How to use this Page

Jayne Fresina is the author of The Most Improper Miss Sophie Valentine.  She dropped by the virtual offices to talk about her book, and she brought a copy for one of you to win!  Fill out the widget after the interview for your chance to win The Most Improper Miss Sophie Valentine.

[Manga Maniac Café] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.

[Jayne Fresina] I’m a crazy writer who loves dogs, tiramisu, shoes and cappuccino.

[Manga Maniac Café] Can you tell us a little about The Most Improper Miss Sophie Valentine?

[Jayne Fresina] This is a story about love and second chances. It’s about a woman’s journey to understand herself and forgive her own flaws. And it’s about a man who wants to turn his life around. When Sophie puts an advertisement for a husband in the Farmer’s Gazette she doesn’t really expect anyone to answer it. Mischief and temper make her do it, as well as a generous dose of frustration with her life and the constraints of propriety. Then our hero, Lazarus Kane, shows up on her doorstep, taking the advertisement seriously, and suddenly Sophie has to face reality.

[Manga Maniac Café] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story?

[Jayne Fresina] I woke up one morning thinking about a scarred woman opening her door to a dark, mysterious stranger. Have no idea where that came from, but that’s often the case with my inspiration! I was actually working on another manuscript at the time and had to put that aside because Sophie demanded her story be told at once!

[Manga Maniac Café] What was the most challenging aspect of writing The Most Improper Miss Sophie Valentine?

[Jayne Fresina] I have a tendency to want to use a lot of characters, so my biggest challenge with this one was cutting out a few small parts to streamline the story. Often I become very fond of minor characters and don’t want to edit them out, so that’s a struggle!

[Manga Maniac Café] What three words best describe Sophie?

[Jayne Fresina] Mischievous, curious dreamer.

[Manga Maniac Café] What are three things Lazarus would never have in his pocket?

[Jayne Fresina] Hmmm – good one! A pen (he can’t write very well); A To-Do list (he just does things— gets on with it); a compass (he knows where he’s going without one)

[Manga Maniac Café] What is Sophie’s single most prized possession?

[Jayne Fresina] The clockwork linnet in a cage that Lazarus buys for her. Although she’s also very fond of her French lace drawers with the little silk roses—as is Lazarus.

[Manga Maniac Café] What are your greatest creative influences?

[Jayne Fresina] Friends and family, particularly my Dad who used to tell us stories about his life growing up in the country.

[Manga Maniac Café] What three things do you need in order to write?

[Jayne Fresina] Coffee, clean teeth, peace. (I assume you mean in addition to the computer!)

[Manga Maniac Café] What is the last book that you read that knocked your socks off?

[Jayne Fresina] Enslaved by Virginia Henley.

[Manga Maniac Café] If you had to pick one book that turned you on to reading, which would it be?

[Jayne Fresina] Olga Da Polga by Michael Bond (who also wrote the Paddington Bear books). I can remember reading it when I was very young and I was so sad that the story ended I just read it over

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

I’m not sold on the cover, but Regency shape shifters has a nice ring to it, so I’m waiting on Alexa Egan’s Demon’s Curse.  In stores December 2012.

Subscribe in a reader

Susan Gee Heino is the author of several Regency romances.  Her latest, Passion and Pretense, hits store shelves on March 6.  Susan dropped by the virtual offices to tell us about her new book.

[Manga Maniac Café] Describe yourself in 140 characters or less.

[Susan Gee Heino] Susan Gee Heino is a lover of humor, strange creatures, and Mr. Darcy. She writes Regency romance and dreams of magical house elves.

[Manga Maniac Café] Can you tell us a little about Passion and Pretense?

[Susan Gee Heino] I had so much fun writing this book! It is the story of Miss Penelope Rastmoor, a slightly spoiled rich girl in 1820 London. She’s a little too clever for her own good and frequently gets herself into trouble. Penelope’s brother, Anthony, is tired of dealing with all her drama and decides the best thing to do is get her married off. Then she’ll be someone else’s problem, right?

But Penelope has dreams of her own and they don’t involve marrying some dull dandy and being stuck in England all her life. She wants to travel and see the world–Egypt especially. So, she comes up with a plan. If she pretends to be hopelessly in love with a real loser, someone her brother can’t stand, it stands to reason Anthony might do anything to separate them–even send her off to Egypt.

Her plan backfires, of course, when the scoundrel she selects to play the part of doting fiancé turns out not to be quite the loser she expected. Lord Harry is unshaven, unruly, uncouth and unremorseful. He’s also irresistible. With secrets of his own, he’s been using Penelope just as much as she’s been using him. Danger is afoot, with kidnapping, thievery and deception all around them. It’s beginning to look like this time Penelope has gotten in way over her head. Worse, she realizes the only thing real is the way she’s come to feel about her not-so-real fiancé. Lord Harry, however, is full of surprises.

[Manga Maniac Café] How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the book?

[Susan Gee Heino] Penelope Rastmoor plays a role in one of my previous books, DAMSEL IN DISGUISE. I really loved her in that story and I thought it was high time she got her own. She’s somewhat older and wiser in this book than she was in that, but still the same sneaky, scheming little charmer. I’ve had lots of fun creating her and watching her finally find a happily-ever-after.

I needed a hero who could stand up to such a feisty heroine, and Lord Harry definitely fits the bill. He’s awesome! In my mind, he’s sort of a Regency Indiana Jones, sans bullwhip. He’s smart, independent, cocky, but is a man on a mission to rescue someone he cares about. Penelope has a passion for Egyptology, and so does he. This is just one of the many things that make them perfect for each other, although it does take them a little while to realize it.

[Manga Maniac Café] What was the most challenging aspect of writing the story?

[Susan Gee Heino] So much research! My other books take place in the English countryside in 1816. That really narrowed down the research for me! (Lazy author in the room? Yes, I’m raising my hand. lol) But PASSION AND PRETENSE takes place in London, 1820. I had to dig up a whole batch of new details to keep the story real and accurate.

On top of that, I had the element of Egyptology to research. Now, we all know how easy it is to find books and articles and websites all about the beautiful artifacts and history of the an

Here is a book at the top of my wish list.  Once I get my TBR under control, I will pick it up.  Until then, I will just keep looking at the pretty cover.  Here’s an excerpt – are you interested in reading A Secret in Her Kiss by Anna Randol?

A SECRET IN HER KISS by Anna Randol

I can hardly wait to get my hands on The Husband Hunt by Lynsay Sands!  Avon is sharing an excerpt ahead of the February 28 release date, so check it out if you have time.  Is this book on your wish list? Which February release are you looking forward to the most?

Cover Shot! is a regular feature here at the Café.  I love discovering new covers, and when I find them, I like to share.  More than anything else, I am consumed with the mystery that each new discovery represents.  There is an allure to a beautiful cover.  Will the story contained under the pages live up to promise of the gorgeous cover art?

I am a bit behind the 8 ball on this one, because it hits stores next week and I only just discovered it.  How to Dance with a Duke by Manda Collins has one word in the synopsis that always catching my eye: Egypt.  I have a fondness for books about Egyptian antiquities, so I am curious about this one.  The cover model looks like she’s getting a crick in her neck, but I like her expression.  I just wish there was a bigger splash of color somewhere, because the cover looks a little washed out to me.  Looking forward to reading this one.

In stores next week!

 Subscribe in a reader

May Contain Spoilers

From Amazon:

Review:

Once Upon a Winter’s Eve is the first Samhain title that I’ve read, and it’s also one of the growing number of novellas that I have read in.  After recently discovering the appeal of shorter length stories, I have been snapping them up as I see recommendations from bloggers I follow.  I can’t remember where I learned about this particular one, but I’m happy I gave it a try.  At under a dollar, it was a fun read, and a great introduction to both Tessa Dare and Samhain.  I’ll have to go back and read the first Spindle Cove book, A Night to Surrender (which is an Avon release, go figure).

Violet Winterbottom  has retreated to Spindle Cove, where she is nursing a broken heart.  The love of her life, who she now refers to as The Disappointment, loved her and left her, with hardly a word.  Ruined, she is trying to come to terms with her feelings, and is resigned to heed her parents’ demands to return to London.  They are determined to find a match for her, unaware of Violet’s turmoil and her unrequited love for their young neighbor.  When an injured stranger bursts into the Christmas Eve ball she is attending, she’s stunned when the man collapses at her feet.  His incoherent babbling slowly begins to make sense to her.  Gifted in several languages, Violet is tasked with quizzing the man – is he a spy?  What is he doing in Spindle Cove?

This is a fun, fast-paced read with an abundance of action and adventure.  After Violet decides to assist the stranger, she is sent on the adventure of her life.  She is an intelligent and capable young woman, and I quickly began to like her.  And to dislike the man who kicked her to the curb and left her and her bruised heart to fend for themselves.  When Violet is drawn into intrigue by the handsome stranger, she is given the spark that her life has lacked for the last few months.  She embraces the danger and the adventure, and becomes a willing participant in the suspected spy’s attempts at escape. 

While there’s not a lot of depth t

James Alfred William George Galloway McAlistair ('Boston Jim')

Hailing from a small village in bonnie Scotland, James McAlistair, a determined and ambitious young political activist, set sail as a stowaway on a ship bound for the United States of America in 1773. On arriving at his destination he was discovered and thrown overboard, and found himself covered in tea.

After dragging himself ashore, and dusting himself down, McAlistair sneaked past the authorities and protesters and went into hiding. He lived on the streets of Boston for some weeks until he got back on his feet, found himself a place to stay and began work in the ship industry. He worked his way up from a tea boy to foreman. But McAlistair never forgot his roots, or the scenes and protests that met him on his arrival at the port. This, coupled with the way he saw other terriers being treated in the workplace, started him on his new calling.

'Boston Jim', as he was now known, travelled from town to town fighting for the rights of terriers throughout the sate of Massachusetts. He went on to become the founder of the Terriers Union that won the rights to a five day working week, two weeks holiday a year and a Bonio before bed time for terriers everywhere.

Original drawing for sale HERE.

You know, I'd really love to have a dog. I would like a dog not for the companionship, or to get fit, I'd like a dog so that I could dress him up as a Victorian gentleman. Then I would get him to parade around the house with my cat, who would be dressed in crinolines. Just for my amusement. Until that time arrives I've drawn them.

The phrase 'what am I doing with my life?' comes to mind. Again.

Actually, when I was away, a month or so ago, I was working on a book deadline. I'm not sure how much I can say about it yet, but as part of my research I found myself looking through lots of Victorian and Regency silhouettes. There are some stunningly beautiful examples, and I'd recommend doing a little research (Googling) yourself. I think you'll be inspired. I was. It's also how I'm trying to justify these two drawings.

Carrie Prejean was stripped of the Miss California title last month, but don’t worry she has a new job: Author. Prejean will publish a memoir titled “Still Standing” with Regency, a conservative publisher. Prejean is best known for drawing the ire of blogger Perez Hilton saying she doesn’t believe in gay marriage. Prejean believes that her beliefs cost her the crown, but really she was skipping events and speaking out against gay marriage in public.

ShareThis

We're back today with the regal Regina Scott, so get settled on your setee and let's get to know this woman who's an intriguing blend of old fashioned charm with modern day sensibilty.

2k8: Tell us, Regina, where do you do most of your writing?

RS: Actually, a lot of my writing is done on airplanes. I work part time as a consultant, and I have to fly all over the country to meet with clients. If I have any work I can do on a plane, of course that comes first. But very often, there’s nothing meaningful I can do squished between two other people for hours at a time, so I write. My first drafts are all done longhand in blank lined journals. To me, the act of writing is a creative process that comes to life in longhand, while the act of editing is an analytical process that really fits best on the computer.

When I’m home, I work in my office, and I surround myself with things that inspire, so when I look up from typing away, I get an instant boost. The silk wall hanging my friend gave me years ago has fairies hidden among the falling leaves, prompting me to look for the unexpected blessing. A needle-point bookmark a reader made for me reminds me that someone out there appreciates my work.

One of my favorite energy boosters is a hand-written sticky over my computer, a quote from author Kate Douglas, who wrote for 20 years before making her first sale. “When I wrote the stories I wanted to write, the way I wanted to write them, when I finally stayed on a path that led to my own satisfaction, the Grail fell softly into my lap.” That speaks to the core story that fills my writing: know who you are and be true to that person.

2k8: That's an excellent value to hold to. Can you tell us how LA PETITE FOUR came to be? How did you begin writing it and make the transition from adult fiction to young adult?

RS: I’d written almost 20 books for adults, but I felt as if something was missing. Then I read a great article in an industry publication about how every author has a core story, a theme that comes out no matter what genre they write in. I got to thinking about my core story: coming to know who you are and how you fit in the world. That works very well in romance and fantasy, two areas I was really interested in. My agent pointed out that I was missing an obvious genre: young adult literature. She thought my voice would be perfect.

I’d read some YA with my sons, but my agent’s enthusiasm made me go out and scour the shelves. Our local library has an awesome YA section, so I read everything I could. And everything I read told me this was where I wanted to be!

One of my published adult books, A DANGEROUS DALLIANCE, featured a quartet of young ladies, sort of a Greek choir for the heroine. I’d had fans ask if I would ever write their story. Here was my chance! I focused on the leader, Lady Emily Southwell, and started writing. Her voice came so easily that I knew I was on to something.

2k8: It's always magical when things just click as if they were meant to be. So, how did you find a publisher for it? Was it hard making a switch?

RS: My agent wasn’t sure how a YA historical would do in the market, so she sent just the concept to several houses. We were stunned with the answers: “We want to see this when it gets done!” Razorbill wasn’t actually one of those houses. Going with them was what a friend calls “A God thing.” My editor called my agent up out of the blue and asked to have lunch, during which they discussed all kinds of things that might fit Razorbill’s list. Purely as an extra, my agent threw in LA PETITE FOUR. My editor loved it, everyone else there loved it, and they made me an offer I was delighted to accept.

2k8: What a wonderful transistion. Did anything else surprise you or catch you off guard when you were writing the book?

RS: Emily’s voice. She was the most real character I’ve ever written. She’ll tell me exactly how she feels about a situation. As we were working through the revision process, my editor suggested a change that seemed pretty basic to me. To my surprise, Emily refused. No matter which way I wrote it, she wouldn’t cooperate. I finally demanded to know why, and she told me in no uncertain terms. Wow. I had no idea she felt that way, but you can be sure those feelings got factored into the story, making it stronger.

You gotta love it when your characters take charge! Regina, thanks for taking the time to speak with us.

Come back Wednesday when we'll take a walk in Lady Emily's shoes.

May has been a jam packed month, but we're giddy about having one more debut author. Well, she's sorta a debut author. Regina Scott is actually a best-selling, adult regency author making her YA debut.

Regina always wanted to be an author. She started writing stories for her friends in the third grade. In the eighth grade, she got in trouble for writing a parody of school life, set in a mythical medieval kingdom (hey, she always loved those long dresses too), and lampooning the hottest guy in school. The parody was an instant bestseller, at least at Eisenhower Middle School.

She had to wait a little longer for her next bestseller. After numerous short stories and articles in magazines and trade journals, she got serious about her novel writing and published 17 historical romances for adults, several of which won awards from booksellers and readers. And then her clever agent showed her it would be a lot more fun to write for young adults instead.
Regina and her husband are the parents of two teenage sons. They reside in the Tri-Cities of southeast Washington State and are members of the Church of the Nazarene. Regina is also a decent fencer and owns a historical, fantasy, and science fiction costume collection that takes up over a third of her large closet (remember what we said about long dresses?).

LA PETITE FOUR tells the story of Lady Emily Southwell and her three dearest friends who intend to take Society by storm by hosting the most elegant, elaborate, exclusive ball 1815 London has ever seen. But dashing Lord Robert Townsend insists that Emily honor the engagement their parents spoke of years ago. Has he no sensibilities? No refinement of spirit? No idea he has laid down a challenge Emily has no choice but to accept?

Yet as Emily and her friends come up with ever wilder ways to put Lord Robert in his place, they stumble across secrets better left untold. With the aid of mysterious James Cropper, who seems to be following Lord Robert (or, gasp! Lady Emily?), the girls must determine whether Lord Robert has more up his sleeve than a nicely muscled arm. Otherwise their dreams of a smashing Season just might come crashing down.

Advanced praise for LA PETITE FOUR:

Sophie at "Couture's Fashionable Reads" was kind enough to award La Petite Four a 7 out of 10 in the book's first review. "With clever plot twists, spying, and debonair courtiers, this book will keep you reading to the end!"

Come back tomorrow for an interview with Regina in which she explains the how and the where of her writing process. And take it from us...not many people approach things the way she does.

Every writer plays out THE CALL in her mind. The scenario might differ in each day dream, but chances are there's one thing you never imagine...not being able to share the news. Regina Scott certainly never expected that to happen.

Selling La Petite Four wasn't my first book sale, though it was the first sale for a major change in my writing career. My agent and writing friends were certain that my voice and themes fit better in YA than in the adult Regency-set romances I'd been writing. While I loved the YA books I'd been reading, I didn't know if a publisher would find my work half so enchanting. So, when my agent called to say that no less than Penguin Razorbill had made an offer, I was thrilled!

The first time I sold a novel, I was so giddy I tried calling everyone I knew. I called my husband at work; he was in a meeting and couldn't be disturbed. I called three of my closest friends; none answered. I called my parents; they were out. Finally I called my grandmother, who had always been a wonderful supporter, and blathered like an idiot for at least ten minutes. When I stopped to take a breath, she said, "Is this a good thing?" I said, "Yes, Grandma, this is a very good thing." "Then I'm happy for you," she replied with a smile in her voice.

When I sold La Petite Four, I also called everyone I loved to tell them the good news. But I couldn't call my grandmother this time. She passed away a few years ago. But I think she's still happy for me, and I know she's smiling.

Estes, Eleanor. 1941. The Moffats.

The Moffats may not be the most exciting, thrilling, page-turning book I've ever read, but it is enjoyable none the less in its quiet, subtle, gentle way. The book focuses on the Moffat family. A mother raising her kids alone. The family is not rich--as you can imagine--but there is a loving, caring atmosphere that makes for a very happy home. The book is episodic. The narrator or main character changes from chapter to chapter. And there is no one connecting plot that threads them altogether. (Well, maybe that isn't quite true. If there is such a plot it would be that their landlord has put their house up for sale. This occurs in the first or second chapter. And the house is sold and the Moffats have to move in the last chapter.) Each chapter is a story of sorts about what life is like--daily life around the house, around school, around town, etc. The stories are mostly lighthearted and fun. But there are some serious moments as well, some moments that border on being a lesson in morality. For readers looking for family-oriented, family-friending reading material, The Moffats is sure to satisfy.

First sentences: The way Mama could peel apples! A few turns of the knife and there the apple was, all skinned! Jane could not take her eyes from her mother's hands. They had a way of doing things, peeling apples, sprinkling salt, counting pennies, that fascinated her.

224 pages

Wilder, Laura Ingalls. 1943. These Happy Golden Years.

Sunday afternoon was clear, and the snow-covered prairie sparked in the sunshine. A little wind blew gently from the south, but it was so cold that the sled runners squeaked as they slid on the hard-packed snow. The horses' hoofs made a dull sound, clop, clop, clop. Pa did not say anything.

These Happy Golden Years begins directly after the close of Little Town On the Prairie. Laura is fifteen--a few weeks shy of her sixteenth birthday. She has been hired to teach school for two months. The school where she is to teach is for a community around twelve miles away. Pa is taking her to the place where she'll be boarding. She expects to stay there for eight weeks all on her own--homesick or not; miserable or not. The Brewsters--the family she stays with--are miserable company. Mrs. Brewster is one angry, potentially psycho woman. (I never could quite figure out why she's threatening her husband with a knife.) School is awful. She doesn't really like teaching at all. But the thing that keeps her going--the thing that surprises her week after week after week--is that Almanzo comes to take her home and back each and every weekend no matter how cold. These trips are often silent, but much appreciated.

But when the eight weeks are over, Laura is surprised that his courting--his wooing--continues. Rides in his sleigh. Rides in his buggy. He's an almost constant present every week.

It isn't just rides and courting, however. Laura is back in school, back with her friends, back with her family. Seasons come and go. Other teaching opportunities arise--which she accepts--none are ever as horrid as the first.

Without a doubt, my favorite gleeful, giddy-making chapter is "Barnum Walks."

"I was wondering..." Almanzo paused. Then he picked up Laura's hand that shone white in the starlight, and his sun-browned hand closed gently over it. He had never done that before. "Your hand is so small" he said. Another pause. Then quickly, "I was wondering if you would like an engagement ring."
"That would depend on who offered it to me," Laura told him.
"If I should?" Almanzo asked.
"Then it would depend on the ring." Laura answered and drew her hand away.

The next week...well, I don't want to spoil it. But I love it.

"It will have to be a little house. Do you mind?"
"I have always lived in little houses. I like them." (214-215)

Anyway, it is a thoroughly enjoyable, perfect, perfect book.

289 pages

Wilder, Laura Ingalls. 1941. Little Town on the Prairie.

I'm not sure how other fans feel. I've never sat down to have deep philosophical discussions on which books from the series are their personal favorites and bests. But Little Town on the Prairie gets my pick for being an unsung hero. I always, always forget about it when naming my favorites. It gets overshadowed by The Long Winter and These Happy Golden Years. But I would imagine that each and every time I sit down to actually read it, I find myself delighted and surprised.

The book opens almost where Long Winter left off. The Ingalls family have moved back to their homestead. They are living in their claim shanty. They are busy, busy, busy. It seems each book finds them always hard at work, always diligent, always thinking ahead and planning. What is on their minds in this book is getting enough money saved to send Mary to college. Her school for the blind. At the heart of this is Laura's determination to earn money to contribute to the family's savings. At first this is through her work in town helping the seamstress. But it is also in her quiet, steady determination to study hard so that she can earn her teacher's certificate when she is sixteen.

What is so delightful about Little Town on the Prairie is the quiet, peaceful winter spent in town. Here we see Laura attending school on a regular basis. Here we see her making friends. Here we see a return of Nellie Oleson. No longer the "city girl" or the "town girl." Nellie is now the shabbier, poorer neighbor. She's as mean as ever. Or so Laura would have us belief. A nice Nelly? Unthinkable! But above all, Little Town on the Prairie is delightful because of Almanzo Wilder.

"Name Cards" is one of my favorite chapters. It starts out with Nellie being horrid, and ends with a rather subtly romantic first ride for Laura behind Almanzo's oh-so-admired horses. (Laura has been eying those horses for quite a while now.) Almanzo sees her hurrying along to school--worried she might be late--and so he offers to give her a ride. She didn't know he knew she existed. Anyway, pure delight.

Of equal delight is "Schooltime Begins Again" where Almanzo Wilder asks Laura Ingalls if he can walk her home after the revival. The revival lasts all week, and each night he is there by her side waiting to ask to see her home. Around this time, though not quite in this chapter, he asks if she would like to go for sleigh rides in January when his new cutter is finished.

Small beginnings that won't come to bloom until These Happy Golden Years. But beginnings that make you smile and are satisfying in their own way.

First sentence: One evening at supper, Pa asked, "How would you like to work in town, Laura?" Laura could not say a word. Neither could any of the others.

Pages: 307