Guest Author: Lila DiPasqua

This week here at Unusual Historicals we're welcoming contributor Lila DiPasqua as she celebrates the release of her debut, AWAKENED BY A KISS, available now from Berkley Sensation. This collection of re-imagined romantic, erotic fairy tales is set in 17th century France!

Sleeping Beau: Five years ago, the notorious rake, Adrien d'Aspe, Marquis de Beaulain, was awakened by a sensuous kiss--and experienced a night of raw ecstasy that was branded into his memory. Years later, he spots his mysterious seductress--and this time, he has no intention of letting her go...

Little Red Writing: Nicolas de Savignac, Comte de Lambelle, has been assigned by the King to uncover the secret identity of the author writing scandalous stories about powerful courtiers. He never expected his investigation would lead to his grandmother's house, or to a ravishing woman who would stir his deepest hunger...

Bewitching in Boots: Elisabeth de Roussel, daughter of the King, is accustomed to getting what she wants--and she wants Tristan de Tiersonnier, Comte de Saint-Marcel, an ex-commander of the King's private Guard. A recent injury has forced Tristan to leave his distinguished position, but Elisabeth is determined to make him see he's every bit the man he once was--and more than man enough for her...

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"Lila DiPasqua brilliantly pens three unique stories filled with mirth, passion and sinfully charming heroes." ~ Romance Junkies

"AWAKENED BY A KISS is a magnificent debut! Not only was I enchanted by each of the three classic tales which Ms DiPasqua has turned into delectable fiery tales, but it was so refreshing to have the setting of each of these stories in France." ~ The Romance Dish

"Lila DiPasqua puts a steamy erotic twist on classic fairy tales that will make you rethink the purpose of a bedtime story. I most certainly look forward to more from this author." ~ Fiction Vixen

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Can you tell us a little bit about your debut historical romance novel, AWAKENED BY A KISS?

AWAKENED BY A KISS is the first in my "Fiery Tales" series. It's a collection of three classic fairy tales, wickedly retold. I've taken "Sleeping Beauty," "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Puss in Boots" and have given them my own romantic and sexy twists. This steamy historical romance anthology was inspired by Charles Perrault's fairy tales. He was the first to write down folklore that had been retold verbally for generations and add morals to his stories--long before the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. Perrault was the creator of The Tales of Mother Goose, and I set this book in his lifetime--when the genre of fairy tales was born--the majestic kingdom of 17TH century France.

Where did the term "Fiery Tales" come from?

It was actually my husband who came up with "fiery tales." I was trying to think of a title that would best describe my fairy tale re-tellings, and I thought my husband's suggestion was brilliant. It put a big grin on his face when he learned Berkley was keeping it.

Can you give some interesting tidbits you discovered while researching the time period AWAKENED BY A KISS is set in?

There was so much that's fascinating about this time period! It was deliciously decadent, full of elegance and excesses. The king, after all, was Louis XIV, the Sun King. He did everything on a grand scale and was full of interesting habits and quirks.

He spent his days strolling about the vast gardens at Versailles--his throng of courtiers and violinists following him around--because he felt it was unhealthy to be indoors. He adored women and LOVED sex. It's been said that he had sex up to twice a day into his seventies! He felt as king, he had the right to have any woman he wanted, married or not. He hated convents because he felt that a woman shouldn't be shut away like that. After all, women were placed on earth for a man's pleasure, right? With a number of mistresses, he had a brood of illegitimate children, most of whom he legitimized.

It was his second wife, Madame de Maintenon, who managed to curb his vice-ridden ways. She convinced the aging King to stop his womanizing and live a more pious life. The problem was, this pious woman's plan to make the King Louis a better man backfired on her. He may have given up his womanizing, but he still had a libido that wouldn't quit. As his wife, she was now the sole focus of his carnal attention. She was to take care of all his sexual needs.

Whenever the urge would hit him, King Louis would have his wife (who was two years older than him) summoned outdoors. Image how thrilled she must have been, in her sixties, being summoned out of prayer, once or twice a day, out to the gardens--only to be asked to step around the bushes for His Majesty's pleasure.

While courtiers stood nearby.

A red-faced Madame de Maintenon would have to walk back to the palace past a mass of softly snickering courtiers.

There are actual letters that have survived where Madame de Maintenon wrote to her confessor, asking for the Church's permission to deny King Louis sex. She felt that since the Church considered sex to be for the purpose of procreation, and she was well past the age to provide the king with any children, she and Louis shouldn't be having sex any longer. Unfortunately for her, she didn't get the Church's blessing to refuse him. Rather, the letter in response encouraged her to attend to her husband's needs as it kept the king from indulging in extra-marital affairs, keeping him from sin.

When Louis died at age 76, she wrote a letter to her cousin stating, "Oh what a martyrdom I have endured!"

What's next in the Fiery Tales series?

In November 2010, my next "Fiery Tales" collection, THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED, will hit the shelves with three more sinfully seductive historical heroes who find their perfect match. Inspired by "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Princess and the Pea," I put my own sensual spin on these classic fairy tales written by Hans Christian Andersen. They are scandalously retold and renamed "The Marquis' New Clothes," "The Lovely Duckling" and "The Princess and the Diamonds."

In 2011 I'm excited to bring readers a full-length "Fiery Tales" novel based on one classic fairy tale! Which one, you ask? One of the most beloved fairy tales of all time, Cinderella, as it's never been done before! It will be just as romantic and steamy as AWAKENED BY A KISS and THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED. This Cinderella tale has a sinfully delicious hero and a strong quick-witted heroine. And yes, there is a ball, a lovable yet highly opinionated fairy godmother and a cast of eccentric secondary characters to keep the hero and heroine on their toes.

In the meantime, be sure to check out a juicy excerpt of AWAKENED BY A KISS.

About Lila:

At age fourteen, Lila's best friend sneaked a romance novel out of her grandmother's house. After devouring it, Lila was hooked on romance novels for life. Today she lives with her real-life hero husband and three children and is a firm believer in the happily-ever-after. She loves history and enjoys traveling. She has been to four continents so far. Weaving in interesting historical facts she discovers during her travels, Lila writes stories about historical alpha-heroes and the heroines who make them lose their hearts. Her debut novel, AWAKENED BY A KISS is featured in Doubleday as well as Rhapsody Book Club.

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Would you like to win a copy of Lila's sexy, exciting debut? Just leave a comment or question for your chance to win. I'll draw the winner at random next Sunday. Void where prohibited. Best of luck, readers, and thanks to Lila for stopping by!

Excerpt Thursday: Lila DiPasqua

This week on Unusual Historicals we're welcoming contributor Lila DiPasqua as she celebrates the release of her debut, AWAKENED BY A KISS, available now from Berkley Sensation. This collection of re-imagined romantic, erotic fairy tales is set in 17th century France! We hope you'll join us Sunday when Lila will be here to answer questions and give away a copy.

Sleeping Beau: Five years ago, the notorious rake, Adrien d'Aspe, Marquis de Beaulain, was awakened by a sensuous kiss--and experienced a night of raw ecstasy that was branded into his memory. Years later, he spots his mysterious seductress--and this time, he has no intention of letting her go...

Little Red Writing: Nicolas de Savignac, Comte de Lambelle, has been assigned by the King to uncover the secret identity of the author writing scandalous stories about powerful courtiers. He never expected his investigation would lead to his grandmother's house, or to a ravishing woman who would stir his deepest hunger...

Bewitching in Boots: Elisabeth de Roussel, daughter of the King, is accustomed to getting what she wants--and she wants Tristan de Tiersonnier, Comte de Saint-Marcel, an ex-commander of the King's private Guard. A recent injury has forced Tristan to leave his distinguished position, but Elisabeth is determined to make him see he's every bit the man he once was--and more than man enough for her...

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Excerpt from "Sleeping Beau":

Two final strides and he was before her. Tall. Muscled. With hair the color of a moonless night sky. Her fingers began to tingle. Catherine clasped her hands tightly together. She could still feel its cool silky texture between her fingers, as if it were only yesterday that she'd caressed his dark shoulder-length hair. She'd forgotten just how large a man he was--his broad shoulders, his magnificently sculpted form. She felt small, very feminine near his powerfully built body.

Give nothing away. He doesn't remember you. He can't. Then why did he leave the gardens so quickly? Why is he here?

Schooling her features, she expelled the air from her lungs and met his gaze unwavering. "Yes?" she said, amazed at the coolness in her tone when she was on the brink of discomposure.

Those unforgettable light green eyes scrutinized her face. She fought not to fidget. His presence and proximity were disquieting on so many levels. Her insides quaked.

"I believe we've met, madame."

Her heart lurched. She managed a small smile. "I'm afraid you have mistaken me for someone else. Now, if you'll excuse me." She turned.

He caught her arm. A jolt of sensations shot through her.

"Unhand me," she said, shaken, a dizzying combination of excitement and dread inundating her.

He released her, the corner of his sensual mouth lifting, stopping short of a smile. Without a word, he slowly walked around her, his bold assessing gaze moving over her body. She could feel his tactile regard right through her clothing, making her hot from the inside out.

"Sir, your conduct is outrageous." Did she sound as breathless as she felt? "You are being extremely rude."

He stopped, his towering form now a formidable obstacle between her and the door to her rooms.

"It's you," he said.

She swallowed and lifted her chin a notch. "Pardon?"

"You're the woman who sneaked into my chamber that night five years ago."

Stirring memories filled her mind. She shoved them aside as she'd done many times throughout the years.

"You are mad. I told you--I don't know you."

He tilted his head to one side, a smug look in his eyes, much like the cat that had cornered the mouse. "Madame, you do know me--in the biblical sense. Though there was nothing but sinful delights in what we shared."

Heat crept down her face and neck to her chest. "Tell me," she responded with as much calm as she could muster. "Is this a habit of yours? Skulking around hallways? Making lurid--unfounded--accusations?" she asked. "Or perhaps this is your twisted way of enticing women? By telling them of your sexual exploits. Are there women who actually fall for this ploy?"

He stepped closer. Awareness rippled through her. Yet she refused to step back, knowing he was trying to intimidate her. His mouth was oh, so close to her own... Images of that skillful mouth on her body, grazing over her skin, drawing on her breasts made her sex clench and moisten.

"Perhaps you and I have a different definition of twisted," he said. "I'd like to know what twisted motives you had when you decided to taint my wine and surrender your innocence to me."

"It sounds like you had quite an evening," she said without flinching. "Though I can't comprehend why--after five years, did you say?--it would be so vivid in your mind. How can you be certain that it was I? Surely, you managed to find a woman or two since then willing to overlook your barbaric manners. You are"--she shrugged--"mildly attractive."

His brows shot up, surprised at first, then his lips twitched as he fought back a smile.

"Have I amused you?" How she wished he'd step back. His closeness was making it difficult to breathe. Or think. She had to get away from him. From the château.

Preempt her vacation.

"You have. I'm not accustomed to receiving a set-down from a woman." He slipped his fingers beneath her chin and caressed his thumb along her cheek. Pleasure streaked from his touch down to the tips of her breasts, causing her nipples to harden.

She took a quick step back and bumped into the wall. He braced his palms on either side of her shoulders, trapping her.

"I am also not accustomed to having a woman dupe and drug me." He stared at her pointedly.

Book Party: Jacquie Rogers

This week we're talking with long-time Unusual Historicals contributor Jacquie Rogers about her anthology Faery Special Romances. Let's welcome Jacquie, and make sure to look for the contest goodies below!

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Once Upon A Time, the faery princess Keely tried to match...

...a misguided faery maiden and a surly but handsome knight, the pirate Devlin Angell and the ever-hopeful Myra, a faery under the ruse of Lord Kembell and a lady of noble birth, a blacksmith and a duchess, a flapper and a barnstormer pilot...

But can Keely keep her own heart?

With faery magic, anything can happen!

This enchanted carpet-ride features ten romantic faery tales, ten happy couples, and a journey through history with Keely, who grows from a kindergartener to a beautiful young faery woman.

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Faery Special Romances--that's one title that fulfilled its promise because the romances really are special. How did you get the idea of this book come about?

I had written a short story for No Law Against Love, an anthology to benefit breast cancer research. My story is titled "Faery Good Advice" and stars Keely, a faery princess. For some reason, this character just took off. She ended up with her own blog, a myspace page, a Bebo page, her own network at ning called Faery World, a contest and news list, and most of all, readers asking for more faery stories. My publisher asked me to write a single-author anthology featuring Keely. This all went to her head, especially when she was presented with a Hollywood Star:


Keely is such a fun character. Does she come from someone you know?

Normally, I do a considerable amount of character work before I ever write a word of the manuscript, but Keely came to me fully formed. She has the can-do sunshine of my daughter, Mercedes; the energy and humor of my daughter, Moriah; and the self-righteous matchmaking of Jane Austen's Emma. Put all together, and she's a unique character all of her own.

Keely first showed up in "Faery Good Advice," a story in the No Law Against Love anthology, the profits of which went to breast cancer research. And you are donating the profits from Faery Special Romances to research to cure Neurofibromatosis. What led you to make such a gesture?

I had always intended to donate the royalties of my book to neurofibromatosis research because my daughter, Mercedes, and my granddaughter have this painful, disfiguring genetic disorder, but I'd planned to donate anonymously. When I told my daughter what I planned to do, she flat-out said, "No, your most important contribution is to spread neurofibromatosis awareness, and you can't do that if you're anonymous." So she laid out a marketing plan and is now my publicist. We're working with the Children's Tumor Foundation, a wonderful organization that promotes research on both the clinical and laboratory levels. CTF gives us hope that our children will someday be able to lead pain-free lives.

Faery Special Romances features ten stories, each set in a different time period, from medieval all the way to modern. Your research must have taken a lot of work. Can you talk a little about how you approached the research?

To get a feel for the period, I want to know three things: how they dressed, how they conducted their daily lives, and how they used slang. Once I feel comfortable with those areas, I research the specific geographical setting and the particular vocations of the main characters, as well as the political climate. Not one of my friends escaped without me grilling them on their area of expertise, you can bet. I also read at least one reference book for each story.

Each story took a solid week (translation: 60+ hours) of research, and I hope each story transports the reader to experience a new time and place during each major period of history, and into the future. While I admit to doing a considerable amount of moaning and groaning about it all, I absolutely love research. My problem though, is that I find too many interesting items and sometimes find myself far afield from my topic. Research is also the best tool I know of for procrastinating instead of writing. Ouch.

Tell us about your next book. Is it also an anthology of short stories?

Down Home Ever Lovin' Mule Blues is a fun and exciting short contemporary western with a touch of woowoo. The rodeo clown: Brody Alexander wants the thrill of bullfighting and the wind at his feet. The actuary: Rita Markum doesn't want anything to do with a busted up cowboy--and odds are, Brody will be. The mule: Socrates understands humans. And love. Even if stubborn humans don't. Will he succeed in his matchmaking endeavor? Will there be Brodiettes?

I'm excited because the fabulous musician/songwriter Justin Saragueta wrote a song for the Down Home Ever Lovin' Mule Blues book video and I love it! I'm hoping to have the video ready by mid-June.

Anything you'd like to add?

Yes, it's contest time!!! Comment on this blog article and you'll be eligible to win a signed copy of Faery Special Romances, along with a few other goodies, including Faery Good Bath Salts (marvelous!!!), a tile coaster, and a Princess Keely pen. Good luck!



Myspace *** Bebo *** Faery World

Faery Special Romances *** See the book video
Royalties go to Children's Tumor Foundation, ending Neurofibromatosis through Research

Coming soon: Down Home Ever Lovin' Mule Blues

Once Upon a Time ... #2

The clouds seemed even more omnious when the cart left Kirchwalden behind and approached one of the hills, covered not only in clouds and fog, but also with fir trees so dark they looked almost black. ... the grandmother, however, lived in the forest, half an hour from the village. As Little Red Riding Hood now entered the woods, she met the wolf. But Little Red Riding Hood didn't know what a bad animal he was, and was not afraid of him ...

Cissy frowned. She was not afraid of wolves either, and she would not be frightened by any heathenish young count who appeared to be determined to scare the poor villagers witless.

Her eyes narrowed. Indeed, the Castle of Wolfenbach now belonged to her, and having lived under one roof with her horrid sister-in-law, she was determined to keep hold of this property of hers. "But because Little Red Riding Hood was such a clever girl," she murmured, "and saw the evil glint in old wolfie's eyes, she grabbed a thick stick and hit him over the head. Quite, quite hard. And howling loudly with pain, he ran away and was never seen again."

The protagonists of my May release Castle of the Wolf and especially the protagonists' fathers are extremely fond of fairy tales and folk tales. The fathers are scholars of mythology and medieval literature, at a time when these topics became increasingly popular. The Romantic Movement in Germany is connected to the rediscovery of the Middle Ages as well as an appreciation of folk literature. In many ways, this can all be blamed on a Scot.

In 1760 James Macpherson published the first of his Ossian books, Fragments of Ancient Poetry, collected in the Highlands of Scotland and translated from the Gaelic or Erse Language. He pretended these "fragments" were poems by a blind, Gaelic bard who had lived in the 3rd century. Later the whole thing turned out to be a hoax: not only were the poems written much later, but Macpherson had also heavily edited them, or in some instances written them himself. Nevertheless, the Ossian books together with Thomas Percy's Reliques of Ancient English Poetry (1765) became a huge success, especially on the continent.

These publications strongly influenced Johann Gottfried Herder in Germany, and apart from formulating a theory of "Volkspoesie" (folk literature), he also started collecting European folk ballads himself and had them published as Volkslieder (1778/79, later reissued as Stimmen der Völker in Liedern). He in turn influenced Achim von Arnim and Clemens Brentano, who published a collection of heavily edited German folk songs as Des Knaben Wunderhorn (1805/08). Several of their friends helped them to find and collect these folk songs – and among these friends were two brothers named Grimm.

Folk literature was regarded as having been created "naturally" by the people; the people / folk being something that went beyond the individual. According to this theory, folk literature was an expression of the national spirit. It was thought to be found among the common people: among farmers, fishermen, in rural areas far away from the big cities. In their introduction to their collection of fairy tales, the Brothers Grimm introduced one of these ideal tellers of folk tales: Frau Viehmännin, a farmer's wife, who had well memorized the old tales. Thus it can come as no surprise that for many years it was thought Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm had wandered about Germany and had knocked at the doors of countless farm houses in pursuit of that elusive, endangered species, the folk tale.

But none of this ever happened: the Grimms got most of their fairy tales from female middle- or upper-class friends and acquaintances. And even the famous Viehmännin was not the wife of a lower class farmer, but the wife of a middle class tailor. Furthermore, she came from a Hugenot family, which had fled from France years before. Original German folk tales? Not really.

What's more, the Grimms, especially Wilhelm, heavily edited their tales, which becomes apparent when you compare their last edition of 1857 to the first edition (1812/15) or even to the ur-version of the tales (1810):* they made the tales more pleasing to read, smoothened awkward plots, got rid of sexual references,** and strengthened patriarchal power structures within the tales. They were the ones who invented the typical fairy-tale style which includes phrases like "once upon a time" or "they lived happily ever after". They were the ones who made collections of fairy tales so popular: in 1823-26 Edgar Taylor translated the Kinder- und Hausmärchen into English as German Popular Stories, which later inspired collections of British fairy tales.

The 1857 edition of the Grimms' Kinder- und Hausmärchen contained more than 200 tales, among them such all-time favourites as "Cinderella", "The Frog King", "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Hansel and Gretel". Among my own favourites are some of the lesser known tales, for example, "The Seven Ravens", "The Two Brothers", "King Thrushbeard" and "The Young Man Who Went Out in Search of Fear."

Now let's hear it from you: which are you favourite fairy tales? Which fairy tale collections did you read as a child? And which fairy tale themes do you like to see reworked in romance?

*In 1810 Brentano wrote to the Grimms and asked them whether they had found any fairy tales they could send them for his collection of fairy tales. Wilhelm sent a letter to Jakob, telling him about Brentano's request; Jakob answered something along the lines, "Send him our tales, but make copies first!!! You know that things which enter Brentano's library remain there forevermore." Thus Brentano got his tales, promptly forgot about them, never published a collection of fairy tales, and when he died those copies of the early version of some of Grimms' tales were still in his library. They were rediscovered in the 20th century.

** In an early version of the Frog King, the princess throws the frog against the wall, he changes and falls into her bed as a handsome young man. Jolly good, thinks the princess and climbs in with him. In the 1857 version, the princess throws the frog against the wall, he changes and falls onto the floor as a handsome young man. In comes the king, gives the couple his blessing, and they spent the night together.