Here are answers to some of the questions I’m often asked. I hope you find it helpful!
If you have a burning question that isn’t covered here, please email my assistant, Kelly Oakes, at Kelly @ TessaDare.com.
When is The Bride Bet coming out?
Over the past few years, there have been confusing placeholder publication dates for The Bride Bet at various online retailers. I have recently learned that due to an internal error, one of those placeholder dates shows a paperback release date of January 15, 2024.
The Bride Bet is not releasing on January 15, 2024 in any format.
The publisher has promised me that they will resolve this issue so that nobody is charged for a book that will not be shipped.
Please don’t believe any release dates unless you see them on my website or in my newsletter. Unless it comes from me, it’s incorrect.
How do I make sure I never miss a new Tessa Dare book?
Please join my newsletter list. Whenever I have news, I will let newsletter subscribers know first.
Who can I contact with rights inquiries?
Please contact my agent, Steve Axelrod of The Axelrod Agency, directly with any subsidiary, foreign language, or TV/film rights inquiries.
If I’m new to your books, where should I start?
My honest answer is—start with whichever book is in your hand, or on the library shelf, or discounted at the moment. I’m just happy for you to read any of them! I try my best to make sure every book can be read on its own.
However, I know many readers prefer to start with the first in a series. If that describes you, I’d recommend:
The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke)
Romancing the Duke (Castles Ever After)
A Night to Surrender (Spindle Cove)
A Week to Be Wicked is technically Book Two in the Spindle Cove series, but it tends to be a reader favorite and you won’t be lost if you start with it.
If you’re looking for something short and sweet to try out my writing, here are a few shorter works that stand alone:
The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright (a novella)
When She Was Naughty (a Christmas short story)
Do you have an up-to-date list of all your books in order by series?
How can I invite you to do an interview/workshop/signing/personal appearance?
Please email my personal assistant, Kelly Oakes: Kelly @ TessaDare.com. She will check my schedule and pass the request along.
Do you ever donate signed books or other items to fundraisers or charity auctions?
Yes! Please contact my assistant Kelly by email: Kelly @ TessaDare.com. She keeps autographed books and goodies on hand, and fulfills donation requests as supplies allow. Priority is given to groups and events that support literacy, libraries, voting rights, reproductive health, and LGBTQ+ youth.
Will you ever write a story for Phoebe Whitmore, or the Gramercy family, or that other side character I love?
It’s possible! It’s more likely for some characters than others, but I don’t like to make promises, because one never knows what the future will hold. I never say never. I am always delighted to hear that readers want to know more about a side character’s story. It makes me warm inside to know someone loves them and is rooting for them to be happy.
Do you have advice for beginning writers?
My advice to writers at any stage of the journey is to connect with other writers via a professional organization, critique group, or online network. If you are writing Regency romance, I recommend Regency Fiction Writers, aka The Beau Monde.
How do I get published?
When I started publishing, the e-reader did not exist. Self-publishing as a viable career path did not exist. In short, I am a publishing relic. Not quite a dinosaur yet. More like a frozen woolly mammoth that could possibly be thawed and reanimated, but who would have no idea how to forage in the modern world. If you happen to catch me at an event, and I’ve had a cocktail or two, and I begin to opine on how to get published in the 2020s—I advise that you ignore me. Pay attention to writers who have recently established the kind of career you aspire to have.
Will you read my unpublished book, story, or outline?
Unfortunately, while I wish you all the best with your works in progress, I cannot read unpublished material. As for manuscripts of soon-to-be published books, at this time I have promised my editor and agent I will only take quote requests that come through one of them.
Can I write fanfic based on your books?
For various reasons, I don’t read fanfic based on my characters or stories, but you have my blessing to write it! I started out writing Jane Austen fanfic, and I consider it a compliment. All I ask is that you follow the generally accepted fanfic etiquette—e.g., don’t monetize it; give credit; don’t plagiarize the text. You know, be cool about it.