Tessa Dare

GIVEAWAY! One lucky commenter today will win a signed copy of BEHIND THE RED DOOR.

Like many of you, I first met Jackie Barbosa through the 2006 Avon FanLit writing competition. Since then, I’ve had the great fortune to become friends with Jackie both online and in real life. She’s a fabulous person and a gifted writer, and it’s been so exciting to watch her career take off. After publishing several contemporary and historical novellas with e-publisher Cobblestone Press, today Jackie celebrates her first print release with Kensington – BEHIND THE RED DOOR, a single-author anthology of historical erotic romance. I’ve been lucky enough to read it an early copy, and it is smart, sexy, and sooooo romantic.

When Jackie and I were discussing the best way to celebrate and handle this here guest blog, we decided perhaps we’d chat and interview one another about the writing of novellas–since I just recently released one of my own. Here’s our conversation on the long and short of it.

Tessa: *clearing throat*
So, Jackie–it amuses me that we’re having this conversation, because
we are both writers who end to write novels on the long side, but who
have also written short novellas (under 20K words). What made you
decide to attempt a novella in the first place? Did anything surprise
you about the writing process?

Jackie: I wrote my first short novella on a dare from Ann Aguirre, actually. She mentioned an Ellora’s Cave call for submissions, said she was going to write something for it, and challenged her blog readers to try it, too. At first, I didn’t think I had a story that short in me (it had to be under 15,000 words), but almost at the last minute, an idea popped into my head, and voila, Carnally Ever After was born. It wound up being the first manuscript I ever sold and, as the prequel to the novellas in Behind the Red Door, it was really the stepping stone to my first New York contract.
Read the rest of this entry �

I’m guest captaining the pirate ship today, over at the Romance Writers’ Revenge. Come check out my post about taking the paranormal bandwagon for a joyride, in which I explain some of the Werestag’s mythic origins. I’m giving away a copy of the e-novella and a signed coverflat for Goddess of the Hunt! Just comment for a chance to win.

Coffee Time Romance posted a 4-cup review of The Legend of the Werestag yesterday! You can read it here.

Also, if you read historical romances, you won’t want to miss this beautiful new online newsletter put together by soon-to-be-published Kensington author Beverley Kendall. Called The Season, it’s going to be a quarterly guide to forthcoming historical romances, both from debut authors (“The Debutantes”) and returning favorites (“The Belles”). Bev’s done an absolutely lovely job with it.

Happy Monday, everyone!

First off, thank you to everyone who helped make my first release day so very exciting! There’s still a chance to win a copy of my historical (NOT paranormal) novella, The Legend of the Werestag, at Jennifer Haymore’s blog. Check it out! And while you’re there, treat yourself to the blurb and excerpt of Jennifer’s debut historical, A Hint of Wicked, releasing in just a few weeks. It’s an intense, passionate story of a woman torn between her love for her two husbands. (Yes, you read that right.) And the stepback alone is worth the click over!

I usually do most of my writing at cafes, because I find it too hard to concentrate whenever I have the darelings around or convenient internet access. So I pack up my laptop and head off to Starbucks or the Bean and Leaf or Borders and camp in for a few hours. Sometimes I change it up and go to McDonalds, and I’ve become a regular customer at the one near my kids’ preschool on Thursday mornings.

You see, there’s an older couple that comes in on Thursday mornings, too. I’ve chatted with them a few times–the gentleman is always interested in my laptop and how it works. And he’s very proud of his successful kids and grandkids, as any father or grandfather should be. His wife is always with him, and though she seems like a lovely person, she’s not able to speak much. She seems to be in an advanced stage of Parkinsons or some disease that affects the muscles–she can’t move her arms or hands, and she walks with difficulty. But every Thursday, they come into McDonalds and have breakfast together. The gentleman sees her to their regular table, and he goes to get their food. Then he feeds himself and his wife, too – holding the food to her mouth and telling her when to take a bite, or urging her to swallow a sip of juice.

While this goes on, I’m there writing my stories of love in its first blush–attraction, infatuation, courtship, wooing, and..well…romance. But I find it so touching and inspiring to see the proof of real-life HEAs sitting just a few tables down. And I’ve been fortunate to see similar examples within my own family–couples who truly live out that “richer or poorer, in sickness and in health” part of their wedding vows.

Detractors of the romance genre often decry the ubitquitous happy endings as “easy”. I’d argue they’re anything but. A happily-ever-after ending implies a lifetime of commitment, sacrifice, and hard work to come. Anything but easy, but wonderful and rewarding in the way only difficult things can be.

I’m sure my McDonalds couple has a very romantic story to tell about the beginnings of their relationship, too. Some Thursday morning, I’ll probably get to hear it!

What examples of real-life romance inspire you?

Hooray!  My e-novella, The Legend of the Werestag, is available today from Samhain Publishing!

This quirky, sexy historical romance novella is not a paranormal shifter story, but rather the tale of five romantically entangled Regency-era houseguests who become intrigued by the local legend of a cursed man-beast.  Among them is Miss Cecily Hale, a young lady who’s spent four years waiting for her girlhood love, Luke Trenton, to come home from war.  And Luke himself, who has come home from battle alive but changed, only to spurn Cecily’s long-held affections.  But everything changes the night they forge into the forest in search of the fabled “Werestag.”

To read a longer blurb and Chapter One, click here.  I’ve posted an exclusive excerpt from Chapter Two to the Samhain Cafe loop here.  Check back later this morning.   And I’m blogging today on the Samhain blog about how ALL romance heroes are legendary man-beasts.

Later this afternoon, kindly bloggers at Dear Author will be helping me give away ten free downloads of the novella, as well as my last three Advance Readers Copies (ARCs) of Goddess of the Hunt.  That’s right – get over to Dear Author and leave a comment today, and you could win an ARC!  (And if you don’t win, there’s still one up for bids in Brenda Novak’s benefit auction.)

Sarah Wendell of Smart Bitches, Trashy Books gave The Legend of the Werestag a very favorable B+ review a few weeks back, and author Ann Aguirre called it “the best novella I’ve read all year.”

Best of all?  It’s only $3.15 if you buy it this week from My Bookstore and More!  It’s also available in the Amazon Kindle store, and from a variety of e-book retailers.  If you’ve been wondering about my print books, here’s your chance to try my work for a low price.

Wow, my first release day.  This is so exciting!  I can’t wait to hear what people think of it.

First, I extend the usual apologies for scattershot blogging.  My deadline for the first Stud Club book is May 1st, and I need every (childfree) minute between now and then to finish and polish it up.

But I had to share this – my editor emailed me this morning to let me know that Goddess of the Hunt, Surrender of a Siren, and A Lady of Persuasion have all sold to the book clubs!  They will be featured alternate selections in July/Aug/Sept respectively, in the Rhapsody, Doubleday, and Book of the Month Clubs!  I am beyond excited.  So far beyond excited, I can’t think of a word for it.

But wait, there’s more!  You may remember that Courtney Milan and Ann Aguirre and Dear Author and I engaged in some werestag-themed April Foolery a few weeks back, regarding were-ruminant trademarks and the infringement thereof.  Well, Ann was good enough to actually read my novella, The Legend of the Werestag (coming May 12th from Samhain!), and give this stunning quote:

“Tessa Dare writes with incandescent emotional ferocity, balancing story and character with knife-edged elegance. This is the best novella I have read all year.”
~Ann Aguirre, national bestselling author of Blue Diablo

I think there is more gorgeous writing in that quote than there is in my whole novella. I’m not sure that’s fair. But I’m beside myself with glee about it anyhow.

If you haven’t already bought Blue Diablo, what are you waiting for? I just started it last night, and not only am I wowed by Ann’s amazing sense of place and command of first person–the hardest voice to pull off, IMO–but Corine and Chance have me absolutely hooked.

BTW, I’ve just realized that Ann and I are co-authors. She wrote the brilliant concluding chapter to the Manuscript Mavens Halloween story a few years back… Ain’t that cool?

I have returned from a morning offline to find my forthcoming Samhain novella, The Legend of the Werestag, embroiled in a legal battle.

The issue started with this announcement.

To which my, ahem, zealous legal counsel replied here. And the debate continued here.

I would like to publicly state that I have immediately fired Courtney Milan from her (unpaid, unsolicited) position as my legal adviser, and I make my profound apologies to Ms. Ann Aguirre and her representatives at the Dear Author Literary Agencies. Ms. Milan’s conduct in this matter has been appalling. She has made false claims based on an unregistered trademark, and besides — as anyone who has read the blurb or excerpt of my novella (releasing May 12th from Samhain) would realize, there are no actual wereruminants appearing in the story. Any references to

“four-legged beasts having four-chambered stomachs, with or without prongs, capable of shifting into one or more forms upon application of sufficient quantities of moonlight.”

are strictly hypothetical, and roundly derided by several of the characters.

As readers of this blog will no doubt know, I am a librarian and an advocate of intellectual freedom and unrestricted access. Far be it from me to restrict the loving satire of shifter stories by monopolizing the use of wereruminants in fiction. Ms. Aguirre and her weredeer trilogy have my best wishes for success.