into the furrows of the fat with which he is covered. He performs the same ceremony on the bride, who is equally respectful.

Sketches of the History of Man By Henry Home Kames, 1813

Um….yeah.
Just makes me happy I write romances that take place in the United Kingdom! The culture and society was different from ours…but rather easier to portray as romantic, in my opinion.

One of my favorite romance blogs is Risky Regencies, where they’re talking today about “The First Time,” i.e. the virginal heroine and how she is portrayed in historical romance.

Kate, the heroine of my current book, is my very first virginal heroine. Kate is a woman whose rampant curiosity nearly overwhelms the entire experience of her deflowering. So I find this topic particularly interesting, because they’re talking about what makes and breaks a “first” sex scene in historical romance (particularly Regencies).

Along a similar vein, I’ve been reading about women’s ideals of romance and maidenhood, and how they were viewed by writers in the 19th century. Here’s one opinion:

Madame St. Henry was as sweet and amiable a woman as I have ever known. She bore her husband’s ill-treatment as saints do their earthly injuries, and made him such a wife as all men desire but few deserve.

She had one–fault, shall I call it? No; it was a weakness: her sensibility of disposition was the grave of her happiness. In the days of her romantic maidenhood she had indulged this passion so fatal to the serenity of human life; so that when the blast of the world came she had no strength to resist it. She had formed an idea of the happiness of married life, such as all women of refined and sensible dispositions will form; and she was disappointed, as all such women assuredly will be.

So highly wrought had been her feelings that she found no fortitude within herself to sustain this cruel shock. Soon after having given birth to the subject of this memoir she died, and was perhaps glad to get to her grave.

–The London Magazine By John Scott, John Taylor, 1824

So much for romanticism, huh? Sigh…

The heroine of the book I’m currently writing, A Touch of Scandal, is a lady’s maid. In A Touch of Scandal, Kate has just been upgraded to the position, and unfortunately, she’s not very good at it.

So off I ventured into Google Books, looking for more information about lady’s maids. And look what I found! Perhaps if Kate took some advice from Punch, she’d fare better. For example:

“…you should pocket any trifle that is left carelessly out of its place. I do not mean to say you should become a thief, for if found out you would lose your place … but you may take care of a thing till it is missed … It is then time enough for you to find it in some hole or corner into which it has of course got by accident.”

(Very wily…hmm…perhaps Kate can “find” something her mistress is searching for…something ever-so critical…)

“You should endeavour at all times to save your mistress trouble by acting for her as much as you can … dress as much like her as possible. Order about other servants just as she would herself and talk to tradespeople exactly as if they were being spoken to by your mistress…”

(Of course! If Kate acts in this way, then it won’t surprise a soul when she marries a man with a title!)

“Manners form an essential part of the qualities of a lady’s maid, and making one’s self agreeable is the best mannered thing one can possibly accomplish. This is to be done by praise, for nothing is more agreeable to a lady than flattery. However sensible your mistress may be, she is sure to have a share of female vanity; and even if she knows herself to be ugly altogether, she will fancy she has some redeeming feature. If she squints, praise her complexion; if that is bad, tell her she has beautiful eyes; if she has a dumpty figure, praise her face; and if her countenance is as ugly as sin, tell her that her shape is exquisite.”

(Yet another way for my Kate to win her mistress’s favor…isn’t Punch brilliant?)

These are excerpts from an article entitled “The Lady’s Maid” from a Punch Magazine dated 1845: Punch By Mark Lemon, Henry Mayhew, Tom Taylor, Shirley Brooks, Francis Cowley Burnand, Owen Seaman.

Too bad it was written a good 20+ years after Kate’s lady’s maid dilemmas are solved, or I might actually have her consult Punch for advice at some point.