Penny Jordan’s Penultimate Book – The Price of Royal Duty

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Amy in excerpt, miniseries, royalty

Penny Jordan is one of Harlequin Mills & Boon’s most popular authors.  Sadly Penny died from cancer on 31st December 2011, aged 65.  She leaves an outstanding legacy, having sold over 100 million books around the world.

Penny Jordan has become synonymous with Harlequin Presents – much loved for her gorgeous alpha male heroes, heroines with vulnerabilities like our own and most of all that very distinctive writing style: dramatic, intense, emotionally powerful – and infused with passion!

This month Penny launches the new Presents continuity The Santina Crown with The Price of Royal Duty, her penultimate book, packed full of all the drama, emotion and red-hot desire that readers loved about her books.

We hope you enjoy!

The Editors

Penny Halsall – 24th November 1946 – 31st December 2011

Note from Amy: Before Penny passed away, she completed this Q&A about The Santina Crown series. Keep reading for an excerpt from The Price of Royal Duty.

* * *

Who is more scandalous – the Jacksons or the Santinas?

Definitely the Jacksons

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the sexiest hero of them all?

My hero Ash of course, so brooding and damaged – so sexy when he reverts to his original potential as a true Harlequin hero.

What secret would make the most shocking tabloid headlines about Ash and Sophia?

That as a girl for a handful of mad moments – Sophia was so desperately in love with Ash that she contemplated seducing him and getting pregnant so that he would have to marry her.  However her love for him even at such a young age told her that to do that would mean that Ash would be blamed and she didn’t want that – her love for him was stronger than her desire to have what she wanted.

Where does Ash take Sophia for their one year anniversary?

A private island in the Indian Ocean – where they can look after themselves and simply be Sophia and Ash and where he can sow her in all the ways there are how much he loves her.

We’d love to hear about your writing process, can you talk us through your daily routine?

I’m at my desk for 8/9 reviewing the previous day’s work – checking that it makes sense, reading the  notes I’d left for myself telling me where to take the story next, then it is in to the best bit of my day – working alongside my characters to tell their story – break at lunch time for a dip into my fav magazines including Scandal! And gleaming info from that that will bring my characters even more to life for our readers (although I never ever use real characters – I prefer creating my own).

What do you think makes a good hero and heroine?

That all important spark of ‘something’ especially if they are both fighting against it.

Did you have a favourite character in your story The Price of Royal Duty?

My heroine I just love her.

What is it that you love most about writing your stories?

Helping my characters to find their happy ending.

We know it’s tricky, but what is your favourite book of all time?

I haven’t got one. There are so many books I love, but I do remember how I was swept into my first ever children’s library edition of Pride and Prejudice as a pre-teenager and how much I wanted to be part of that story.

Continue reading »

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What Do You Think of Harlequin Presents Extra’s Mini-Makeover?

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Amy in covers

by Amy Wilkins, Harlequin Digital

Harlequin Presents Extra is getting a bit of an update in May. While a lot of the design remains the same, the diamond-shaped graphic with image of jewellery is being updated with a new “Extra” flash in the corner.

Here’s an example of the old design:

And the new look:

So what do you think of tweaked design?

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Congratulations RT Reviewers’ Choice Award Winners!

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Amy in romance novel awards, romance writer conference

by Amy Wilkins, Harlequin Digital

Romantic Times Magazine’s convention wrapped up last weekend — including the announcement of the 2011 RT Reviewers’ Choice Award Winners!

For the Harlequin Presents category, Sandra Marton took home the prize for her novel The Real Rio D’Aquila.

The Harlequin Presents Extra category was won by Annie West for Protected by the Prince.

Congratulations Sandra and Annie!

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There’s Something about a Royal… Plus Happy Anniversary Wills & Kate!

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Amy in editor, royalty

by Harlequin Presents editor Carly Byrne

It’s hard to believe it’s almost a year since Wills & Kate tied the knot!  The royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on 29th April 2011 wasn’t just THE wedding of the year but the event of the year!  The Harlequin UK editors enjoyed the benefits of a national holiday and celebrated with street parties, bake offs and a few (too many) glasses of bubbly!

Wills & Kate’s love story captured the world’s imagination, the (relatively) ordinary girl marrying her prince in a true love match, is the stuff of fairy tales – and Harlequin romances!  Royalty and Presents is a match made in heaven – powerful heroes, convenient marriages, luxury and opulence – it’s a theme that remains as popular as ever.  Clearly there’s something about a royal…

Majestic Mediterranean principalities and delectable desert kingdoms, irresistible Italian princes and sexy Sultans, meticulous duty and uncontrollable desire is royalty as traditionally decreed by Presents – but with young love currently at the helm, what’s the future of royalty?

With the Duchess of Cambridge dominating the headlines it’s thrust royal women into the spotlight.  But princesses, particularly those that are unhappy about their situation, can be tricky to motivate – really with all that privilege, wealth and eligible suitors what’s there to be unhappy about?  So what goes on beneath the weight of the tiara that the average person could never imagine…?

Since saying ‘I do’, Kate seems to have flourished in her new role – paving the way for strong royal women who love their job – queens and princess who are more than  match for their male royal counterparts!

The new media-darling royal is as much a hit with the press as other celebrities and brings the ‘royal’ to tabloid royalty!  The new Presents continuity The Santina Crown: royalty has been this scandalous! begins next month and embraces the theme of tabloid royalty when a traditional royal family marry into the Presents equivalent of the Beckhams!  Look out for more blogging about this soon!

Wills might be off the market, but ladies you can still marry Harry!  The heir to the throne might hold the power but the spare has all the fun! Is it the stoic firstborn, for whom duty wars with desire, that makes your hear race?  Or the playboy second son, who scorns duty and embraces desire, that makes you weak at the knees?

Finally, with a year of marriage under Wills & Kate’s jewel encrusted belts – surely it can’t be long before a royal baby is on the way?  What could be more Presents than the drama and excitement of an heir?!

What is it about a royal that’s so popular? Can you empathise with a princess who’s struggling with her duty?  The heir or the spare – who would you choose?

 

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The Most Romantic Place in the World, by Kate Hardy

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Amy in photos, reunion stories, settings

by Kate Hardy, author of The Ex Who Hired Her (Harlequin Presents Extra, April 2012)

I love writing reunion stories – especially seeing how the characters have grown and changed since the first time round, and how they learn to deal with the original problems that pulled them apart.

In The Ex Who Hired Her, Jordan and Alexandra have completely different (and opposite) beliefs about what happened in their past. I gave them both quite a hard time – and I made their first meeting in the ‘here and now’ a shock to them, too.

But they learn to work together, and their good working relationship gives them the confidence to talk and sort out the past, too.

And when Jordan realises that he wants Alex back in his life permanently, he whisks her off somewhere very romantic as a surprise. Somewhere that has no bad memories for them – somewhere that he knows is top of her travel wish list. And somewhere they can make new memories together.

Where?

Well, the front cover of the book gives you a big clue :) Somewhere I think is the most romantic place in the world (and would be more than happy if my husband decided to whisk me back there!).

Being in Venice is like being in a different world – no noisy traffic, just the bells from the churches ringing every so often. And, in April, it’s the perfect weather to wander round in the little narrow streets, getting lost and enjoying all the bridges and the glorious old buildings.

I have to admit, I stole a lot of our own trip to Venice for that part of the book. The bits that made the place special for me.

The first view of Venice from our water taxi. (I was as overwhelmed as Alex is.)

The way the light reflects from the canals under the bridges.

The strawberries in the Rialto market.

The Rialto bridge itself (seen here from our gondola – oh, yes, we did that, too).

St Mark’s Square, at night – and the little orchestras outside Florian’s and Quadri’s. There’s no way you can resist dancing through St Mark’s Square when they’re playing the most gorgeous music. (And, now we’ve been taking ballroom dancing lessons – ha, guess what the background to my current book is? – we’d be able to dance properly through the square… Yup. We have to go back.)

And the horses in St Mark’s basilica (these are the real ones, not the reproductions you can see outside) – then you can stand on the loggia (balcony) outside and marvel at the view across the lagoon. (Yes, we had a photograph taken there, too – except it was by our youngest rather than by a stranger.)

I loved every second of it (as did my hero and heroine!).

Where would you like to be whisked away for a romantic break?

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