Michelle Styles' A Christmas Wedding Wager has been nominated in the "Best European Historical" category in the All About Romance Reader's Poll.
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Vicki Gaia's book Eliza's Hope has received an excellent review from Romance Reviews Today:
I loved this book. I was completely pulled into the story, right from the very first page. Eliza is an amazing character, a woman with firm beliefs and the strength to stand up for her convictions. This story is steeped with the details of the time, and I could fairly hear the shouts at the suffrage rallies! ELIZA'S HOPE shows that even those with the bleakest of beginnings can overcome enormous obstacles and find their own happily-ever-after. This is truly a wonderful book."
~ Kay James
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Join us Sunday when our guest author will be Christine Burrows!
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Have a good weekend. If you have an announcement to make for next week, email Carrie! See you next week...
Hi! My name is Annie Burrows, and I was thrilled to be the winner in the prize draw for a copy of Michelle Styles's A Christmas Wedding Wager. Along with the announcement saying I had won, was an invitation to get back to you, and let you know what I thought of the book--so here goes!
I have been a fan of Michelle's writing since I bought a copy of The Gladiator's Honour, in May 2006. I picked it up initially because it was written about a time I find fascinating, but since reading it, I look out for anything by Michelle. So it was an especial bonus for me to find I was the winner of this particular prize draw.
It arrived within a day of me claiming my prize, and I promptly began to read. Now, I have to confess, I do not often read stories set in Victorian times. Knowing the hero is wearing a frock coat and top hat is nowhere near as appealing as picturing him in a toga and sandals. However, Jack Stanton does not disappoint. A self-made man who has had to battle his way to the peak of his chosen profession, he has a hard edge which makes him comparable to Gaius Gracchus Valens, the gladiator. I spent an indulgent couple of afternoons curled up on my sofa with Jack Stanton and a mug of tea.
And I found myself becoming fascinated by the Victorian England Michelle depicts. She has moved away from the more typically portrayed London society, to the industrial North. I am sure she must have done tons of research to make the background detail so convincing. But it is not just a pedantic recital of facts. Somehow Michelle manages to make her settings come alive. I could almost feel the mist writhing up off the Tyne and into my living room.
The heroine of this story, Emma, reminds me a bit of Lydia Veratia, from Sold and Seduced, in that she is struggling to cover up the deficiencies of her male relatives, and getting no gratitude whatsoever. I found myself getting quite indignant on her behalf when all her efforts to save her father's firm kept falling foul of the prevailing patronising male attitudes towards women. And then positively annoyed with Jack for totally misunderstanding her.
In short, I got totally hooked on the characters and plot!
Thanks Michelle, for creating another good read,
Annie
Harlequin Historicals author Elizabeth Lane will be our guest in January to promote her newest release, On the Wings of Love, which is set in the 1910s. She has generously offered a copy for one of our contributors to review in conjunction with her promo day, scheduled for Jan 13th. Let Carrie know if you're interested in receiving the copy. The review must be submitted by Saturday, January 12. First come, first served.
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Michelle Styles has had a great week! A Christmas Wedding Wager has been called "simply enchanting" (Romance Reader Connection), and it received a "B" and a "Recommended Read for December" from Dear Author: "this is the perfect book to get a romance reader in the holiday mood."
In addition, two of Michelle's Roman-set novels have been issued in translation. A Noble Captive has been translated into Italian, titled Nell'Antro della Sibilla, and Gladiator's Honour has been translated into Greek, titled O Monomaxos.
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Carrie Lofty's first published short story, "Sundial," has a release date from The Wild Rose Press: December 19. "Sundial" won TWRP's "Through the Garden Gate" time travel contest in the Vintage (1950s-60s) category.
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Have a good weekend! Remember, if you don't get your announcements to me, I can give you your dues! If you have an announcement to make for next week, email Carrie! See you next week...
Sorry I'm late with the announcements, ladies. Here goes:
Carrie Lofty has posted the book trailer for her short story, "Sundial," available in December from The Wild Rose Press.
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The sequel to Michelle Styles' A CHRISTMAS WEDDING WAGER will be released in the UK in December 2008, titled AN IMPULSIVE DEBUTANTE. Also, TAKEN BY THE VIKING will be released in the US in May 2008.
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Jacquie Rogers has two contests going:
Jacquie's Great Holiday Contest Fest, Week 8
Drawing date: November 28, 2007. Enter for a chance to win A RESTLESS KNIGHT (The Dragons of Challon, Book 1) by Deborah MacGillivray. "Written with a finely tuned passionate and sensual voice this love story will simply take your breath away." ~Marilyn Rondeau, RIO Reviewer. To enter, go to Jacquie's website and click on contest.
Name That Christmas Carol!
A multi-author, multi-prize contest to put a little ho-ho-ho into your holidays. This scavenger hunt is certain to bring back fond memories that might bring you and your loved ones together in the grand game of carol identification--and just might land you one of our 21 prizes. That's right! Thirteen authors and 21 prizes! To enter, go to Jacquie's website and click on contest. Click on "Name That Christmas Carol," and you'll find the rules and other participating authors there.
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Jean Adams' A PLACE OF HEALING has been contracted with The Wild Rose Press. Set on a New Zealand beach, it tells the story of a policewoman with a tortured soul and a sexy psychologist determined to help her. Congratulations, Jean!
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Anne Whitfield's short story from The Wild Rose Press, "To Love Again," received a lovely review from Joyfully Reviewed. "'To Love Again' has caught exactly the longing for and the fear of beginning a new relationship. Anne Whitfield’s book is well written, and the heroine is well rounded enough to be able to laugh at herself."
Blurb: Ellen is running late to catch a train to catch a plane. But as she packs, she wonders if she's doing the right thing. Harry is there at the airport, waiting for her. She also knows he's waiting for much more. He's hoping this holiday together will cement their relationship. Does she want it to? Does she need it? Can she start another chapter of her life, which includes a man again?
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We have a winner for Michelle's A CHRISTMAS WEDDING WAGER release party: Annie Burrows! Contact Michelle by e-mail to get her your home addresses. Prize must be claimed by next Sunday or another winner will be drawn. Please stop back later to let us know what you thought of her newest release. Congratulations!
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Happy Friday, and have a good weekend! Remember, if you don't get your announcements to me, I can give you your dues! If you have an announcement to make for next week, email Carrie! See you next week...
Monday 19 November sees the official publication in the UK of Michelle Styles's new book A CHRISTMAS WEDDING WAGER, as part of the single title duo CHRISTMAS BY CANDLELIGHT. And although the official publication date for the US edition isn't until 1 December, it is already in stock at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Michelle stopped by to answer some of Unusual Historicals questions and to officially launch the book.
First Romans, then Vikings and now Victorians. Why Victorians?
When my editor first asked me to do a Christmas book, I said that it would have to be Victorian rather than Regency, as the Victorians re-invented Christmas. Christmas up to the Puritans was mainly an adoption of the Roman festival of Saturnalia and other pagan mid winter festivals such as the Scandinavian Jul. It then fell into disuse and during the Regency time, there were many who did not mark the day. It was not until Dickens published his Christmas stories, in particular A Christmas Carol that people really began to celebrate Christmas again.
Are there any real differences from the Victorian English celebration and our celebration today?
One of the biggest differences is the figure of Santa Claus. In the early Victorian period, he was called Old Christmas and more a Father Time figure--thin and rather stern. The more jovial Father Christmas did not develop until the 1870s. Old Christmas carried a punch bowl, had a yule log strapped to his back and wore green robes. I think it is one of the reason why the ghost of Christmas Present wears green robes in A Christmas Carol.
And what about Christmas carols?
Most of the songs we know as traditional Christmas carols were written in the period from 1200-1640, dying out again with the Puritans. The first modern collection of carols ancient and modern was compiled by Davies Gilbert (whose method for calculating the torque of a suspension bridge remained in use for over a 100 years) and appeared in 1822. He was attempting to preserve the remains of this dying tradition. Christmas broadsheets also started appearing, and the patterers (the men who sold the broadsheets) would sing the tunes, passing them on in this fashion.
Tell us a bit more about the book. Is it a Christmas story? Or has it been adapted for the Christmas season?
It takes place during the Christmas season of 1846 in Newcastle Upon Tyne. And the build up to the Christmas festivities in the industrial North does play a significant role in the book. The blurb reads:
Lovely Miss Emma Harrison has long turned her back on the frivolities of the Marriage Mart and dedicated herself to helping her father. But this Christmas everything changes--the unforgettable Jack Stanton is back! No longer the charity boy determined to make good, he has become one of the richest men in England. Driven to succeed and used to getting anything he wants, Jack makes it clear that he wants Emma.
And as the Yuletide festivities throw Emma into his company, she can’t help but wonder if she made the right choice seven years ago...
You can read an excerpt here.
Is there anything unusual about the story?
It is set in the northeast of England and it has a self-made man as a hero. I loved being able to have a civil engineer as a hero as at the time they were treated as the peace time equivalent of heroic soldier. So much went into building the early bridges and tunnels and the civil engineers put their lives on the line.
The reviewer on Publishers' Weekly Beyond Her Blog expressed a wish that you might write a sequel. Is this going to happen?
It has already happened. My daughter was so taken with a secondary character, Lottie Charlton, that she demanded her story. I wrote Viking Warrior, Unwilling Wife and then gave into her demands. My editors adore Lottie's story and were supposed to title it this week and firm up scheduling, but illness struck and this has been put off. At the moment, all I know is words like Scandal, Secret and Debutante are being bandied about. It is tentatively scheduled for release in the UK in August 08 and it should be my next North American release as well.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am currently doing the revisions for the first part of my Regency duo. It is again set in the Northeast and deals in part with the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution. The revisions are some of the hardest that I have ever tackled, but ultimately I hope the reader will get a really good read. I then have to write the second part and am facing a deadline in early January. After that, I think I am writing my third Viking.
Many thanks for dropping by! You can purchase A CHRISTMAS WEDDING WAGER via Amazon, Amazon.ca, Barnes & Noble, eHarlequin, or from your favorite independent book retailer. CHRISTMAS BY CANDLELIGHT can be purchased via Amazon UK and Amazon.ca.
Michelle is giving away a copy of A CHRISTMAS WEDDING WAGER. All you need to do is post a comment--maybe about your favourite Christmas tradition or Christmas carol. The winner will be chosen at random. Be sure to check back next week to find out who has won.
Erastes sold a short Victorian story to Cleis Press for an Erotic Alphabet Anthology J IS FOR JEALOUSY, and another short 1950s historical to Men Magazine. In addition Fleury, a character from STANDISH, did an interview on "In Their Own Words," a blog where authors can do interviews with their characters from their books. Congratulations!
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Karen Mercury has received a nice review for her newest African historical, STRANGELY WONDERFUL:
The setting gives this novel all the strangeness the reader could desire, and is written with a sly irony by the author, who received high acclaim for her previous books, The Hinterlands and the Four Quarters of the World.
C.L. Rossman of Armchair Interviews
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Join us Sunday when we'll have a release party for Michelle Styles' holiday tale, A CHRISTMAS WEDDING WAGER.
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Happy Friday, and have a good weekend! Remember, if you don't get your announcements to me, I can give you your dues! If you have an announcement to make for next week, email Carrie! See you next week...
Bonnie Vanak's new website is up. Also, Bonnie and her long-time buddy Jennifer Ashley are running a special blog contest to celebrate their fifth year of publishing and to help out debut Dorchester authors. One lucky winner will receive a book from the backlists of Bonnie, Jennifer and Colleen Thompson. Details can be found at either Bonnie's blog or Jennifer's.
Also, Bonnie's December Silhouette Nocturne release, THE EMPATH, received four stars from Romantic Times BookClub magazine and a 5/5 rating from Night Owl Romance. Little Sunshine of Night Owl Romance wrote:
Ms. Vanak's THE EMPATH is a force to be reckoned with as this author has concocted a smooth and sensual story guaranteed to please readers longing for strong characters intertwined with magical and mystical beings. This story is a recommended read and I will definitely be looking for other releases by Ms. Vanak!
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Anna C. Bowling's QUEEN OF THE OCEAN received a B review from Jayne at Dear Author.
Honestly I wasn't quite sure how you'd end it but I enjoyed the heroine's quick witted response and the joy between the two of them. And you even manage to include enough about the villains so that they're not totally two dimensional.
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Carrie Lofty's short story SUNDIAL, the winner of The Wild Rose Press's "Through the Garden Gate" contest, Vintage (1950s-60s) Category, will be published in December.
Amber Schulman stepped into a lush English garden in 2007, only to arrive in breathtaking Sorrento, Italy--in 1958. The only person who understands her confusion is fellow time traveler Mark Lacey, a New Yorker who comes from the land of cassette tapes and Reaganomics. His dark, world-weary eyes beckon her with secrets and sensuality. But why does he seem so familiar?
Trapped in the past since he was a teen, Mark wants nothing to do with another whining newcomer. But the blue-eyed Aussie might be able to answer the one question that haunts him: Do I ever get back to 1987? From soccer to samba to sex, Amber tempts him with a zeal for life and love, pulling him free of his lonely isolation.
But getting home proves easier than they imagined. How will their love endure when Amber returns to her time--and Mark to his?
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Jean Adams' Egyptian time travel, ETERNAL HEARTS, now has a web trailer. ETERNAL HEARTS is coming soon from Highland Press.
Also, Jean's manuscript PRINCE OF SECRETS finaled in the Wallflower Contest sponsored by the From the Heart Romance Writers. The category was "Best Opening Hook," and her MS will be one of three judged by editor Brenda Chin of Harlequin.
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Michelle Styles' latest release, A CHRISTMAS WEDDING WAGER, has received a great review from Loretta over at Barbara Vey's Publisher's Weekly blog:
An intriguing and unusual romantic tale and I enjoyed every page of it. The lovely heroine and the handsome, rich hero involved themselves in a "thrust and parry" fashion towards each other throughout the book. ... The villain fit his role exceedingly well and I wanted to hiss him aloud. My only wish was that the story was longer or that there may eventually be a sequel.
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Join us Sunday when our guest blogger will be Susan Flanders, royal historian.
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Happy Friday, and have a good weekend! Remember, if you don't get your announcements to me, I can give you your dues! If you have an announcement to make for next week, email Carrie! See you next week...
