ALISHA WOODS!!!

Congratulations, Alisha! Please drop Deb a line at deb AT debmarlowe DOT com and let her know whether you prefer a print or e-book. If e-book, just let her know the format you want.

Congratulations and thanks for visiting!

It’s always lovely to be here with you and the Banditas, Caren. I do hope Paolo doesn’t spill a drink down my blouse like he did last time…

Well, Damon assured me they have been working with him on his serving skills. Still, he does look awfully cute when he’s embarrassed! But I digress. Deb, I long anticipated getting my hands on The Love List. Reading the novella in An Encounter At the Museum just whetted my appetite! I’ll admit, I gobbled it up when I got it and it left me wanting more! But…it also left me with some questions. First, why don’t you tell our readers the premise behind The Love List.

Well, The Harris List of Covent Garden Ladies, a wickedly witty annual register of the city’s light skirts, was once a London tradition.  At the beginning of The Love List, as all of Europe celebrates the end of the long wars, Miss Brynne Wilmott discovers that Lord Marstoke, her malicious former betrothed, has revived the List–and turned it into a weapon.  With the reluctant help of the Duke of Aldmere, she sets out to thwart Marstoke–and discovers that his plans are more twisted and treasonous than anyone has suspected.  Yet the danger and intrigue are as nothing compared to the effect that Nathan and Brynne have on each other. . .

Okay, Deb, first I have love to know where did you the idea for resurrecting Harris’s List of Covent Garden Ladies?

I’d heard about the Harris List for years and I had a vague notion that I’d love to write a book about someone who ended up on the famous List of London’s prostitutes, but who didn’t belong there.  It wasn’t until I read some of the actual entries that I realized how witty and how tragic it really was . . . and then the idea really bloomed until the newly resurrected List became not just a sensation, but a weapon.  And I loved the idea of it being more than it seemed, so then the idea of it      being used in a more treasonous fashion came…and it fit with the real history of the time . . . so..Boom!  There you have it!

I found it a bit different from your other books, since there is quite a bit of suspense and political intrigue in The Love List, as well as a big romance. Did you set out to create a big suspense plot for the Half Moon House series or did it just evolve with the storyline of the book?

It was exactly what I wanted to write.  As soon as I read the real List, the idea came to use it in a plot.  I love a big romance with a lot of intrigue!  It keeps me turning pages when I read and keeps me writing them too!  I love to weave all the elements together into an emotionally satisfying, fun ride.

You definitely accomplished that! I know The Love List is Book 1 of your Half Moon House series. How many books do you plan to write and have you introduced any of the heroines for other books in The Love List?

The Love List is the first novel in the series.  There will be at least two more—The Leading Lady is coming next and we met Callie Grant, the heroine, in The Love List. I think readers will also be able to figure out who here hero is.  :-)  Then there is the connected novella—An Unexpected Encounter in the anthology An Encounter At the Museum.  It is set in the same world and includes Hestia Wright as a supportive character. There will be at least one more connected novella—and after that—we’ll see! 

I loved the novella. Actually, I loved all the novellas in An Encounter At the Museum and highly recommend it! The heroine of The Love List, Brynne Wilmott, is very intelligent and competent, yet she manages to conform to the expectations of a Regency miss…until she doesn’t. Was it a challenge to write such a strong heroine without tossing all the Regency mores out the window?

Actually it wasn’t difficult.  All those rules Society imposed on young girls in the Regency were meant to guarantee their safe-keeping and their happiness, at least on the surface.  (We could do another whole blog on maintaining the status quo, etc.)  Brynne followed all the rules, did as her family and Society expected—and is trapped in an unsupportable situation.  She follows the rules again, in seeking a way out—and the traditional system fails her.  At that point, all bets are off.  In my opinion, and thus hers, ( ) she is free to fight her way out by whatever means necessary.  So she does.  And if you read the book, you’ll see what a very good thing that turns out to be!

You can check out Deb’s entire bibliography and read excerpts on her website www.debmarlowe.com. Let’s check out an excerpt for The Love List:

She paused just before they reached the last door and looked up at him, her expression a stiff mix of defiance and pride.  ”It’s wonderful work that Hestia does here.  I’m proud to be a part of it, even for a short while.”  She glanced back the way they had come and then lifted her hand in a gesture that included all of the house and the people in it.  She met his gaze–and smiled.

He froze.  

Backwards.  Inverted.  Inside Out.  He didn’t know this girl.  Their acquaintance was incredibly brief and even more outlandish.  The natural order of their knowledge of each other was completely offset.  He knew how she looked when she was terrified and furious, annoyed and protective.  What he did not know was the expression she wore when she was introduced to someone, how she looked when she was relaxed and happy.  This was it, the first time he’d experienced her in a more commonplace manner–and it came with a wash of feeling that utterly shocked him.

Transformative, that smile.  It lit her from within like a burgeoning flame, starting small but climbing higher, warming her features, blending them into a perfect, gut-wrenching harmony.

Even more amazing was the effect it had on him.

I love the Duke of Aldsmere! Actually, I love all Regency Men In Boots. Speaking of which, I recall that in your About the Author bios, you mention your ongoing efforts to get one of the men in your life to don a pair of boots. Any progress on that front?

Keep working on them, Deb. I’m sure it will pay off at the end! Deb has generously offered a copy of The Love List (in reader’s choice of hard copy or e-book format) to a lucky commenter today. So here’s your question, Bandita Buddies: Do you like a little intrigue in your romance?  How about a bit of real history worked into a historical? And how about those men in boots?

Thanks to everyone for participating in our “Friends To Lovers” discussion with the magnificent Deb Marlowe. The winner a copy of Deb’s May release How to Marry a Rake is…JEANNE M!!

Congratulations, Jeanne! Please e-mail your full name and snail mail addy to Deb@DebMarlowe.com. Enjoy the wonderful Regency read!

My darling Banditas and Buddies, I am thrilled to welcome one of my very favorite people (and authors), Deb Marlowe, back to the Lair. Welcome, Deb!

Thank you for having me. You know I love you and the Banditas!

Believe me, the love is entirely mutual. I am very excited about your May 1 release, How To Marry a Rake. Tell us a bit about the hero and heroine of this new Regency delight.

Stephen Manning is one of the Fitzmanning Miscellany, the scandalous Regency family introduced in The Diamonds of Welbourne Manor. He’s not the same rakish boy we saw growing up in the anthology. He’s had some hard knocks and has had to learn that the world doesn’t revolve around him, as many young men do. He’s spent the last few years building a racetrack on his mother’s destitute estate, and he’s come to Newmarket determined to set his tenants’ lives back on course by bringing it to the attention of the racing world.

Mae Halford has spent the intervening years abroad, mending her heart and broadening her horizons after Stephen’s rejection broke her heart. She’s in Newmarket, too, where her father is determined to find a stud for both his brood mare and his daughter. Mae’s ready to launch her Marriage Campaign, an effort to have a say in what sort of husband she ends up with. The last man on earth she wishes to see is Stephen—which makes it a certainty that he is the first one she bumps into!

Deb, Mae and Stephen have a long history together before the book begins. Was it just a deeply hidden sadistic streak that had you fling Mae and Stephen together again?

Would you be surprised if the answer was yes? I think all writers have to have a sadistic streak. We create characters we love and admire and in whom we see such great potential for growth—but unless we put them in difficult and uncomfortable situations, then there is no spur for growth and change—or for the chance at true love!

It seems that Mae and Stephen had a serious falling out before she left England. Will Stephen find Mae much changed after her European tour?

Yes! In many interesting and frustrating ways. Mae has grown up. She’s the same in that she knows her own mind, but she’s learned how to be subtle in going after it. Also, she truly feels that she’s over her feelings for Stephen. And he, being typically male, doesn’t want her to want him, but is taken aback when she doesn’t.

So tell me, is the theme of friends becoming lovers one you have wanted to explore? It was one I found most intriguing when I was a teenager and I find myself, here in my dotage, interested in it still. It seems being friends could both aid and hinder the development of a romance.

Friends to lovers is one of my very favorite themes. It’s a classic fantasy, isn’t it? I think many of us have an old friend we might wonder about, or think about in terms of what if? But it’s also a theme that lends itself to greater and more immediate intimacy and one which can make for a rich, emotional story. The stakes are higher when someone knows all the scoop and scandal, strengths and weaknesses of your past, but I think the payoff can be that much bigger.

Do you have a bit of How To Marry a Rake you would care to share?

Well, if you insist…

Stephen was happy. She felt his contentment flow into her, warming her blood, crawling into her very sinews and bones. It was beautiful. It made her feel beautiful, and whole.

Her eyes slid closed. For long minutes she lost herself to the glory of the music and the moment. Stephen gave in to it as well; she could feel his surrender in the grip of his hands, in the intimate press of her legs to hers, and in the graceful, floating ease with which he guided them about the dance floor.

And that was when she knew she’d come full circle. Her campaign was forgotten, her plans and strategies left behind. Here she was, right back where she’d started, two years ago, wanting Stephen Manning with all of her heart.

Yet, thankfully, not everything remained the same. There were new levels to their friendship, their partnership. So easily had he come to share his victory with her tonight. So naturally had he assumed she would take part in the next step. He was the one who gifted her with appreciation and acceptance and passion and all the things she’d vowed to have in a husband.

Perhaps she needed a new campaign, with new strategies designed to win his heart. Because she longed for it, and for his unfathomable blue eyes and his maddening imperious ways and his warm acceptance and his heated kisses.

But there was one other thing that was different now, too. She wasn’t that young girl anymore, happy to accept whatever part of himself Stephen was willing or able to give. She wanted all of him. And no campaign of hers was going to be successful in flushing it out. She sighed. He had to choose to give it.

Oh, my! It sounds like Stephen won’t stand a chance against the woman Mae has become. I do believe Mae will get her man! I hope everyone will run out and snap up a copy of How To Marry a Rake. Many of us have been waiting for the ‘sibling’ books to the The Diamonds of Welbourne Manor for ages! Deb, thank you so much for giving us the inside scoop on Stephen and Mae’s book. (And here, for your delectation, is a dude Deb thinks should totally play Stephen in a movie version of How To Marry a Rake!)

Now, do you have a question you would like to pose to our Banditas and Buddies today?

But of course I do!

Do you guys have someone in your past who makes you go What If? Do you like friends-to-lovers-themed romances? Can you name a favorite “Friends to Lovers” couple? A randomly selected commenter will win a copy of How To Marry a Rake!

Ooh, we do love a giveaway! Deb, thank you so much for being with us today. I’m off to search my memory banks for my very favorite pair of Friends Who Discovered Benefits!

Denise Rossetti has picked her winner and….

PINKPEONY…Congratulations!!!!!!!!!

You can email Denise at deniserossettiATgmailDOTcom and give her your snail mail address and choose your prize!

Deb Marlowe has picked her winner and…DREW gets the autographed copy of Her Cinderella Season for getting called out by her husband over hyperbole! Congratulations, Drew!! E-mail Deb at debATdebmarloweDOTcom and give her your snail mail addy to claim your prize!

Hola, Banditas! As many of you are aware, I (the contemporary romance writer) count many fabulous historical romance writers as my dear friends. One of my best and most beloved friends, the delightful Deb Marlowe (please note self-indulgent inclusion of extra-cute Caren and Deb picture from RWA conference when Deb won her Golden Heart!)is here with us today to discuss a dirty little writing secret. One we hope no one notices or holds against us: typos. Here with the dish on typos and other little “oopsie” moments, is Darling Deb.

I was in the grocery line the other day, behind a woman who was disputing a sale price on one of her items. The exasperated clerk sent someone to check and it turned out the customer had been right. She didn’t gloat, but she did leave with a parting shot. “You didn’t have to be so surely about it,” she muttered as she left.

It took me a minute to figure out that she meant surly. I didn’t correct her, of course. She was right—the clerk was surly—and I wasn’t going to rain on her moment of triumph. We’ve all had days when we needed that small triumph—and days when what we meant to say came out as something else.

Those sorts of things happen in publishing too. Books do sometimes get printed with . . . gasp! . . .typos. Sometimes they are introduced in the original manuscript and get past the author, a critique partner, an editor or two and even the copy editor. Sometimes they are introduced in one of the many steps it takes to convert a file into an actual book. All authors cringe when they find them, though.

I’m cringing. There’s a mistake in my new release, Her Cinderella Season. I’m not sure when it happened, but I didn’t find it until I held my first author copy in my hand. But after I got over the horror, I had to laugh. Let me set the scene:

The hero of Her Cinderella Season is Jack Alden. He was the scholarly younger brother of my first hero in Scandalous Lord, Rebellious Miss. In An Improper Aristocrat, he’s the expert that Trey and Chione come to for help in their quest to foil a ring of antiquity thieves. So I was thrilled to give him his own story at last.

As Her Cinderella Season opens, Jack is recovering from the wounds he received at the end of An Improper Aristocrat. A gunshot wound is a shocking thing for a quiet, scholarly type, and this one has shaken loose a few demons. Jack has his wounded arm in a sling and is driving a feisty team of horses through the busy London streets—even though he knows he should not be.

In the scene, the horses are meant to be spooked by a calling cart vendor. You know the sort—oranges, meat pies, chestnuts, etc. Instead, it is a calling card vendor who frightens them with his shouting.

So after the gasp of shock, I was hit with the funniest image! Picture a shady Regency gentleman in a greatcoat, whipping it open to showcase a large selection of parchment calling cards. “Psst! Ye want an entrée into Society? I got yer calling cards here—get you into any house in Mayfair! Ye want ter be the Duchess of Devonshire? Right here! Lord Byron? I’m yer man!”

Okay, so it’s ridiculous, but I’m trying to look on the bright side! Cut me a little slack?

The heroine in Her Cinderella Season, Lily Beecham, wants an entrée into Society. She was born a gentleman’s daughter, but she’s spent the last years in an Evangelical household. She enjoys the charitable and political works she’s been involved in, but she’s not willing to accept her mother’s choice for her husband, and she’s not quite ready to give up on the idea of a life filled with music, joy and love. She faces the difficulty of blending her two worlds, finds herself mixed up in the excitement of helping Jack track down a villain, and takes on the greatest challenge of all—winning the elusive Mr. Alden’s heart.

So—have you ever said the wrong word in public? Found an irritating typo in a book? Found a typo in your book? Will you give Her Cinderella Season a try even though I planted that image in your head? Make me feel better, please! Share your story and I’ll send an autographed copy of Her Cinderella Season to one commenter!

And the winner is…

LLEHN!

Llehn, can you please email Amanda McCabe on amccabe7551@yahoo.com with your snail mail details and she’ll get your book off to you! Congratulations!

It’s always fun to have Bandita favorites back. And today, I’ve got two faves and a wonderful new guest for you all to meet. Let the festivities begin!

Amanda McCabe, Deb Marlowe and Diane Gaston are launching their new anthology for Harlequin Historicals, THE DIAMONDS OF WELBOURNE MANOR. Here’s the blurb for what sounds like a really intriguing trio of stories:

JUSTINE AND THE NOBLE VISCOUNT by Diane Gaston

Guardian to the unconventional and newly orphaned Fitzmannings is not a role that brooding Gerald Brenner relishes. But Justine, the illegitimate daughter who strives to hide her shame, calls powerfully to something deep within him….

ANNALISE AND THE SCANDALOUS RAKE by Deb Marlowe

House party guest Ned Milford can see the inner passion and beauty that Annalise Fitzmanning hides. But how close should they become when his reason for being at Welbourne Manor would prompt a society scandal, not a society marriage!

CHARLOTTE AND THE WICKED LORD by Amanda McCabe

Charlotte may be the youngest Fitzmanning girl, but she knows her own mind—and she wants Lord Andrew Bassington! Drew requires an eminently proper bride, something free-spirited Charlotte has never been. So how can she make him see the beautiful woman she has become…?

Now it’s my great pleasure to introduce the heroines from all three books, Annalise, Charlotte and Justine, as they enjoy a very elegant Regency afternoon tea together.

Charlotte Fitzmanning, who had only been Lady Andrew Derrington for a few weeks, surveyed the drawing room of her new London home in nervous excitement. Everything seemed to be quite in order—the new furnishings, the stylish silk draperies, her sister Annalise’s paintings on the walls, the vases of hothouse roses, the polished silver tea service that was a wedding gift laid out on the table with her mother’s Wedgwood.

But was it perfect?

It had to be, for not just any guests were soon to arrive for her first tea as a married lady. She expected her sisters, Justine and Annalise. She wanted so much for them to see she was happy and settled, that she was a fashionable lady and not just their wild little sister! That she and Drew had a lovely life together.

“No, Oliver!” she cried, grabbing up the pug just as he lunged for a cake. Just in time, too, for the butler announced her first guest—Justine.

Justine entered the room and immediately enveloped Charlotte in a big hug. “Oh, Charlotte! It is so good to see you. I’ve missed you so.”

“I’ve missed you, too.” Even though her life with Drew was like a dream come true, Charlotte did miss her sisters and brothers and their carefree days at Welbourne Manor.

Justine surveyed the room. “Why this is lovely, Charlotte. I must get some decorating ideas from you. Our townhouse is no longer gloomy, but you’ve achieved the very latest in fashion.” She spied the Wedgewood. “Oh, your mother’s tea set. How pretty it looks here.” Justine and Brenner lived with Brenner and his father, who was once married to Charlotte’s mother, who, of course was Brenner’s mother, too, but not Justine’s. So Brenner was Charlotte’s half-brother, but, then, so were Nicky and Stephen, but that was because the duke was their father, as well as hers, Annalise’s, Leo’s, and Justine’s. But not Brenner’s.

Charlotte pressed her fingers to her temple. Sorting out their family always gave her a headache. “How is baby Catherine?” she asked Justine.


Justine smiled. “She grows by the day! And she is so clever. You should see her shake her rattle and I would swear she is trying to talk with the sounds she makes.”

The butler returned to announce that Annalise had arrived. Justine and Charlotte immediately turned to greet her.

“Good afternoon, you two!” Annalise’s wide smile spoke volumes as she entered. Justine stood closest, so she got the first hug. “Where is my niece? I was hoping to see her today.”

“She is at home, charming her father away from his accounts and his estate matters, I hope.”

Charlotte loved to see the tenderness that softened Justine’s face when she spoke of her husband and daughter. “Today is just for us.”

“Well, I shall just have to make do with Oliver, then.” Annalise laughed as she scooped the pug up from another sneak attack on the teacakes. Her other arm looped around Charlotte’s waist and she gazed around the room with satisfaction. “I don’t have to ask what you have been doing, little sister. I can see you’ve been hard at work—and how lovely it has all turned out!”

Charlotte flushed with pleasure. “Thank you, Annalise.”

“And what of you, Annalise?” Justine asked. “Have you been sequestered in your studio? Brenner ran into Ned yesterday and he said that the gallery is nearly ready for its first showing.”

“I have been painting like mad. My new husband, my new studio, my new life, it’s all been perfect.”

Charlotte heard the trembling note in her sister’s voice and squeezed her tighter. “Come,” she said to distract her.“Everything is ready. I’ll pour and it will be just as if we were girls again at Welbourne, playing tea party.”

“Hardly girls.” Annalise took her seat with a sigh, Oliver still in her lap. “Look at us! Brenner and Justine have worked hard until his estates are flourishing. I saw a mention of the pair of you in the papers, too! You’ve become an exemplary young society couple. Ned and I are so happy together, and he’s about to open his gallery at last.”

Charlotte leaned in to hand her a cup and saucer and Annalise took it with a grin. “Even our wild little Charlotte is a respectable married lady.”

“Who would have thought it would turn out this way,” Justine said quietly, “That day when Brenner first came to Welbourne with such terrible news?”

They sat quietly a moment, reflecting on all the highs and lows that had led to this moment of happiness.

Finally Charlotte could take the solemnity no more. “Do you know, as I was preparing for this afternoon, I had a thought. The three of us are settled so happily . . .” She let her voice trail away suggestively. “But what of the boys?”

Justine grinned. “I’ve entertained the same notion.”

“Surely, working together, the three of us could contrive something,” Annalise said with an evil grin.
Oh, dear, sounds like the boys in the family are facing their collective Waterloo! As a long-time reader of Regency romance, I know that when sisters unite to matchmake, the poor male in question hasn’t got a hope! I can’t wait to see what happens.

The girls have a couple of questions for the Banditas and Bandita buddies. They want to know whether you like linked anthologies. They also want to know whether your own families are candidates for starring in an anthology. Wow, that’s an interesting thought! Diane, Amanda and Deb have very generously donated a copy of their latest anthology THE DIAMONDS OF WELBOURNE MANOR to one lucky commenter today. Good luck!

Our fabulous guest Deb Marlowe has chosen two lucky commenters to receive the prizes from her Sunday guest post. The winners are MARGAY and CAFFEY!! Congratulations, ladies, you will each receive a copy of Deb’s fabulous An Improper Aristocrat. What a lovely early Christmas present!

Please send your snail mail addy to Deb at debmarlowe AT debmarlowe DOT com. Enjoy!!

Back by popular demand (and my personal edict) is one of our favorite authors and Bandita Buddies, Deb Marlowe. This picture of me and Deb was taken at the 2007 RWA conference in Dallas where Deb won the Golden Heart. We may hear something about her GH-winning book today. Let’s listen…

We all have them. The little things that ignite a glow inside you and set your heart to skipping in anticipation. Now, I’m not talking about the really significant elements of our lives: spouses, kids, families—I’m thinking of the tiny treats, the singular little splurges that we turn to when our spirits need lifting at the end of a tough job or a long day. These little luxuries might change over time, or with the seasons, but they give us the boost we need—when we need it most.

To get the ball rolling, I’ll share a few of the gifts I give myself when I need a pick-me up.

**My new release, An Improper Aristocrat. You knew I had to work it in here, didn’t you? *g* But seriously, this book is special to me. Here’s a blurb:

Navigating the Nile to uncover the antiquities of Upper Egypt might sound perilous, but Niall Stafford, the Earl of Treyford finds it infinitely safer than sailing the fickle waters of the Beau Monde. He is back in England and on dangerous ground when a deathbed pledge has him delivering an ancient artifact to a colleague’s sister.

Desert bandits are more easily managed than Miss Chione Latimer, but her fascinating mix of knowledge and innocence arouse far more than his protective instincts. Can such an improper aristocrat learn to be the true gentleman that Miss Latimer deserves?

I wanted to create a big romance with a breathless adventure, a story in which the reader followed along with the characters as they chased one clue to the next and was never sure where it would all end up. I was about halfway through when a discussion with an editor derailed me. She questioned the marketability of the idea and advised that I start something else. I considered it. It’s hard to question an industry insider’s advice. So I started something else. But Trey and Chione kept calling me back. How could I abandon my half-Egyptian novelist and her antiquity-seeking Earl? I had to finish the adventure and give them their HEA. So I did. And that book went on to win the Golden Heart and help me land my second contract with Harlequin Historicals. Now, whenever I doubt myself—and boy is that easy to do in this business!—I just pick up this book to remind me to listen to my heart as well as all the other voices.

**The Big Bang Theory
Do any of you guys watch this show? These guys speak to my inner geek. This sitcom is about a group of friends, all career scientists in various fields, struggling with life, love and the pursuit of science fiction memorabilia. Sheldon, the genius physicist with OCD tendencies has got to be one of TV’s greatest characters ever. My pre-teen and I curl up together every Monday night to laugh uproariously at their nerdy antics. A great way to end a busy day!

**A Seasonal Favorite — Sitting in the Dark with a Lit-Up Christmas Tree
Is there anything more relaxing? I’ve loved to do this since I was a kid. I’d sit and stare at the patterns the lights and branches made on the ceiling and dream of what might be under the tree on Christmas morning. Now I sit and let my mind drift. No work, kid’s schedules, gift lists or housekeeping worries allowed. Just me, an evergreen, some twinkly lights and the universe. Ah, peace!

So spill! What little thing do you look forward to with happy anticipation at the end of the day? It could be anything; a hot cup of tea, a little Nutella perhaps? Or maybe a Tim Tam or two? Share your private indulgence! Maybe one of us will add it to our own regime. I’ll give away a couple of copies of my December release, An Improper Aristocrat to commenters!

* * * * * * *
Man, are y’all in for a treat! I got to read this book (because I whined to Deb a lot) in its UK release. It’s FABULOUS! And I’m not just saying that because Deb gets up at the crack of dawn on Saturdays to go walking with me, either. *eg*