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It’s a Persuasion party! Tell your friends!
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A Lady of Persuasion is in stores today! This is the third and final installment in the trilogy that began with Goddess of the Hunt and continued in Surrender of a Siren. It’s the story of Toby and Isabel’s romance, but it’s also a happy ending for an entire group of friends, both old and new. And who better to celebrate that with than you–my friends, both old and new?
You see, when I started writing Goddess of the Hunt, I had this thought that it should feel a bit like the TV show Friends, only set in the Regency. A group of…well, friends…who are at that time in their lives where they’re figuring out their futures and pairing off, who know each other well enough to throw around a lot of witty set-downs and the occasional incisive remark. A group of people who genuinely care about one another, even though they’d sometimes rather not admit it. And it was just so much fun, to write Henry, Toby, Felix, and Jeremy giving each other sh*t in the way guys do.
There are several sections of A Lady of Persuasion where the main characters from all three books are together–sometimes for pleasant reasons, and sometimes not. Don’t get me wrong–I adored Toby and Bel as a couple, and their journey to love was a pure joy to write. But those ensemble scenes were a unique pleasure, because I really believed each of the three (four! shhh.) couples’ happily-ever-afters would be supported and strengthened by this larger circle of friendship and love. And because I just can’t write enough of those guys giving each other sh*t. 🙂
So, here’s how this party works. Any comment will enter you to win a prize (more on those in a bit). We’re just going to play a big long game of “Remember When,” and the theme of the day is friends. You can share a memory about the friends in my trilogy (Remember when Jeremy and Lucy made out under that pear tree? Yeah, that was hot.) or Friends the TV show (Remember Chandler and his ‘nubbin’? Ew.), or our real-life friendships (Remember when went out for that awesome barbecue in Dallas during RWA? Those rolls! Like buttah.). Or if none of those appeal to you, just bring out cocktail party conversation of any variety! Or make something up. (I write fiction; creativity’s encouraged.)
Now, the PRIZES!
They are books, of course. I will give away 3 copies of A Lady of Persuasion, and 1 copy each of Goddess of the Hunt and Surrender of a Siren (all signed, of course). Because she is my friend and she is awesome, I will also give away 2 copies of the recently released The Heart of Christmas anthology, featuring Courtney Milan‘s most excellent debut novella, “This Wicked Gift.”
So that’s seven books — but wait! It’s not! Because if you’re a winner, I will double your prize and send a copy of the same book to a friend of your choosing, with a message that it is a gift from you! Your mom, your sister, your neighbor down the street…a senior center, a teacher, a soldier…anyone you think might enjoy reading one of my (or Courtney’s) books. (Don’t worry–any addresses collected will be used strictly to mail this one prize, then deleted.) Winners will be picked at random from all comments.
As the day goes by, I may have prizes on Twitter as well, if you follow me there. 😉
So…let the fun begin! Thank you all so much for your friendship, readership, and support. I hope you enjoy reading Toby and Isabel’s romance as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Your friend, Tessa
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Congrats Tessa!! I remember those rolls at the BBQ in Dallas. I still dream of those rolls…sigh.
So excited to get my hands on ALoP (tomorrow, alas). I’ve been on a reading hiatus while I work on revision, but am dying to get SoaS and ALoP asap! (More acronyms, please!)
Re: friends…my husband/best friend turned 40 yesterday and we had a party with some very good friends over the weekend. There was someone from his high school years, some college pals, and some from after that. Everyone got along great and it was a wonderful evening of sharing memories and making new ones. Reminds me of that cheesy camp song, “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.”
Great blog and comments today! Thank you for sharing the fun!
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Congrats to you and to Courtney for your new releases!!!
My husband and I have 3 couples who are our best friends. We have all been in the same Sunday School class for 2O years. We have seen each other through the births of our children, the deaths of our parents, and countless illnesses and ups and downs in life.
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Remember when Gray asked his brother how he knew “Sophia’s” name when he didn’t really know it himself? Now that’s my favorite!! 😆 🙂
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YAY! So excited for ALOP!
So when i was in college me and my friends spent almost all our freetime watching FRIENDS. Remember when the gang was trying to figure out who the father or Rachel’s baby was and they all thought it was Tag but in the end Ross picks up the sweater and says “i’ve been looking for this for like a month”
Oh and probably one of my favorite scenes from GOTH is when they’re playing Hide and Seek and Jermey and Lucy are in the closet. HELLO! That never happens to me.
Congrats of A Lady of Persuasion!
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I love this walk down Friends memory lane. 🙂
There are so many favorite episodes and lines. Love the one where Ross lets Rachel watch Ben and Monica hits his head on the wood beam. “Monica bang!” It’s great when Monica and Rachel bang their heads and Rachel says “if it’s not a headboard it’s just not worth it.” 😆
And the man purse? Joey was the best!! Was I the only one who want Rachel to end up with him instead of Ross?
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Happy Release Day!! So excited to see this one on the shelves!
A favorite Friends memory is Chandler’s WENUS. Having 2 boys, that’s one of the nicknames they gave their… well.. wenus, when they were little. Heh.
And agree on the GOTH wardrobe scene. H.O.T.
Congrats on all the success!
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Congrats on release day #3!
Remember when you sold out at the literacy signing in about 5 seconds?
Remember what your bathtub looked like before (and after) the puppy party?
Remember when a strange man handed you some goats on a boat?
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Hi Tessa,
I read GODDESS OF THE HUNT and enjoyed it immensely!
Remember when I was with my friends in St. Pete (FL) and I made out with Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction) in the parking lot of his hotel? Oh yes…….I miss the 80’s!!
Tessa, I’m in VA Beach. Will you ever come here for a signing?
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Ah, the Late Night Lunatics and Darcybug. Those were the days! And who could forget Darcy’s Calves? 😆 I miss the heyday of the Lounge. *sigh* My online buddies are the best. They keep me laughing and cheer me up when I’m blue.
My favorite Friends moment was when Brooke Shields was on and thought Joey was really Drake Romoray, and they made up that story about his evil twin Hans Romoray. Rachel and Monica both threw water in his face for seducing them and then Chandler steps up and says “You left the toilet seat up, you b*st*rd!” and throws another glass of water on him. ROFL!
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Congrats on your release, Tessa!
I remember when it all began and Lucy went into Jeremy’s room at night, to practice seduction, lol
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Hi Tessa!
Let me just say that I absolutely LOVED the first two books in this trilogy!! I cannot wait to get to the store and buy A Lady Of Persuasion, so excited!!!
Do you remember the scene in Surrender Of A Siren in chapter 16? Oh yes, I do believe you remember! You know, the one where Gray wants Sophia so badly, but instead of giving in to his desires, he watches her do everything he wishes he could do!!!… Tessa, I honestly think this might be the hottest scene I have ever read in a book!
Girl, you have got some serious talent, keep it coming!!!!
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Hey Mel! I would go searching for your castoffs, but I have the same problem. You just can’t keep them all!
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@terrio:
Seven, seven, SEVEN!!! lol
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Cool, terrio! If you visit the Salvation Army, Goodwill, and DAV thrift store on Va Bch Blvd you’ll find a lot of books autographed to me. 🙂
I’ve read them all and can’t keep them anymore. 😥
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Happy Release Day!
That sounds kinda kinky… 😈
Tessa, I’m just so happy for you. It’s been several years now since I first glimpsed your work. You’ve come a long way, woman, and you’ve earned a sincere, “Well done!”
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Congratulations on the release Tessa!
I love Friends! I even have a cookbook called Cooking with Friends. Besides recipes the book includes quotes from the series.
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OMG, this is the best! So many great lines. Yes, yes to “Monica Bang!” and “Seven, seven, SEVEN!”
LID – You just gave me the biggest smile with Darcy’s Calves!! ROFL.
Cheryl – um, yeah. I remember chapter 16. I remember it well. 😈 Thank you!
Sara – ACK, the bathtub! Ewww.
Minna, does your cookbook have the meat/dessert recipe?
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Yeah to all the books being out now! 🙂 Now once I get the last, I can read them all together! 🙂
Well, Friends I never watched, so I don’t know anything about that. . .
And I pretty much don’t have any friends stories. Should just make something up, like a group of us happened on Colin Firth (or Hugh Jackman or Gerard Butler; just fill in the blank with the name that will make you the most jealous) and he took us out on a night around town (fill in the town you would prefer here). Yeah, that sounds good!
Lois, who leads an utterly friendless and boring life. . . but who is getting the bathrooms done, just no cute plumbers or anything. 🙁 LOL
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Oh I loved the Sophia and Lucy getting tipsy in Lucy’s room and talking about Gervais.
Fun contest!
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I just remembered another funny episode. Remember when Monica thought Chandler was into shark porn?
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Happy Release Day, Tessa. Congrats!
One of my favorite friendship stories is when my Dad passed away a few years ago. An online friend who had never met me in person sent a HUGE plant to the funeral home. I was so appreciative. It was the biggest plant in the room. She was such a sweetie for doing that. She knew how close I was to my Dad, and she had also been close to her Dad before he died.
I got so many compliments on the plant, and the best part I got to take it home with me….to think of my dear Dad and it also reminded me of the special friend who had sent it.
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Tessa, I want to tell you how absolutely gorgeous the covers of this trilogy are. I love the way that they “go together” as a set. The covers give us the characters and the settings and also set the romantic mood. Have you been satisfied with them?
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WOW, can’t believe how late I am to the party (but not late to the books!)
Congratulations on a fabulous trilogy and I am already awaiting the next series–which I know is going to be amazing!
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Remember the last Friends episode when all the gang was gathered in the empty appartment…. I did cry, the end of an era (a whole decade after all).
😥 😥
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I just realized I pretty much stopped watching TV when Friends was done. My daughters and I always watched/talked about it together–it really was Must-See-TV for the Robinson girls.
One of my oldest friends called me just last Sunday. I haven’t seen her for three years. It was as if we’d spoken on Saturday.:)
Congrats on ALOP, and all the other wonderful Dare books that will be unleashed next year!
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@cheryl c.: That’s so sweet. Thanks for the compliments on my covers!
Heather Ledford: Hahaha. That’s my favorite part, too. 🙂 Thanks for mentioning it!
@Mel K.: You made out with Dave Navarro?? Wow.
@Donna Stratton: How wonderful, that you can count your daughters as such good friends!
@Linda: What a very sweet story of friendship. Thank you for sharing!
@gwen hayes: yes, Gervais! That reminds me of Rachel’s boyfriend that Ross was so jealous of…what was his name again? Oh, yeah – Paolo!
Ack, I have to run AGAIN – this time to pick up the darelings and go to gymnastics class. Thanks to all of you for dropping by!!!
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I got my copy today out of the stacks at Borders – they didn’t have any new releases shelved yet! (At least they had them out though, otherwise someone would have suffered bodily injury. Just sayin’. 😉 ) Now I’m at home with my copy in my hot little hands, and I’m reading, and ………. after all my wanting to “hurry up” and read this book, now I don’t want to hurry up this journey. Blame this on Courtney Milan, who got all sentimental on her blog which made me get sentimental when I realized how I’d fallen in love with all these characters and when this book is over I have to say goodbye to them! Okay, obviously I have issues – heh – but truly, I love it and hate it at the same time when a story is that good. So, should I say “thank you”, or “darn you!”?
Back to reading ……. slowly ……
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Glad I could help, Tessa. 😉
Your books all look amazing. I’m waiting to read them until I’ve got all three because I know I won’t be able to stop. I know I’ll love them. You’re an amazing writer.
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As sad as it sounds I didn’t really get in to watching Friends. Dad petty much took over the TV so Friends was never on the tuby.
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Happy release day! I’m enjoying the blog in Toby-vision today. 🙂
Remember when Joey reads Little Women?
Remember when we both applied for the same job and didn’t know it?
Remember when you came up with the idea for Legend of the Werestag?
Remember when only a select few knew the awesomeness that is Tessa Dare?
Remember when everyone bought ALOP and told their friends to buy it and it sold a bazillion copies? Oh, wait, I think that’s a FlashForward…
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congrats on all of your releases and books since we r rememberingw hen i remember when i was a teenager and my friends wanted to celebrate my brithday so they posted signs all over school places i went to let everyone know it was my brithday they always did thoughtful things like that and now they still clal or email me onmy day just like i do for them one of my friends is now my cousin by marriage
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I’m looking forward to picking up A Lady of Persuasion – congrats on your release day! I’m loving MySpace and Facebook for allowing me to get in touch with friends I hadn’t talked to in a while, as well as some relatives too.
And Friends – I never missed an episode, that was a great show!
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I just remembered one of my fav funny “Friends” moment. When Phoebe was teaching Joey to play guitar and had all sorts of weird names for chords. Then when Joey went to play at Central Perk and she was coaching him, he would say the correct chord name and she got mad at him for getting real lessons.
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Wow! This is some party, Tessa!!! I cannot BELIEVE it’s already release day for ALOP. Seems like only yesterday that we were all squeeing to see GOTH on the shelf at the bookstore:) Yay!
I’ve just recently started watching reruns of Criminal Minds–and guess who is on there now! Joey’s girlfriend who turned into Chandler’s girlfriend, Kathy! She looked so familiar so I had to IMDB her and it’s totes Kathy.
Remember that time Chandler had to spend Thanksgiving in a box in reparation for stealing Joey’s girlfriend Kathy?
Congratulations, Tessa! So happy/proud/gobsmacked for you!
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Hi Tessa – Happy Release Day!!!!
I’m in the middle of Chapter 3 in ALOP and about to turn my computer off and try to get a couple more chapters in before I hit the sack.
One of my favorite Friends moments – Chandler and Joey arguing about Joey’s tailor who has been fondling him without him realizing it.
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Hey, thanks to the late crew! This has been a wonderful day. What a fun conversation! It’s actually been totally inspiring to me, in terms of thinking up new, wacky situations for my characters!
Irisheyes, thanks for reading! And YES, the fondling tailor. Ick!
Manda, wasn’t that day in the box also a kind of payback for Joey getting stuck in the entertainment center? I don’t remember… Thanks so much for coming by!
Scott – I remember that! She taught him “bear claw” and such, right? Too funny.
Barbara, Beverly, Carolyn, jk, Lois, emmanuelle and others – thanks so much for stopping by and sharing stories of your friends!
Lindsey – OMG, I have so many great memories with you! Here’s to many years’ more!
Maggie – thank you so much for stopping by!
You know I dream of being an honorary Robinson girl!
I’m completely beat. Thanks so much for making this a great release day!
I’ll draw winners in the morning!
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YES!!!! She called one Bear Claw…..LOL
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Minna, does your cookbook have the meat/dessert recipe?
Yeah, it has both. It was written by Amy Lyles Wilson and Jack Bishop. There are lots of pictures from Friends, too. I have tried some of the recipes.
http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Friends-Amy-Lyles-Wilson/dp/1558533834