Guest Author: Kieran Kramer & Giveaway!

I’m so thrilled to have a special guest on my blog today—the fabulous author of humorous Regency romances, Kieran Kramer!  Kieran’s debut novel, When Harry Met Molly, was a breakout hit on the romance writing scene.  It’s the first book in her Impossible Bachelors series, and it garnered rave—and I do mean rave—reviews, including starred reviews from both the Library Journal and Booklist.

It also received this Top Pick Review from RT Book Reviews:

“You’ll smile and even laugh out loud reading Kramer’s delectable debut—even the title’s nod to the famous film elicits a grin. With her perfect sense of pacing, comic timing, poignancy and marvelous characterization, this utterly enchanting new voice will have you eager for more.”

Books two and three in the series are Dukes to the Left of Me, Princes to the Right and Cloudy With a Chance of Marriage.  Besides having FABULOUS titles, they also received great acclaim, including more Top Picks and starred reviews.  And no wonder—I can assure you that Kieran’s books are delightful, romantic reads.  If you haven’t read the first books in the Impossible Bachelors series, you really must!

Kieran has a new book coming out in November—If You Give a Girl a Viscount—and it promises to be just as much fun as her earlier books.

Kieran is here today for a fun little interview, giving us a glimpse into her writing life.  Please welcome the wonderful Kieran Kramer to the blog!

Hi Kieran!  It’s so great to have you here with us.  I have a question I’ve been dying to ask—who are some of your favorite Regency rakes, real or fictional?

Oh, my goodness, I have *one* huge Regency crush–who else but Mr. Darcy? But I also fall madly in love with Mary Balogh’s heroes!

When you’re writing a book, do you avoid reading other Regency historical romances?  What genres do you like to read instead?

When I decided to get published, I thought, “I should do what the successful people do, and maybe I’ll be successful, too.” And so I listened to every word that came out of Debbie Macomber’s mouth. One thing she said was that she reads outside her genre when she writes (which is why she loves Regencies, LOL!). Anyway, that habit really resonated with me. So I have missed out on lots of great Regencies. I’m dying to read Sarah MacLean’s ELEVEN book, Julia Quinn’s ALMOST LIKE HEAVEN, and loads of other Regencies.

To be honest, when I got published, I wasn’t reading a whole lot of Regency historicals other than Julia Quinn and Mary Balogh’s. I had read a huge stack of Signet Regencies in college, but then I moved away from historical romance in general for a long time. Mary Balogh, Amanda Quick, and Julia Quinn brought me back, not that others couldn’t have done the same, but I had lots of other reading interests to indulge, too, all those years. During that more “contemporary “era,” I was reading lots of Jennifer Crusie, Jayne Anne Krentz, and Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I also fell in love with Janet Evanovich and Sue Grafton. I also read a lot of non-fiction and re-read some classics, including children’s classics with my kids.

Does music help you write? Do you put together play lists for each book? If not music, what other creative techniques do you use to spark your imagination?

Yes, music helps me a lot when I write. But I’d say 50% of the time I write in total silence. It depends what is required in the scene and what my brain needs to get creative. The closer I get to deadline, the more I listen to music. I don’t come up with playlists book by book–I tend to stick with the songs that inspire me all the time. This list I came up with on my Spinsters Club blog covers some of the basic tunes that rev my Muse.  Music, movies, going on a walk with my dog, hanging out and listening to stories from family and friends, reading the newspaper, surfing the Net…those are my indulgences that grease the rusty cogs of my imagination.

Thanks so much for being with us today, Kieran!  Just for my readers, Kieran will be giving away an extra special treat–a Regency-inspired porcelain tea bag rest along with some “tea time” goodies and a signed copy of Cloudy With a Chance of Marriage.  (Kieran’s cat Joon is not part of the giveaway!)

 

Kieran and I thought it would be fun to talk about books—what have you read recently that really knocked your socks off?  And if you have any questions for Kieran, feel free to ask!

Guest Feature: Miranda Neville & Giveaway!

The tag line on Miranda Neville’s website is: Sexy Sophisticated Historical Romance.  And are they ever!  Miranda’s books are both sexy and sophisticated, and so beautifully written they are pure joy to read.

Miranda grew up in England, and like many historical romance writers she fell in love at an early age with the novels of Georgette Heyer and Jean Plaidy.  This misspent youth (as she refers to it) set her on a path to Oxford to study history.  She then went on to spend several years working for Sotheby’s, the famous auction house, writing catalogues of rare books, original letters, and manuscripts.  How cool is that?  Not to mention being a perfect background for a future historical romance writer.

And that background did pay off.  Miranda’s first published book was released by Avon Books in 2009 to great reviews.

Here’s what Publishers Weekly had to say about Never Resist Temptation:  “Neville throws disguises, secrets and vows of vengeance in the way of true love…the byplay between the hero and heroine is genuine, lusty and fun.”

Who doesn’t like genuine, lusty fun, I ask you?

One of the things I really love about Miranda’s writing is how skilfully she uses the conventions of the genre while creating unique characters and unusual storylines.  The Wild Marquis is the first book in The Burgundy Club series, and the heroine is not a society miss but a shopkeeper who owns a bookstore.  In Never Resist Temptation, the heroine is forced to disguise herself as a pastry chef in a royal kitchen—I love that!

Here’s what RT Book Reviews  had to say about The Wild Marquis and its wonderfully unusual setting:

“Neville brings on the sizzle along with an intriguing and unique Regency backdrop — a nobleman’s “addiction” to rare book collecting — in the well-crafted start to the Burgundy series.”

What a great idea for a story, don’t you think?  You can read all of Miranda’s blurbs and reviews, and check out her excerpts on her Books page.

Luckily for us, Miranda has a new book out:  The Amorous Education of Celia Seaton.  First of all, great title!  Second of all, check out this fabulous cover:

Rowr!  Already the book has been getting great reviews, including this one from the New York Journal of Books:

“The best description for this new novel from Miranda Neville is wonderfully adorable. The spirit, the joie-de-vivre, and the wit make the dialogue sparkle and the characters pop… Readers looking to be delighted won’t have to look any further than this novel.”

And here’s the blurb:

Being kidnapped teaches Miss Celia Seaton a few things about life

LESSON ONE

Never disrobe in front of a gentleman … unless his request comes at gunpoint.

LESSON TWO

If, when lost on the moors, you encounter Tarquin Compton, the leader of London society who ruined your marriage prospects, deny any previous acquaintance.

LESSON THREE

If offered an opportunity to get back at Mr. Compton, the bigger the lie, the better. A faux engagement should do nicely.

LESSON FOUR

Not all knowledge is found between the covers of a book. But an improper book may further your education in ways you never guessed.

And while an erotic novel may be entertaining, the real thing is even better

Oh, I am so there!

You can find The Amorous Education of Celia Seaton on Amazon and at all the usual booksellers.  Just check out Miranda’s website for all the handy buy links.  While you’re looking around her website, check out Miranda’s group blog, The Ballroom.  New to the blogosphere, The Ballroom is home to six noted Avon authors, including Katharine Ashe and Sarah MacLean, plus Lady B and Albert the parrot.  Stop on by to check out the gossip and dancing!

Miranda has very graciously donated a copy of The Amorous Education of Celia Seaton for my readers today.  Since Miranda’s first book involves pastry, let’s do something with that.  What is your favorite kind of pastry?  Petit fours, a chocolate croissant, or are there some days when nothing else but a Krispy Kreme donut will fit the bill?  One person who comments will win a copy of Miranda’s book.

We Have A Winner!

And the winner of Sarah MacLean’s new book, Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart, is Cate Sparks!  Congratulations, Cate.  I’ll be in touch shortly.

Thanks to everyone for stopping by the blog yesterday to take part in the discussion.  It was fun!

Sarah MacLean & Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart

I love Sarah Maclean, and even a quick visit to her website will tell you why.  First of all, there are her taglines:

I write books.  There’s smooching in them.

Best. Taglines. Ever.

But wait!  She has a Regecy-specific tagline, too:

Fetch the smelling salts.

And you’d best have your maid fetch those smelling salts because you just might swoon from reading her books – she’s that good.  Sarah is smart, funny, and her writing is impossibly accomplished.  Her first book, a Regency YA, debuted to enthusiastic reviews and her first adult romance, Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake, landed on the New York Times bestseller list, the USA Today bestseller list, and won the Romantic Times “Historical Romance of the Year” award.  Yowzers!

Sarah has a new book out this week.  It’s Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart, which is book 3 in the Love By Numbers series.  It’s already gotten phenomenal reviews, including a starred review from Booklist, a top pick from Romantic Times, and a coveted “A” rating from Dear Author.

Sarah’s books are witty, romantic, poignant, and utterly charming.  If you haven’t yet read her, you simply must!

There were some other fantastic books released this week, including Kris Kennedy’s Defiant, Mia Marlowe’s Touch of a Thief, and Anna Campbell’s Midnight’s Wild Passion.  In fact, Anna will be here on my blog this Friday to talk about her latest book and to give away a copy.  It’s always a good time when Anna is in the house, so be sure to stop back.

To celebrate the release of Sarah’s book and my own release of My Favorite Countess on May 3rd, I’m giving away a copy of Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart.  Just tell me what books you’re looking forward to reading in the next few weeks.  One commentor will win a copy of this wonderful book!

Happy Easter!

For all who celebrate, my best wishes for a happy and glorious Easter spent with loved ones and including lots of great chocolate!  I’ll be spending the holiday with my family, but I’ll be back on Wednesday with all the latest news on Sarah MacLean’s next book, Eleven Scandals To Start To Win A Duke’s Heart.  Rumor has it that there’ll be a giveaway, and you won’t want to miss that!

In fact, I’ll be doing a lot of giveaways over the next few weeks to celebrate the May 3rd release of My Favorite Countess.  Make sure to stop back for all the details!

Have a great holiday, everyone!