Okay, maybe there is no such thing as a perfect storm, but my June book does have storms!  First, there’s the storm between Prince Cristiano di Savaré and Princess Antonella Romanelli – and then there’s the literal storm that threatens to destroy the island they are sheltering on.

I do love a good rainstorm.  I even love a thunderstorm when there’s absolutely no possibility of a tornado (since I live in tornado country!).  There’s something about curling up on the couch or in the bed with a good book and listening to the rain hammer down.

I like watching rain gush from the gutters, the contrast of the bright green grass against the darkness of the storm, and I like the rivulets of water chasing down the windowpane.  I wouldn’t like it every day, but there are just some days when a storm is perfect.

I’m not so sure that Cristiano and Antonella would agree with me.  Cristiano has come to the Caribbean island of Canta Paradiso with one thought in mind: getting Antonella’s cooperation in a deal that ultimately means he will be able to take over her country.

Sounds like he’s got his work cut out for him, right?

Antonella is rightfully wary of this handsome prince.  He’s too arrogant, too entitled, and too irritating.  And she’s not about to cooperate with him on anything.

Until a hurricane closes in on the island and the two of them have to take shelter together from the storm.  A lot can happen when there’s nothing but wind and rain and the possibility of death looming over your head.

It’s a perfect storm of circumstances that bring Cristiano and Antonella together.  Their journey isn’t easy (what fun would that be?) but I think it’s worth it in the end.  I know they agree with me!

RT Book Reviews awarded THE PRINCE’S ROYAL CONCUBINE 4 ½ stars and a Top Pick recommendation!  Rhomylly Forbes said, “This is a first-class tale taken straight from today’s headlines. The characters are multidimensional, and the reader will cheer at the excellently crafted ending. And the love scenes are definitely hot!”

I hope you enjoy the story!  Now tell me, do you like the occasional storm?  Do you have any favorite ‘stormy’ romances?

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Before I give you an insight into the story I have to say I love the cover for this book. Not only does it capture Alex and Katrina perfectly it is also romantic and sexy.

Now for the story behind the story…

I love giving my hero a curve ball that he doesn’t see coming then sitting back to see how he handles it. A test of his mettle so to speak.

In Alex Webber’s case the curve ball is a baby he knows nothing about. And his reaction…?

Well, to put it politely, it’s not very good.

At least not to begin with.

But then Alex has very good reason for believing the child isn’t his and that Katrina is trying to foist another man’s child on him. I’m pleased to say that once he learns he really is baby Samantha’s father Alex does what a hero is suppose to do and immediately steps up to the plate.

But if he expects Katrina to fall meekly in with his plan to move in with him then he has another thing coming. Katrina is no longer the rather biddable woman he remembers. Becoming a mother has changed her; she has more than just herself to think about now.

In fact it is her determination to do what’s best for her daughter that forces Katrina to fall in with Alex’s plan—only she has her own ideas about what that should entail.

That’s when the fun starts and the sparks fly.

Katrina is a strong minded woman who forces Alex to confront his demons and become not only the kind of father he was always meant to be but the kind of man she can give her heart to.

I’m thrilled that Romantic Times has given this story a 4 star rating. Sabrina Maden says: Spirited dialogue carries the story as the hero and heroine learn to forgive past hurts and create a family filled with love and trust for the future.

I hope you enjoy it.

From Amy: Thanks for joining us today to blog about Her Secret, His Love-Child, Tina! How do you think you would react to a big curve-ball like the one thrown at Alex–would you prove your mettle?

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As a series author, the short shelf-life of a book can be frustrating.  Online retailers like eHarlequin help, by making a book available beyond the sell-by date bookstores, supermarkets and department stores must adhere to in order to make room for the next month or mid-month’s offerings.  Yet, once the print run has been sold out, there’s no going back to press for the series title.  So, when Harlequin decided to launch a new imprint where they re-released series books as 2-in-1 single titles, I couldn’t have been happier!  When they chose to use The Sicilian’s Marriage Arrangement in one of their May launch titles, I was over the moon!

So many readers that have started reading me in the last couple of years can’t find my earlier books, even in the USB venues.  Sure, they’re mostly all available in a digital format, but not everyone wants to read an ebook (though I love them).  Being able to point readers to the re-release has been such a joy and a blessing for me.  Because I like being able to say, “Yes, you can buy that book,” to readers, but mostly because this story is one of my favorites and I’m truly happy to see it once again available to a new group of readers.  I truly, just love Luciano and Hope.

Would you like to see my hero and heroine inspiration for these two?

I don’t remember where I got this picture, but this guy just looked like a Sicilian tycoon to me.  What do you think?

And this picture embodied Hope’s shyness, quiet beauty and inner strength.  I found it in a bridal magazine.  Inspiration truly is everywhere.

It’s your turn:  if you could pick the inspiration for a Presents hero, who would it be?  Share links to pics if you like…chances are, he’ll end up in my Hero Inspiration folder and maybe even a book someday.   If he does, you’ll get mention on the book’s page on my website.

——————

The Sicilian’s Marriage Arrangement:

Hope Bishop is stunned when darkly sexy Sicilian tycoon Luciana di Valerio proposes marriage. Brought up by her wealthy but distant grandfather, she is used to fading into the background. But Luciano’s sensual lovemaking makes her feel vibrantly alive. Hope falls in love with her husband and is blissfully happy—until she discovers that Luciano married her to fulfill his own ruthless agenda…!

The book also includes the fabulous “The Greek’s Virgin Bride” by Julia James.

Look for Showcases in the single title romance section of your favorite bookstores!

Click here to read an excerpt, or watch the book trailer.

Award winning author Lucy Monroe published her first book in September of 2003.  Since then she has sold more than 50 books to four publishers and hit national bestsellers lists in the US and England.  Whether it’s a passionate Harlequin Presents, a sexy action adventure, or a steamy paranormal historical, Lucy’s books transport her readers to a special place where the heart rules and love conquers all.   You can find Lucy on the web at: http://lucymonroe.com, http://www.lucymonroeblog.blogspot.com, and Facebook –  http://tiny.cc/0HRGW

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This month, Harlequin is trying out a new line of books called Harlequin Showcase. They’re actually 2-in-1 reprints of books from a variety of Harlequin’s romance series, including Harlequin Presents, Harlequin Blaze, Silhouette Desire, etc. with a different look that was actually inspired by some of the covers from Harlequin’s France office.

To kick off Harlequin Showcase, two Harlequin Presents books are included in one volume: The Sicilian’s Marriage Arrangement & The Greek’s Virgin Bride

Lucy Monroe, whose book The Sicilian’s Marriage Arrangement is included (The Greek’s Virgin Bride is by Julia James), wanted to celebrate the re-release of her books with a book video! Check it out below:

Lucy will be back tomorrow with a guest-blog about The Sicilian’s Marriage Arrangement, too!

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Just a shout-out to all your readers in the United States and Canada that Kelly Hunter’s RITA Nominated book Revealed: A Prince and a Pregnancy is on bookshelves THIS MONTH! The book was originally out in the UK in November 2009 which is why it’s a 2009 nominee

Revealed: A Prince and a Pregnancy is book two of Kelly’s duet, Hot Bed of Scandal. The first book, Exposed: Misbehaving with the Magnate, was out last month. Both books got 4 1/2 star reviews from Romantic Times Magazine, which called Exposed “a dynamite story of a once-forbidden relationship featuring two terrific characters” and said about Revealed: “Hunter’s emotionally rich tale will make readers laugh and cry along with the characters. A truly fantastic read.”

Kelly will be joining us later in April to guest-blog about her book!

Plus, the other nominated Presents titles are also still available to purchase from eHarlequin.com and from any eBook retailer, including Harlequin’s eBook Store:

• The Christmas Love-Child by Jennie Lucas (November 2009)
• One-Night Mistress…Convenient Wife by Anne McAllister (November 2009)
• Duty, Desire, and the Desert King by Jane Porter (December 2009)

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Shakespeare was a genius. Well, yes, we all know that anyway,   but  apart from the magnificent dramas he wrote,  he knew how to take a plot and turn it whichever way he wanted – comedy, tragedy….  He knew all about conflict and how to put his characters through it.  And when I’m teaching writing, I always bring in examples from his plays to explain  that conflict isn’t just  about my hero and heroine shouting at each other, but about the things that keep them apart – that stop them falling into each other’s arms, when you (the reader) and I (the author) know that’s really where they belong.
So most of my time as a writer is spent thinking  of reasons why this particular hero and heroine can’t just fall in love and live happily ever after. And with The Konstantos Marriage Demand,  I got to use a plot line that comes straight from W Shakespeare – and that is the story of Romeo and Juliet. Everyone knows that story – The Montagues (Romeo’s family) and Capulets (Juliet’s family) are locked into a feud with each other that results in fights in the street, deaths, and, ultimately, even more tragedy when Romeo and Juliet themselves end up dead because of the way that the feud split them apart. They are ’star-cross’d lovers’ whose story ends in tragedy.

It’s the sort of plot that sends shivers down my spine as a writer because it adds so much of an edge to the story. Can these two work through not only the problems that have kept them apart but the anger, suspicion and hostility that comes from them just being who they are? And can they hold out against the history created by the rest of their families? Be the ones who finally break out of the destructive cycle that everyone else has been locked into?

Feuds are  such powerful things. Specially those that come down through generations, and where often no one really knows exactly why the feud began, only that they hate the other family and they don’t always look at what happened to set it all off.   I don’t have any personal experience of a feud – not between families at least. But I do know that my Grandfather used to have a very strong friendship that started in his schooldays and carried on through university, first jobs . . . But this was in Ireland, back in the days of the ‘Troubles’ and they had a major argument over politics and never spoke to each other again.  When my Grandfather died, we met his by then very old friend and learned how badly they had both regretted keeping the distance between them for the rest of their lives and how it had always left such an emptiness in their time ever since; how they wished they’d made the move to break down the walls they’d built around them. Feuds are like that, they divide people, putting them on different sides of a great chasm and keeping them there.

And that’s how it was with The Konstantos Marriage Demand. A long time ago, in my ideas notebook, I wrote down ‘family feud – Eastenders’. I was watching the UK ‘soap’ Eastenders at the time and there was a storyline running through the episode about a family feud. I just noted the idea and never used it. Then last year on one of my courses I was teaching about conflict – internal and external conflict and illustrating external conflict with the story of Romeo and Juliet. And there was that word again ‘feud’. The feud between the Montagues and the Capulets.

And that started me thinking…  How could a feud come about in the 21st century? How would it divide the families and what would they do about it?  What effect would it have on my hero and heroine…

So that’s how the book that turned into The Konstantos Marriage Demand got started. I loved working in the ‘feud’ part of the story – it gave an added edge to the whole plot. The idea of people who should  love and protect each other being a place where they just can’t do that always – because the people  they need to protect them from are their own family — makes for a great story.  And when I thought out a reason why the feud had really become so bad as to tear Nikos and Sadie apart, I felt I had a something that gave it al the emotional punch I had been looking for.

Of course, being a romance, The Konstantos Marriage Demand doesn’t have the tragic ending that  comes to Romeo and Juliet.  And that’s another edge that writing about this theme gave me. When Nikos and Sadie find the strength to work through the hostility and suspicion that the feud has created, the result is not just a happy ending for them but also for their whole families who find  new happiness for a future that is no longer tainted by the  aggression that once came between them.  Romeo and Juliet only managed that in death but Nikos and Sadie have a much brighter future to look forward to. And it seems that the Romantic Times reviewer agreed when she wrote : Misunderstandings and family betrayals propel this terrifically well-paced and fiery romance to its very rewarding conclusion. RT also awarded The Konstantos Marriage Demand one of their Top Pick choices for this month.   I’m really thrilled about that.

I hope you don’t have any feuds in your family, but I’d love to know if you enjoy reading romances that have that extra ‘edge’ to them. Stories where there is more than just the relationship between the hero and heroine involved so that the stakes are raised even higher as a result. What sort of things do you like to see that raises those stakes – have you read some great story recently that really had the edge you were looking for? I’ve just finished my latest book and sent it to my editor so I have some reading time. I’d love to see your recommendations.

And I hope you’ll enjoy reading Nikos and Sadie’s story which is out in Presents Extra this week.

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Note: We’re kicking off March a little early with this post by Sarah Morgan ~Amy

by Sarah Morgan, author of Bought: Destitute yet Defiant (Harlequin Presents, March 2010)

I love a strong man.  I don’t necessarily mean muscles (oh go on then, if you push me I’ll admit that muscles are pretty good, too….) – what I really mean is strength of character; a man who won’t crumble under pressure and who keeps a cool head in a crisis.  In our modern, politically correct world, it’s frowned on for a woman to admit she’d like a man to slay her dragons.  We’re supposed to do it ourselves, while raising the children, emptying the dishwasher, sweeping the snow from the drive and earning a living.  We’re eager to prove we can do it all ourselves and it can be really infuriating to find that a good looking, broad shouldered guy has already lopped the head off a dragon while you’re still reaching for your sharpest kitchen knife (that happened to me only yesterday and boy was I mad.  The dragon wasn’t too pleased, either.).

The truth is that slaying your own dragon is just another thing to add to a woman’s ever growing ‘to-do’ list.  Yes, we’re in the era of the kick-butt heroine, but the truth is it’s hard to walk and kick butt (especially if you’re wearing stilettos) and the problem with having the ability to do anything is that you invariably end up doing everything – which means you’re permanently stressed and exhausted.  And there’s nothing like a little help around the place when things get tough.

So is there still a place for a Knight in shining armour in the modern world?  I think so.  This is a man who is willing to do anything to protect his woman, and who in their right mind would reject that depth of physical and emotional commitment? In Harlequin Presents, when an alpha hero focuses his strength on the protection of the heroine, it’s a demonstration not of power, but of love.

In my March release for Harlequin Presents, Bought: Destitute yet Defiant, the heroine Jessie has been using all her skills to survive in a rough, tough world but now she’s in real trouble and the only man who can help her face the danger is her greatest enemy, Silvio Brianza, the man responsible for the death of her brother.  Silvio feels a fierce sense of responsibility towards this woman and nothing is going to shake him from his vow to protect her, even though she doesn’t want his protection.  Allowing herself to reach out to him is the hardest thing Jessie has ever done, but she realises that the dragons in her life are just too big for her to slay without some serious help.

Do you have any knight in shining armour stories from your own life?  Have there been times when you’ve been grateful that a man has stepped between you and that dragon?  Or why not tell me about your favourite knight in shining armour movie moments.  I love Daniel Day Lewis in The Last of the Mohicans, protecting Cora Munroe, and Daniel Craig risking life and limb to rescue the Camille from the fire in the most recent Bond film, Quantum of Solace.

A big thank you to Amy for inviting me here today, and if you have any stories to share, I’d love to hear them!

Sarah

x

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I really should have done this last week, but better late than never to give kudos to the Harlequin Presents authors who hit the USA Today bestseller list last week with their February releases! Congratulations to:

#62: The Desert King’s Housekeeper Bride by Carol Marinelli

#68: Ruthless Magnate, Convenient Wife by Lynne Graham

#79: The Infamous Italian’s Secret Baby by Carole Mortimer

#87: Bought: The Greek’s Baby by Jennie Lucas

#93: Magnate’s Mistress…Accidentally Pregnant! by Kimberly Lang

#112: Pure Princess, Bartered Bride by Caitlin Crews

#116: The Rich Man’s Blackmailed Mistress by Robyn Donald

#134: Marriage: For Business or Pleasure? by Nicola Marsh

….which means that all eight February books made the list! (not including the Harlequin Presents Extras which hit shelves a bit later.) That’s stellar!

(Note: numbers are from last week’s list, not the current list on USAToday.com. You know all the Harlequin readers rush out to snap up books the first week of the month )

I don’t know about you, but I just love being right. I stick to my guns and fight tooth and nail…er…the ones I have left after writing my current work in progress that is! Sorry about all the clichés but there you have it–the truth is finally out: Melanie Milburne can be a little stubborn at times. Actually, I prefer to think of it as persistence and determination. After all, that’s how most writers become published in the end, right?

My heroine Gabriella St Clair is also rather stubborn and finds it hard to admit to her mistakes. And let me tell you she has made plenty. The first was to marry the wrong man. Deep down she knew she shouldn’t go ahead with it, but the weight of responsibility was like a yoke upon her shoulders (ouch, another cliché!) and she didn’t see how she could get out of it without letting her family down and of course wasting an obscene amount of money. You know how much society weddings cost, well, come to think of it any wedding!

Seven years ago my hero Vinn Venadicci came back to Australia to find Gabby about to marry Tristan Glendenning, a man he hated with a passion and for good reason. But Gabby wouldn’t listen to Vinn. She considered him to be nothing but the bad-boy son of the St Clair housekeeper, even though she was shockingly, shamelessly attracted to him. That one stolen kiss the night before her wedding more or less proved that. But if anything it sent her hurtling all the faster into the disaster that awaited her…

Oh, how wise we are in hindsight. I look back on my life and think of how I would do so many things differently if I had my time again. I am sure most of you do too.  I guess it’s just part of being human, we’re not perfect and we make the odd mistake, some more than others.

Gabby has to save her family from financial ruin and Vinn is the only person who can help her. Ironic, huh? The only person in the world who can help her is the very last person on the earth she wants to see… or does she?

Of course their first face to face meeting after seven years is full of crackling tension. Vinn sees an opportunity to get Gabby right where he has always wanted her: in his bed. And yes he is ruthless, and rich and spine-tinglingly gorgeous. But it will take a while for Gabby to tell Vinn why she did the things she did and how dearly she has paid for her mistakes since.

I loved writing this story as the characters were so strong–both of them. Gabby is feisty and proud and yet soft and vulnerable underneath and Vinn is so irresistibly male–the quintessential alpha leader and protector. I loved pitting them against each other, watching as they locked horns (cliché!) and lips and other bits!

So, what about you? Are you stubborn or a bit of a pushover? Do you readily admit when you’ve made a mistake or does it take you a while to come round to eating humble pie? Cliché!  Or do you absolutely never admit when you are wrong?

I look forward to reading all of your comments.

Mel Milburne

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People often ask writers where the ideas come from, and while some authors are good at answering that question, I’m not one of them.  Sorry. My brain is a messy place — full of 80’s music lyrics, John Donne poems, the phone number of my old dance studio, random grammatical terms (like “pronoun antecedent”), my mom’s chili recipe, Buffy trivia, the rules for Crazy Eights, and that thing I really need to do today if I ever remember what it is…

Usually, I couldn’t tell you how anything fights its way to the surface of that mess for a million bucks. It’s survival of the fittest in there, so an idea really has to have some oomph to it if it’s going to make it.

Sometimes, though, something will spark and really get my attention.  (Remember when I blogged about that Miss Manners quote that gave me Evie for The Millionaire’s Misbehaving Mistress?)  I love when that happens, because it gives me a story to tell when folks ask where an idea came from.

And I just happen to have one of those stories for my February book, Magnate’s Mistress…Accidentally Pregnant! Yay!

I had the bones of the plot and the characters (but no, I have no idea where those ideas came from), and I was making good progress on the book, but it just lacked something. I wasn’t sure what it was lacking, but pantser that I am, I had the belief it would come together eventually if I just kept writing.

Then I hit a snag. My hero, Chris, is a champion sailboat racer and his boat needed a name. It seems like a small thing, but the fact I didn’t know the boat’s name really bothered me.  Sailors are a superstitious lot, and I knew the boat’s name would be important to my hero.

So, off to the internet to search Boat For Sale listings to get ideas for the name of Chris’s boat…

After a lot of searching, I found a listing for a boat called Circe’s Magic. I liked the way “Circe” looked on the page when I typed it, and I like the way it sounded.  Circe would be a great name for Chris’s boat. But who or what was a Circe?

Back to Google…

Turns out, Circe is a character from Homer’s Odyssey.  (Don’t tell my Classics professor I didn’t know that.  He’s under the mistaken belief I actually read it.) Circe is the sorceress Odysseus meets on his journey; she’s also the one who turns Odysseus’s men into pigs.  She’s an important part of the story, because she provides Odysseus the information he needs to get home.  Circe and Odysseus were lovers, and, when Odysseus leaves, Circe is pregnant.

Hello, sparks!

It all seemed to dovetail quite nicely into what I already had for this book: A sailor, a woman on a faraway island who enchants him (and frustrates him), an affair, and an accidental pregnancy. Perfect! All of a sudden, I was finding all kinds ways to weave mythology through the story to tie everything together, and Circe – both the myth and the boat – became an important part of the story.   I went looking for one small piece of the puzzle and found more than I’d expected (and didn’t even know I needed).

I love those moments!  Yes, they make for good stories to tell here, but they also make for great books!

So have you ever gone looking for an answer, only to find the answer to a question you didn’t know you had?

Kimberly

www.booksbykimberly.com

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Pregnant by the wild and wicked billionaire!

Ally Smith might have dumped her cheating fiancé, but she refuses to waste her non-refundable honeymoon in the Caribbean!

Trying to embrace her freedom, Ally meets sexy stranger Chris Wells… Not recognizing him as the famous thrill-seeking tycoon, Ally throws caution to the wind and allows Chris, with his hot body, to sweep her into an even hotter summer fling!

But back home Ally realizes that, unlike her tan, memories of their wild night will never fade… Oh-so-sensible Ally is expecting the playboy’s baby!