Obituary for Penny Jordan at The Guardian

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Amy in on the web

by Amy Wilkins, Harlequin Digital

The Gurdian has posted an obituary for author Penny Jordan (real name Penny Halsall), who passed away on December 31, 2011. Click here to read the article.

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Once A Ferrara Wife… – What Can a Marriage Survive? By Sarah Morgan

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Amy in reunion stories

By Sarah Morgan, author of Once A Ferrara Wife… (Harlequin Presents, February 2012)

It’s a while since I wrote a marriage in trouble story and I’m very excited about this one! Once A Ferrara Wife… is an intense, emotional tale about two very different people who were joined by love, but found their love tested by life events.

In everyone’s life things happen that can’t be predicted or prevented and none of us really know how we’re going to react when we’re faced with a challenge. Good people are capable of doing and saying the wrong things, especially when under pressure. That doesn’t make them bad. It’s what makes them human, and human beings are flawed and imperfect (that’s what makes them interesting!)

In Once A Ferrara Wife…, neither of my characters are bad people, but they are flawed.

Laurel is a fitness instructor, a strong independent woman who has never relied on anyone in her life until she fell in love with Cristiano Ferrara, but he let her down so badly that she walked away. Briefly reunited at his sister’s wedding, they are forced to re-evaluate what went wrong. Unable to forgive or forget, Laurel intends to walk away again once the wedding is over but Cristiano has other plans…. He wants his wife back and he’s prepared to do whatever it takes to heal the rift in their marriage. He’s even willing to consider the fact that he might have been in the wrong….

This book contains scenes of serious grovelling (on the part of the hero!) and sizzling hot chemistry all set on the fabulously romantic island of Sicily. If the weather is cold where you are then I hope this will bring a little Mediterranean sunshine into your life and if that doesn’t work then hopefully the scorching heat between the hero and heroine will warm things up.

As I wrote this book I fell in love with the Ferrara family. I love their commitment to each other, their determination to fight to keep the family whole and healthy. I loved them so much that the moment I finished Once A Ferrara Wife… I started another story about the same family, this time featuring Cristiano’s brother, Santo. It will be out in May and is called The Forbidden Ferrara.

Happy reading!

Love Sarah

xxxx

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Question from Amy: Do you like marriage in jeopardy or reunion stories? Share your thoughts in the comments! :)

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Author Chantelle Shaw on “A Dangerous Infatuation”

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Amy in heroines, writing

by Chantelle Shaw, author of A Dangerous Infatuation (Harlequin Presents Extra, January 2012)

I wish I knew where ideas come from but imagination and the writing process are a mystery to me (apologies to anyone hoping for words of wisdom!)

I have no idea why Emma Marchant, the heroine in my latest book A DANGEROUS INFATUATION, came into my head. She arrived from nowhere and I immediately knew her as well as if we had been friends for years. I saw her in my mind — and I’m so pleased that the cover of the Presents Extra version of A DANGEROUS INFATUATION has Emma exactly as I imagined her — although looking more glamorous than in her nurse’s uniform!

So Emma is a district nurse working in cold, wintery Northumberland. She is also a single mum bringing up her little daughter alone after her husband — a fireman — was killed on duty.  Jack was regarded by everyone as a hero, but just before his death Emma had been devastated to learn that he had been unfaithful throughout their marriage and was planning to leave her.

Despite feeling hurt and betrayed Emma is determined that her daughter Holly will grow up to be proud of her father and she never reveals the truth of her marriage to anyone. She definitely has no time for gorgeous Rocco D’Angelo, who is the grandson of one of her elderly patients. Like Jack, Rocco is a charmer, but Emma has been bitten once and now she is on her guard and refuses to give in to the fierce attraction she feels for him.

As for Rocco — he enjoys being a wealthy playboy. There is only one important woman in his life and that is his beloved English grandmother. He’s not impressed with Cordelia’s sharp tongued nurse, who seems to think he has abandoned the old lady. But beneath Emma’s thick winter clothes he discovers a beautiful, sexy woman, who stirs his interest. The only trouble is, she’s prickly and defensive and won’t let him close.

His grandmother is too frail to live alone and Rocco decides that the ideal solution is to take her to his home on the Italian Riviera — accompanied by her nurse, and of course Emma’s adorable little daughter. Secrets in Rocco’s past mean that he has good reasons why he avoids commitment. He desires Emma, but all he wants is a temporary affair – isn’t it? Even if he wanted something more, he believes Emma is still in love with her first husband. How can he compete with the ghost of a hero?

A DANGEROUS INFATUATION is the story of Emma and Rocco’s journey to finding love despite the fact that they are both determined to steer clear of it. For Emma, it is about letting go of the past and finding the courage to trust. As for Rocco, he has to learn that all his money and charm won’t win him the prize he wants most. Does he have what it takes to win Emma’s heart?

In this book particularly, the storyline developed from the hero and heroine’s backstories. I ‘met’ Emma first and I really wanted to tell her story.

I’m fascinated to learn how other writers plan books? Do you start with a plot idea and then create characters to live out the story — or as with often happens to me, do characters pop into your head and their story gradually unfolds?

For readers, is it a great plot, or absorbing characters that make a book memorable for you?

Wishing everyone a happy new year of writing and reading, daydreaming and plotting!

Chantelle

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Everyday Heroes, by Anne Oliver

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Amy in heroes

by Anne Oliver, author of There’s Something about a Rebel (Harlequin Presents Extra, January 2012)

Melissa’s story in There’s Something about a Rebel follows on from my previous book, Her Not-so-Secret Diary.  Lissa had led a sheltered life, indulged by her older brother — her guardian for much of her life, and needed a guy who’d open her eyes to the wider world.   Along came Jared’s best mate, Blake.  Blake, a clearance diver in the Australian Navy, is the kind of hero I enjoy reading and writing about — a wounded warrior, a loner by nature or circumstance.  A misunderstood man with a scandalous past but a rigid code of honour.

It wasn’t long after the 2011 Queensland flood crisis when I was creating him and I got to thinking about heroes.  We all know what makes a romantic hero.  He has the looks, the moves, the charisma.  Often a self-made man and irresistible to the heroine.  And of course, he has His Past.

Blake is a romantic hero, but he’s also a true Aussie Digger, or soldier.   Lissa referred to them in her speech at the charity event she organised to coincide with the opening of her business and to raise money for returned soldiers.  “Each and every one of them makes a huge personal sacrifice to protect us.  They leave their families and loved ones and endure life-threatening situations on a daily basis.  Some pay the ultimate price.  Others return, changed forever.”

Blake is one of those returned diggers whose life has been changed by tragedy.  Wounded and suffering Post Traumatic Stress, he holds himself responsible for circumstances which were beyond his control.   Lissa’s challenge is to get Blake to open up about his past and heal, and hence to look beyond herself and her party girl lifestyle.

But what about everyday heroes?  We can all think of someone deserving of the title.   He (or she) may not have the looks, he may not be irresistible to the opposite sex, he may not be wealthy, but he’s no less worthy.  I can think of one special young boy who, during the Queensland floods, refused to be pulled to safety until his younger brother was rescued first, and in doing so, lost his own life in the fast flowing torrent.   A true hero in every way.

There are countless acts of heroism happening all around us.  There’s Something about a Rebel is dedicated to them — Everyday Heroes.

Do you know a special everyday hero?

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Susan Stephens on Rugged Men, “Working with the Enemy” and a Giveaway!

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Amy in contest, photos

by Susan Stephens, author of Working with the Enemy (Harlequin Presents Extra, January 2012)

I live high up on the wild Yorkshire moors — Here are some pretty pictures of the path I take when I’m walking my dog:

And here’s a not so pretty picture that takes you across the valley and on to the next county.

Men in these parts aren’t pretty boys — the type who are buffed and tanned, and who take up more mirror time than I do! They’re tough and hardy, with shoulders wide enough to hoist an ox (pause for happy reflection) - just like my hero, Heath in Working with the Enemy.

No wonder my imagination runs riot up here on the moors — producing more tough guys than polished playboys!

My hero, Heath Stamp used to be a bare knuckle fighter before he landed in jail and a  benefactor gave him a computer. Now Heath is a giant of the Internet, producing the games everyone wants to play.

Will Heath be interested in meeting up with the girl who used to torment him when they were young — the girl who even taught him to read?

My boho heroine Bronte is determined to save the Big House in the village high up on the wild Yorkshire moors where she grew up, and is quite preprared to drive Heath away, if that’s what it takes to stop him investing his millions in some glass and steel shopping centre.

‘Now then’ – as we say here in Yorkshire — Let’s have a little contest with the prize of a signed copy of the book:

1) Pretty boys, all buff and tan

Or

2) Rugged hunks — real men with all their flaws and contradictions.

(Why not send some pics if you have them)

Tell us which you prefer and why. Maybe you just like to look at the pretty boys and there’s nothing wrong with that. (Goodness knows, it’s safer ;-)   )

And we all have to make an exception for Henry Cavill, don’t we? He can be as pretty as he likes for me — and I won’t even give him the ox test!

Can’t wait to get chatting!

Yours from the moors :-)

Susan

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UPDATE: The giveaway is now closed — check the comments to see if you won :) ~Amy

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