24 September 2010

Weekly Announcements - 24 Sept 2010

The fifth and final new addition to our roll of contributors is Harlequin Spice author AMANDA McINTYRE. Welcome! Amanda's work includes THE DIARY OF COZETTE, set in Victorian England, which released as one of eHarlequin's top ten bestsellers. TORTURED takes place in Britannia in 500 A.D. and was voted one of the Top Ten Best Erotic Fiction Reads at eHarlequin. Her novella "Winter Awakening" in WINTER'S DESIRE, takes place in 1119 Wales, and her latest, THE MASTER & THE MUSES returns to Victorian England. It was awarded 4.5 Stars from RT Book Reviews, which wrote, "At the center of this unique story is an irresistible hero, Thomas Rodin. Complicated and charismatic, he's matched by his muses in complexity, making THE MASTER & THE MUSES a very special reading experience." Here's the blurb:
Icon, rebel, unabashed romantic...with a single look painter Thomas Rodin conveys the ecstasy of creativity--the pleasures awaiting the woman who can fuel his artistry.

The Innocent: What did this master artist see in me? Genius abided in his soul, rapture in his flesh--I doubted not. To refuse him...my folly. To surrender...my sensual salvation.

The Upstart: I chafed at the bonds of servitude until he set me free. I turned my back on all that I knew to follow him and found myself between two men--master and student--one whom I loved with my heart...the other with my body.

The Courtesan: I understood, perhaps better than any, his needs. I stoked the fires of his soul, the spark of his creativity--he made me a legend. But never could I forget his searing touch...

Three transcendent tales of women bewitched by a master of seduction--a slave as much to his art as to his boundless passion.
Here's a little more about Amanda:
From her early days of reading Vampirella and Hitchcock, to writing a Fine Arts column supporting music education, Amanda McIntyre's zest for experiencing life has provided fertile ground for her creative story ideas resulting in a number of published works in contemporary, paranormal and historical women's fiction. Preferring the title 'storyteller' to 'author,' Amanda loves to challenge her characters and her readers to look beyond the ordinary to the extraordinary, where anything is possible! Amanda lives with her never-a-dull-moment family in the Midwest. Even better than researching history, she enjoys visiting with her readers!
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MICHELLE STYLES is pleased that her IMPOVERISHED MISS, CONVENIENT WIFE will be released in Italy in October with the title Notte di Nozze. You can purchase it here.

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One of our new contributors, STEPHANIE DRAY, was featured on Dear Author, telling her first sale story. Check out how she made her big break, and learn more about her alter-ego, Stephanie Draven.

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CARRIE LOFTY was recently mentioned on All About Romance in Lynn Spencer's recent article about sibling relationships in romance, which cited the tense and rocky dynamic between the sisters in WHAT A SCOUNDREL WANTS and SCOUNDREL'S KISS as being particularly emotional. What a nice surprise!

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Join us Sunday when Kensington author SARAH PARR will be here to chat about her 18th c. pirate adventure romance HIS FOR THE TAKING. She'll also be giving away a copy to one lucky commenter! Be sure to join us then.

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We'll also draw the winner of CHRISTINA PHILLIPS' FORBIDDEN guest appearance on Sunday. You still have time to leave a comment or question for your chance to win.

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Stay with us through the coming weeks when we'll be featuring the best unusual historical authors! Zoe Archer, Jeannie Lin, Renee Ryan, and Beth Trissel will be our guests. Join us!

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Have a good weekend! Remember, you don't have to be an Unusual Historicals contributor to submit good news to the weekend announcements. If it has to do with unusual historicals, we'd love to shout it out to the world! Send announcements to Carrie. See you next week...