A Pefect Summer Read!

I'm so happy to release Book Two in my Crescent Bay series, Straight from the Heart! This novel features the growing relationship between Giana Lindstrom, who is Amanda Gallagher's cousin and Maid of Honor at her upcoming wedding to Nate Russell, and Ryan Cassidy, that sexy deputy sheriff and Nate's Best Man -- Amanda and Nate were the first couple in Hold You in My Heart.

What fun characters to work with -- Ryan starts off as a smart ass, always teasing Giana and calling her 'squirt' due to her diminutive stature. And she sasses him right back, no holds barred, having grown up with two older brothers. But as I started writing Straight from the Heart, I decided to place Giana in a somewhat vulnerable position, a bit defeated and frustrated, career-wise, and taking some heat from her family about finding a husband, etc. And that was the turning point for Ryan. Despite his love 'em and leave 'em attitude, he comes to realize that she's in a delicate state of mind and spirit and thus he's forced to up his game if he's intent on winning her affections, if not her love. Of course, there's still lots of sass between the two of them, but now the stakes are getting higher, leaving the reader hoping that they'll realize there's so much they could 'win' if they'd only connect at a deeper level.

Why not give Ryan and Giana a shot? And, of course, there are several secondary characters appearing in this story, so you know one of the couples will be the H/H in Book Three, planned for a late winter / early spring release in 2023. Stay in touch by signing up for my newsletter, which I tend to send out about once a month, featuring sales, updates and sometimes sneak peek at upcoming works.

Happy June & Happy Reading!

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More Secondary Characters

As promised, I'm back with some tidbits of info on another favorite secondary character who has appeared in several of my Regency romances -- the Dowager Lady Rutherford. I needed a character who would balance out Lady Caro (see last week's blog entry), someone who was smart as a whip, tough and yet hiding a soft side. The dowager seemed to fit the bill for when she first appears in Snowbound Seductions , she's ornery, feared by all (even the duke) and willing to use her ebony cane like a Scottish claymore. So, the first British actress who visually inspired me, mostly for the dowager's physical attributes is Phyllida Law. If you're an Acorn TV or Brit Box fan, many of you will recognize Ms. Law. Phyllida Law She's appeared in so many series and movies, and is also known as Emma Thompson's mother. She is a wonderful actress and, to me, captures how I visualize the dowager. And in my work-in-progress, Wicked Wagers , we'll see a b...

Sources of Inspiration

I've been working on my first Regency romance novel and, although I've read most of Jane Austen and seen so many of the excellent BBC movie variations, one still needs a bit of inspiration when working through the writing. It's usually those small details, descriptive of the landscape or the manor house, that gives a work that added level of veracity, of impact for the reader. Why else would readers want historical romance? I have to think that it's the time period that intrigues, a bit like a time tunnel. Go ahead, pick your period -- there's probably a romance set in each one. That's why I love Pinterest. If you can control the time spent on the great "P" -- and that's a big "if" -- there's so much out there to help spark those imaginative ideas or get a writer over the hurdle of writer's block. Here's a few that I chose to help keep me churning out those words: Image captured from Pinterest Wouldn't thi...

Of Ladies and Lacy Fichus

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Claire Hadleigh

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