THE TAMING OF MEI LIN Winner!

We have a winner for Jeannie Lin's "THE TAMING OF MEI LIN" guest blog. A free copy of goes to:

WALT M.!

Contact Carrie to provide your preferred email address and format (Adobe PDF, Adobe EPUB, Microsoft eBook, or Microsoft MOBI). The book must be claimed by next Sunday or another winner will be drawn. Please stop back later to let us know what you thought! Congratulations!

Weekly Announcements - 11 Sept 2010

As we continue to revamp our contributor line-up, we'd like to introduce another fine author joining our ranks. Please welcome Victorian author Anthea Lawson, the husband-and-wife writing team who penned ALL HE DESIRES and the RITA-nominated PASSIONATE! Here's more about this fantastic addition to our blog:

Anthea is one-half of the writing team Anthea Lawson--husband and wife authors who live in the Pacific Northwest. They love unusual locales and situations. Their first Victorian-set romance, PASSIONATE, was released from Kensington books in October 2008. It features a botanical expedition to Tunisia, and was a nominee for the prestigious RWA RITA award for Best First Book. Their second novel, ALL HE DESIRES, was released in November 2009. Set partially on the Isle of Crete, ALL HE DESIRES "deftly combines danger, desire, and a deliciously different Victorian setting into a sexy version of Victoria Holt's classic gothic romances." ~ Booklist Reviews.

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Congratulations to long-time contributor Karen Mercury, who sold a M/M/F story set in during the California gold rush to Siren/Bookstrand. Her new release will hit the shelves in January 2011, title TBD.

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Zoe Archer's WARRIOR has certainly made a splash for its debut last week. The first of the four-part "Blades of the Rose" series received great reviews over at Fresh Fiction (WARRIOR is one of the best books I have read in years.) and The Misadventures of Super Librarian (This is the stuff of old-fashioned Saturday matinees, Errol Flynn movies and Indiana Jones.). Congratulations!

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As part of the New Voices competition and the reopening of Haltwhistle Library celebrations, Michelle Styles will be giving a workshop on "Creating a Page-Turning Read" from 10:30-11:30 am on Saturday, September 18. The workshop is free but limited to 25 spots. Contact the library on 01434 321863 for more details.

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Carrie Lofty will also be giving a workshop on September 18, from 9:30-noon for Mad City Romance Writers in the Middleton Library in Middleton, WI. The topic will be Starting the (Academic) Year off Right. Hope to see you there!

And although this doesn't have anything to do with Unusual Historicals, Carrie is quite happy with the artwork for her June 2011 apocalyptic paranormal romance, NIGHTFALL, co-written with Ann Aguirre under the name Ellen Connor.

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Join us Sunday when Harlequin Historicals author Lila DiPasqua will be here to chat about her debut, a short-story collection based on classic fairy tales called AWAKENED BY A KISS, set in 17th century France. 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 Jeannie Lin's "THE TAMING OF MEI LIN" 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! Christina Phillips, Sarah Parr, and Zoe Archer 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...

Guest Author: Jeannie Lin

This week on Unusual Historicals we're welcoming contributor Jeannie Lin as she celebrates the release of "THE TAMING OF MEI LIN," a Harlequin Historicals Undone set in Tang Dynasty China!

When a corrupt local official wants to take Mei Lin as, not second, but third wife, she rebels and makes an outrageous declaration--she'll only marry a man if he can defeat her in a sword fight. She has managed to fend off the local thugs and village hopefuls, but then a tall, mysterious stranger comes into town...

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What made you decide on the Tang Dynasty as a setting for "THE TAMING OF MEI LIN"?

I explained to someone recently how the Tang Dynasty to Asians is how many people think of the Regency period in England. The Tang Dynasty was a golden era of high culture. It was a time of beautiful art and music, literacy, and diplomacy. The clothes and fashions were lavish as a reflection of the wealth and ministers and courtesans alike were expected to be witty, intelligent, and charming. Most importantly, women enjoyed more independence during this time with several noteworthy women rising to the highest positions in the empire. This was a time ripe for strong, larger than life heroines.

What really attracted me to the Tang Dynasty was the fall of the empire, which actually happened over a period of two hundred years. This was a more tumultuous time when I envisioned the empire still enjoying the wealth of its height, while political skirmishes and the rise of powerful warlords chipped away at its foundation. The inherent conflict there was too rich to ignore.

What were some of the challenges of making such an unusual time period accessible to readers?

I knew that the language and specifically the names could be a barrier. I went back and forth a lot with how much Chinese to insert and also took care to use names that were easy on the ear and the eye. I also knew readers had expectations about China. I received a lot of comments about foot binding and how my heroines could behave so independently in a culture when women were subjugated.

I tried to focus building a vivid and authentic world and hoped that the more readers became engaged in the story and the characters, the less they would doubt the historical details.

Your Harlequin Undone, "THE TAMING OF MEI LIN," features several fight scenes. What sort of research went into that?

I love sword fights! I've always loved watching a hero and heroine duke it out with swords. The duel in Red Sonja between Arnold and Brigitte Nielson is one of my favorites. It just doesn't happen enough.

As to research, I trained for two years a long, long time ago in Wing Chun Kung Fu. During that time, I took several seminars on the butterfly sword form. In that style, the double short swords are an extension of your arms. The sword techniques are extensions of the hand to hand techniques. I thought that style was perfect for my heroine and I understood the principles of the system enough that I felt I could make it authentic.

"THE TAMING OF MEI LIN" is described as a linked short story to your October debut, BUTTERFLY SWORDS. Can you explain the link between them?

Ai Li is the heroine of BUTTERFLY SWORDS. "THE TAMING OF MEI LIN" is the story of her grandmother and grandfather, who I envisioned as having many heroic tales of their own in the past. So the short story is a prequel to BUTTERFLY SWORDS. In it, I got to explore what events contributed to Ai Li's feisty, yet honorable nature and what gave her the strength find love on her own terms.

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Be Sure to join the Sept.-Oct. launch celebration for "THE TAMING OF MEI LIN" and Jeannie's October debut, BUTTERFLY SWORDS, at this special website. Jeannie will be giving away actual butterfly swords, great books, and this original artwork as part of the festivities!

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Thanks for stopping by, Jeannie! The buzz is already huge for BUTTERFLY SWORDS. Jeannie is giving Unusual Historicals readers a little taste of this excitement before her October debut. Leave a comment of question for Jeannie for your chance to win a copy of "THE TAMING OF MEI LIN," a short story from Harlequin Historicals Undone. The story is available in Adobe PDF, Adobe EPUB, Microsoft eBook, or Microsoft MOBI formats. I'll draw a winner at random next Sunday. Void where prohibited. Best of luck!

Excerpt Thursday: Jeannie Lin

This week on Excerpt Thursday we're welcoming contributor Jeannie Lin as she celebrates the release of "The Taming of Mei Lin," a Harlequin Historicals Undone set in Tang Dynasty China. So exciting! Join us Sunday when Jeannie will be here to talk about this short story and answer questions, as well as give away a digital copy. Don't miss it!

When a corrupt local official wants to take Mei Lin as, not second, but third wife, she rebels and makes an outrageous declaration--she'll only marry a man if he can defeat her in a swordfight. She has managed to fend off the local thugs and village hopefuls, but then a tall, mysterious stranger comes into town...

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Shen Leung extracted himself from the tavern to taunting and cries of "One more round!" The chorus finally faded by the time he made his way to the shed behind merchant Wang's house. The storage area had been cleared and swept so that a cot could be laid out to serve as a bed. He unclasped his sword belt and managed to shrug out of his tunic before sinking onto the cot.

Among the many cities and villages he'd passed through, this place was truly remarkable. The people were generous, the wine strong. And the woman...

He closed his eyes and she was there. Mei Lin. Pretty, pretty Mei Lin and her deadly butterfly swords. The noodle shop wouldn't be open this late, otherwise he'd go there now and spend what little coin he had even though he wasn't hungry.

He'd stolen glances from the tavern to search the stand throughout the evening, but she'd never returned. There had been such a quiet sorrow about her after the duel was finished. He'd felt the echo of it inside him. Every time he tried to make an excuse to leave, he'd been dragged back by well-wishers demanding stories of his travels.

Perhaps there would be time in the morning. He'd visit the stand before he left and she'd be there in the sunlight, as beguiling as she'd been when he'd first seen her. She had such delightful skin. The women of these southern regions were so soft and curved and feminine. So different from the harsh northern steppes. He pulled the quilt over his shoulders and prepared to dream.

With a sharp crack, the door flew open. He jerked awake and sat up so fast that the world tilted. A wash of moonlight highlighted the form in the doorway. He'd know that silhouette anywhere. That slender waist and graceful neck. His eyes had already committed Mei Lin to memory.

"Shen Leung."

Tentatively she stepped forward. Her hair was pulled up into a simple knot and her skin glowed in the pale light. Elegant. Sweet. Tempting.

She blinked at him, then glanced away. The blanket had slipped from his shoulders and the stir of the air against his skin reminded him that he was half-naked before this maiden. Blood gathered in his loins alarmingly.

"Mei Lin?" His voice came out thick and huskier than he had expected.

Her mouth pressed tight. It was then that he noticed the glint of the butterfly sword in her hand.

"Shen Leung, you are going to die tonight."