The Dare Family is here in the balmy Midwest on vacation, but I just had to share this exciting news.

Goddess of the Hunt has received a starred review from Library Journal! You can read the whole review here. A snippet:

This is an exceptional debut novel, from the first hilarious “practice” session to the gradual melting of Jem’s outward reserve and Lucy’s maturing realization of whom she really loves. VERDICT: A beautifully crafted tale that captivates with sassy wit, a lush, sweetly intense sensuality, and an abundance of beautifully articulated, appealing characters.

I’m so very excited by this, because not only is a starred review a tremendous honor, but because this is Library Journal, and I’m a librarian. Aside from the thrill of a great review, I know an LJ starred review means a lot more libraries will buy my book, and that makes me so happy. More copies of GotH out there in the world, freely circulating amongst the public! Hooray!… Read More »

Come comment today at Romance B(u)y The Book! I’m blogging about first crushes, and one lucky commenter will received a signed author copy of Goddess of the Hunt (just as soon as I receive them! 🙂 )

Correction: I think Michelle actually has an ARC! She’s going to send it to me for signing, and then I’ll pass it along to the winner. Woot!… Read More »

Goddess of the Hunt releases in 49 days. Gulp. If I think about that for more than 49 seconds, I start to get the shakes.

Fortunately, I have lots to keep me busy in the meantime. In addition to my ongoing work on the trilogy for 2010, I have some travel coming up.

At the end of the week, the Dare family will be embarking on our family vacation–a relaxing trip to the Midwest to visit relatives.

Then in July it will be on to DC for the RWA (Romance Writers of America) National Conference. Conference is always one of the highlights of my year, simply because I get to see so many friends and gather inspiration from some of the genre’s brightest stars. But this year will be especially exciting because it will be my very first booksigning! More on that in future posts…

In the weeks and months to come, I’ll also be doing some virtual traveling–doing guest blogs and interviews at various places around the Romance webscape. Tomorrow I’ll be a guest at Romance B(u)y The Book, so please come by!

Are you headed anywhere this summer?… Read More »

This week, I’m taking a break from drafting Stud Club book two (which was briefly known as The Return of a Rogue, but now will likely be known as something else) to catch up on other things. Namely the page proofs for A LADY OF PERSUASION, which I must mail tomorrow, and reading, which I haven’t had time to do much of lately.

My reading list for the week is a mix of research and inspiration. It includes:
This Duchess of Mine by Eloisa James (Been dying for Jemma and Elijah’s story!)
Not Quite a Husband by Sherry Thomas (On a day I can screw up my courage. Sherry’s books always tie my insides in knots, they’re so emotional.)
One Week as Lovers by Victoria Dahl (I have an ARC!!! Yes, you can faint with envy now.)
Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier
Amid Devonia’s Alps: Wanderings and Adventures on Dartmoor, by William Crossing
Memoirs of a Smuggler, by John Rattenbury

What are you reading this week?… Read More »

Wow, I cannot believe Goddess of the Hunt releases next month! If you’re curious to sample my work, my e-novella is available now. I’ve added some new content to the site, including an FAQ and a short excerpt from my August release, Surrender of a Siren. Also, this is the last month to enter my Movie Club contest! … Read More »

But first, announcements!

Congratulations to Catie James, the winner of a signed copy of Jackie Barbosa’s BEHIND THE RED DOOR!  Please email me your address, and I’ll get it in the mail to you.

Second, you could win a DVD of Moonstruck, or one of my other favorite movies, plus coverflats and goodies – just enter my movie club contest here!  I’ll be drawing the May winners in just a few days.

Third, don’t forget – there’s now only one way to get an ARC (advance readers copy) of GODDESS OF THE HUNT, and that’s to bid on my gift basket in the Brenda Novak auction to benefit diabetes research.  Bids close on May 31st!

And now, on with the show.

Moonstruck.  Oh, how I love this movie, for so many reasons.  But I will confine myself to a listing a few.

First, the film features one of my favorite pairings:  The deliciously tortured hero and the no-nonsense heroine who refuses to coddle him.  Ronny lost his hand in a bakery accident, and he’s still bitter and blaming his older brother, Johnny.  When Johnny’s fiance, Loretta, comes to invite Ronny to the wedding, so many sparks fly between them they practically combust.  Their dialogue is so wonderful.

One of the most memorable exchanges (sorry for video quality):

Or this speech by Ronny:

Loretta, I love you. Not like they told you love is, and I didn’t know this either, but love don’t make things nice – it ruins

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 … Read More »

That’s the topic of my guest blog today over at Risky Regencies! Please do come visit and tell us what were-hero you’d like to see in historical romance. 🙂 One commenter will win a free copy of The Legend of the Werestag and a signed coverflat of Goddess of the Hunt!… Read More »

(Title is inspired by Alice’s mad tea party in Wonderland)

I had a blast guest-blogging at the pirate ship Revengeyesterday, and I’ll be guest blogging at Risky Regencies tomorrow, so my Tuesday post is going to be brief. Do be sure to come back next Tuesday, May 26th when debut author and FanLit alum Jackie Barbosa drops by to celebrate the release of BEHIND THE RED DOOR! We’ll be chatting about the art of the novella. I think. 🙂

Yesterday I got fabulous news in the form of a letter from my Ballantine editor. She loves the manuscript I turned in for Stud Club book one, and thinks it’s good to go with just a few minor revisions. That’s always a great feeling!

However, the second part of her message was that the title The Desire of a Duke will probably need to change–it’s too similar to some other Ballantine releases coming out next year. Several of you have already been helping me brainstorm alternatives on email, but feel free to sing out here if you’ve got more ideas! (Or simply want to repost some of the late-night gems we were throwing around for laughs.)

Oh, here, let me:
The Disastrously Draining Decadence of a Duke’s Dependents
The Thoroughbred Duke’s Unbridled Passions
The Duke Doubles Down (it’s a gambling reference!)… Read More »

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!… Read More »