Weekly Announcements - 7 Aug 09

I'd like to welcome three new contributors, as well as the return of an old friend. Let me introduce them to you...

Harlequin Historicals author Blythe Gifford is a fellow member of my illustrious Chicago North RWA chapter, whose freelance work has been published in Writer's Digest and Novel Writer. Her debut novel, THE KNAVE AND THE MAIDEN was a Golden Heart finalist, and INNOCENCE UNVEILED was set in medieval Flanders! Her September release is IN THE MASTER'S BED, the sequel to her successful THE HARLOT'S DAUGHTER.

Margaret Mallory so enjoyed her guest post, in which she discussed her debut KNIGHT OF DESIRE, that she decided to stick around as a regular contributor! The next in her "All the King's Men" series, KNIGHT OF PLEASURE, will be released in December 2009.

Throughout her varied career, Kristina McMorris has been a freelance writer, wedding planner, television presenter, speechwriter, and two-time Golden Heart finalist. She recently sold her novel LETTERS FROM HOME, set in World War II Europe and on the American homefront. Its tentative trade paperback release date from Kensington is February 2011.

And finally we welcome the return of Zoe Archer, who took time off from our blog to concentrate on her writing, the result of which is her four-part Victorian "Blades of the Rose" series. Combining history, desire, romance, and high adventure, WARRIOR (09/2010), SCOUNDREL (10/2010), REBEL (11/2010), and STRANGER (12/2010) will be released by Kensington.

Welcome to all of our new members! I would also like to wish a fond farewell to three contributors whose commitments take them away from Unusual Historicals: Carol Spradling, Bonnie Vanak and Vicki Gaia. Thank you for everything, ladies!

These changes bring our strength to 25 contributors, all of whom look forward to bringing you new and interesting posts in the months and years to come.

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Michelle Styles has release dates for her upcoming Harlequin Historical and Harlequin Mills & Boon romances: THE VIKING'S CAPTIVE PRINCESS in December 2009; SOLD & SEDUCED in February 2010; and COMPROMISING MISS MILTON in May 2010.

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Erastes' FROST FAIR has been relaunched by Cheyenne Publishing with a beautiful new cover designed by Alex Beecroft.

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Jeannine van Eperen, who used to be a regular contributor to this site, has released a new work of historical fiction called A NEW DAY from Wings ePress. It centers on the trials and loves of three generations of women--Caroline, Augusta and Lucy--and depicts life in Pomeranian Prussia from 1848 to 1886, and immigrant life in Chicago from 1886 to 1914.

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Join us Sunday when author Mingmei Yip will be joining us to talk about PEACH BLOSSOM PAVILION, her gorgeous novel set in early 20th century China! You can read an excerpt here.

We'll also draw the winner of Margaret Mallory's KNIGHT OF DESIRE. You still have time to throw your name in the hat, if you haven't done so.

And stay with us throughout August when we'll be featuring authors who write everything from erotica to inspirational--but all unusual historicals! Amanda McIntyre, Christy Hubbard, Blythe Gifford, and Maureen Lang will be our guests. We hope you'll join us!

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Have a good weekend! If you have an announcement to make for next week, email Carrie. See you next week...

Jeannine van Eperen Book Giveaway Winners

We have winners from last week's Jeannine van Eperen's interview:

EVA S (WYDECOMBE MANOR) and DELIA (YOU CAN BANK ON IT)!

Contact Jeannine to give her your address. Books 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 book! Congratulations!

Weekly Announcements - 15 August 08

Hello! Jennifer Mueller sent along this article featured on the BBC about Harlequin Mills & Boon's 100th anniversary celebration. Check it out.

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Lisa Marie Wilkinson's latest WIP, "Forget Me Not," is a finalist in the published division of the RWA Heart of the West contest. Congrats, Lisa Marie!

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Charter Oak Romance Writers will be offering Anna Bowling's online workshop, "From Fan Fiction To Fantastic Fiction: Use the Media You Love To Create Stories Readers Can't Resist," in the month of September. All are welcome. Course fee $10/$15. For more info or to register, click here.

Course Description: Learn to use fan fiction techniques to create original stories and characters without having to look over your shoulder for copyright lawyers. Let favorite movies, television or music inspire your own creativity, put your own spin on archetypes and themes we all know and love and avoid the dreaded Mary Sue along the way.

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Join us Sunday when Anne Whitfield, one of our long-time contributors, will discuss WOODLAND DAUGHTER, her newest historical fiction hardcover.

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We'll also draw the winner of one of Jeannine van Eperen's newest releases. Leave a comment for your shot at winning.

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Have a good weekend. If you have an announcement to make for next week, email Carrie. See you next week...

Guest Blogger: Jeannine van Eperen

This week, we welcome the return of Jeannine van Eperen as she celebrates the release of two new books: WYDECOMBE MANOR and YOU CAN BANK ON IT.

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Free-spirited eighteen-year-old Mae Carter, has a thing for race cars drivers. Sardonic divorcee Julie McDougal was burned once in love and now shies away from commitments. Work-weary Holly Unbanski has a husband who isn't able to provide for her and their son. Prim, religious Rose Schultz prays daily for a man to come into her dull life. These are a few of those underpaid women who toil daily at the Duke City National Bank in 1955. Each hopes for a better life, and each has her own story.

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Can star-crossed lovers from another time, undo the heartbreak and tragedy of their past? Does a love so true never die? Or is it just a fantasy played out between two people whose genes were passed down with infinitesimal remembrances of their ancestors' lives? It is as if lightning strikes when Elizabeth sees Jonathan and a blazing flame arises, though the fire keeps the blood simmering, do time lines and loves blur into another realm and can a love denied be allowed to come to fruition? Grays believed in love for eternity, but was denied the woman he chose.

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Thank you, Jeannine, for joining us at Unusual Historicals once more. When you were last here, we talked about your historical adventure/romance DAUGHTER OF SPAIN.

Yes, we did speak of DAUGHTER OF SPAIN. That story was set in the early 1600s in Spain, the Canary Islands, Mexico, as well as the prime location of the New Mexico Territory, the settling of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Not only is Santa Fe a scenic location, it is also the oldest capital in the United States. In my book, the hero and heroine were outcasts of Spain settled near the capital. I'm very proud of DAUGHTER OF SPAIN as it is the book of my heart. I lived in New Mexico for a long time and truly love the state.

I understand you now have another book set in New Mexico. Tell me a little about that story.

YOU CAN BANK ON IT, published by Wings in June, 2008, is set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during the 1950s. At that time Albuquerque was one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. This story is general fiction about women who are employees of the Duke City National Bank. Most women during that time stayed home to raise their children and cater to their husbands. Magazines stressed "Togetherness of husband and wife," but there were other women who found they had to help support the family. There were, also, the as yet unmarried, who marked time at work waiting for Mr. Right. Women didn't and couldn't aspire to be bank managers or presidents; that was the domain of men.

The main characters of YOU CAN BANK ON IT are fun-loving Mae Carter, who works passing time until the day she marries and she is almost always in love and rather promiscuous for the time; Julie McDougal, at twenty-three is a divorcee with the small son. Julie was burned in romance and is sardonic regarding men. Holly Urbanski is a placid woman who has turned out to the be main breadwinner, supporting her husband, Ed, and their son.

Rose Schultz is in her late-thirties and at that time thought to be an old-maid. She prays every night to find a man who will love her. Vivacious Carlotta Garcia is happily married but is distressed because after ten years of marriage she has only three children, all sons. She yearns for a daughter. The bank's best kept secret lays with Ida Costello, who manages the bookkeeping department. The lives of these women (and more) as well as their men are woven together to present a very real look at the working world and life in the 1950s in an average American town.

You also have another very different book from YOU CAN BANK ON IT recently published, too, don't you, Jeannine?

WYDECOMBE MANOR was published July 15 by Whiskey Creek Press. This book is both a contemporary and an historical romance. When Elizabeth and Jonathan first see each other, quite by accident, something happens. Another lifetime in 1494 begins to insert itself into the present. Grays and Lizbeth were very much in love, but their love was denied them. Elizabeth and Jonathan aren't sure what is happening, but somehow everything seems to be connected to the old mansion high above the sea that Jonathan through an odd twist of fate inherits. WYDECOMBE MANOR takes place in Cornwall, England.

With this book, the setting chose me. I was travelling in Cornwall with my husband and our friends from England. I looked up and saw this magnificent large dwelling and I knew the house had a story to tell. I had no idea what kind of story until I sat down at my computer and started to type.

Do you mean you didn't know that WYDECOMBE MANOR would incorporate two love stories?

That is exactly what I mean. In the book the present couple felt like a fusion of some sort occurred, and the same must have happened to me. I was writing this contemporary and all-of-a-sudden I was deep into a historical. At least I landed in an era with which I was familiar. I've always been fascinated with the Richard III times and his life. Though Richard III has little to do with the story, I knew the background of the times well.

Do you have any other unusual historical in the works?

Yes, ROSE OF THE RIO GRANDE set during the Great Depression in a small New Mexico community will be published by Wings ePress in November. This is a G-rated romance, set in a tiny mountain village. Rose leaves Chicago to take the only employment she can find, that of teaching in a small church-run school. Rose’s father had died of a heart attack after losing all the family's money when the stock market crashed ushering in the Great Depression. Rose had finished her teacher training, but there were no jobs to be found, until fate takes a hand and sends her to New Mexico where the people weren't expecting Rose but a Ross. Rose wasn't about to be sent packing back to Chicago. She dug in her heels and hung onto her job, and wound up with much more than she ever expected.

Are there any places where a reader can find a synopsis and/or first chapter of your books?

Glad you asked that. My web page tells a little of each book that I've written and WYDECOMBE MANOR is my twentieth published book. YOU CAN BANK OF IT is number nineteen published. However, my books aren't published in the order written, except for WYDECOMBE MANOR, it was the last written and so far the last published.

My web page is here. It consists of several pages and one can double click on my photo and it takes one to the next page.

A reader can also go to my author's page of Wings ePress or at Whiskey Creek. You can reach my pages at the publishers by clicking onto the book covers on my web page, too.

Thank you for inviting me back to Unusual Historicals. It is always an honor to do an interview with you.

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Would you like a copy of either YOU CAN BANK ON IT or WYDECOMBE MANOR? Leave a comment or question for Jeannine and you'll be entered in a drawing for a free copy, your choice. You can until next Sunday when I'll draw a winner. Good luck!

Weekly Announcements - 8 August 08

It's been a busy two weeks, so lots of announcements...

Carrie Lofty, freshly returned from Nationals, is giving away a prize package of nine historical romances, some of which have been signed by their authors. How to win? Make up a story as to why these books need to belong to you. Crazy fiction encouraged! Deadline: Wednesday.

Carrie is also featured in this month's newsletter for Medieval Novels.Com. It's their special Robin Hood edition!

News from Nationals is incredibly positive, with some predicting that historicals will overtake paranormals in sales by the end of 2009. And more and more people are expressing an interest in historicals set in unusual times and places, even more traditional houses like Avon. We're ahead of the curve, ladies! Keep up the good work.

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Elizabeth Lane is going to be involved in a 2009 Christmas anthology, providing a western for Harlequin Historicals. She also received the cover for her newest western, THE BORROWED BRIDE, set in 1900. Gorgeous!

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Carol Spradling has been asked by The Wild Rose Press to be part of a 2009 Christmas anthology of stories set before 1900. Congratulations, Carol!

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Bonnie Vanak has sold two more Nocturne werewolf paranormals, along with a Nocturne Bite, an ebook novella. She also received the cover for the German release of THE PANTHER & THE PYRAMID and her newest Nocturne, ENEMY LOVER.

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Erastes has received two great reviews. The first, for "Hard and Fast" from SPEAK ITS NAME, is from Book Utopia Mom. She said it "thoroughly and utterly enchanted me." The second, for "Chiaroscuro" from Night Moves, is from Erotica Revealed, which declared, "The bejewelled writing style perfectly suits the period and the plot."

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Michelle Styles has been busy too. Her novel VIKING WARRIOR, UNWILLING WIFE received a great review from Medieval Book Reviews, calling it the "perfect combination of highly-charged tension and tender intimate moments amidst the political maneuverings of outside forces."

Michelle's September release, AN IMPULSIVE DEBUTANTE, is now available on the newly revamped Mills & Boon website.

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Anne Whitfield's newest release, WOODLAND DAUGHTER, is now available from Amazon.UK. Anne writes of this story, "This is the first book I've written set in the early Edwardian era of England and I thoroughly enjoyed writing it. Another 'first' for me is writing a book where the heroine is married and a mother at the start of the book, that made a wonderful change for me." Congratulations!

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Join us Sunday when Jeannine van Eperen, author of DAUGHTER OF SPAIN, will return to discuss and give away a free copy of YOU CAN BANK ON IT, set in Albuquerque in the 1950s.

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We'll also draw the winners of Marguerite Arotin's ONE ENCHANTED SUMMER. Leave a comment for your shot at winning.

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Have a good weekend. If you have an announcement to make for next week, email Carrie. See you next week...

Daughter of Spain Winner

We have a winner for Jeannine Van Eperen's Daughter of Spain giveaway: Carol! Contact me (Carrie) to give me your email address. Your 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 novel! Congratulations!

Guest Blogger: Jeannine Van Eperen

Please welcome this week's guest author Jeannine Van Eperen, author of Daughter of Spain, published by Wings ePress Inc.

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Spain is in turmoil. In the 17th century, Inquisitor Sarmiento is zealously continuing the Inquisition, ridding Spain of those he considers infidels and also increasing his own land holdings at others' expense. A victim of the Inquisition, Isabela and her mother are incarcerated in one of Sarmiento's dungeons. Her father has been killed. She is rescued when Don Carlos, Duque de Malagón, breaks into the castle to rescue his brother. He is too late to help his brother but Don Carlos takes Isabela and her mother to safety. Since he, too, must now flee the Inquisitor's long arm, he and his retinue leave Spain and sail for the New World to face a stark yet lovely land that brings the promise of new beginnings...if they can survive the many challenges ahead.

Why does DAUGHTER OF SPAIN fall into the category of Unusual Historicals?

Daughter of Spain is set in the early 1600s in Spain, the Canary Islands, Mexico and New Mexico. Not many stories that have that criterion, which sets the story as unusual.

How did you come to choose the early 1600s for your story's setting?

I think the setting chose me. I lived in New Mexico for many years and love the state, the scenery, the people and the climate. One day the dungeon scene entered my brain. Isabela and Señora Fresquez had always been pampered noblewomen and now they were in a rat-infested nasty place. The Inquisition ran for many years so I was at liberty to chose any of those years. I decided the time of the settling of Santa Fe, before the revolt of the Native Americans against the Spanish oppressors, would be the best time. I don’t know of any other novels set at that particular time and place.

Did you need to do research on the period?

Yes, I already knew some of the history but did delve into books of New Mexico history and also of the architecture of the time. I also needed to read up on the Canary Islands and Mexico as Carlos and Isabela's trip takes them to those places before they come to Santa Fe.

Does the Duc de Malagon settle in Santa Fe?

There is a valley not too far from Santa Fe that produces apples that I, and almost everyone in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, love, so I decided I would place the couple's new home in such a valley. So the answer is no, he doesn’t, but some in his retinue do settle there, and Isabela must reside there until Don Carlos can provide a home for her.

Why doesn't Carlos settle in Santa Fe proper?

Don Carlos is used to having large estates. He persuades the New Mexico governor to grant him lands, and with those lands he will produce food and wool that the populace will need. In turn, the governor may call upon him for military service when needed to quell riots at various pueblos.

Don Carlos and Isabela's marriage is one of convenience. Do you care to elaborate?

Isabela is very young when they meet, only fifteen. Though it is true some women did marry that young, Don Carlos judges her too young and innocent to be a 'real' wife. Isabela feels that her husband will never love her. As innocent as she is, she believes she is his truly his wife in all ways. Just when Isabela starts to think he may care for her, she sees Don Carlos with beautiful Doña Eleanora, his best friend's wife. Isabela thinks the worst and another barrier rises between them.

What is the hardest part of setting a story in this time period?

I hope I got the ship right. I have been on a few old ships such as the Victory and I know they were very cramped for space, and I had seen and visited a replica of the Santa Maria. I keep thinking how remarkable it is that such small ships made such voyages. I'm sure I would have been quite stir-crazy cooped up like those passengers and sailors were.

Have you written any other stories with unusual time settings?

Yes, I have several that I guess people would say are unusual settings. CHILDLREN OF ST. YVES takes place in the 1940-1950s in a small village in France; LILA'S PROTÉGÉ is a sequel and is set in the 1950s through the late 1970s in France and the USA, and that is followed by BEFORE THE STAR FADES, primarily set in the 1970s and 1980s but also in many other times, such as ancient Egypt, through reincarnation flashbacks. Though a trilogy, each book can stand alone.

TRAIL TO BLISS is a historical western set in Arizona in the 1890s. It is sort of a tongue-in-cheek, at times humorous story. At least I think so! It features a self-proclaimed woman preacher who is out to tame the "wickedest city in the west," Contention City, the ruins of which, by the way, abut my nephew's ranch. It's published by Awe-Struck and has garnered quite a few good reviews.

ACCORDING TO THE RULES is set from about 1937 to the late 1940s again in France and also Switzerland and its background is the world of ballet.

ROSE OF THE RIO GRANDE will be published sometime later this year and it is set in New Mexico during the time of the Great Depression in the 1930s. Also, YOU CAN BANK ON IT, also to be released this year, is set in the 1950s. Both of these are from Wings ePress.

WYDECOMBE MANOR is a romance set in Cornwall, England, that goes back and forth from 1494 to the present. This book will be published in July by Whiskey Creek Press. It seems I use unusual years for most of my books. I do write some straight contemporary settings, too.

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Thank you so much for having me as a guest, and please visit my website to see more about my books.

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Prize Draw: Leave a comment and you're in with a chance to receive a copy of Daughter of Spain. I have one waiting here for you, courtesy of Jeannine. The winner will be chosen at random next Sunday. Be sure to check back next week to find out who has won!