During the long wait on Her Irish Warrior, I received revision requests on the complete manuscript. After making the revisions and sending them back, I was left with nothing to do except write another book. I found that Connor MacEgan was one of my favorite MacEgan characters. He was a flirt, had a devilish smile, and could win the heart of any woman. He was a perfect man.
Which meant, in order for him to grow as a character, he had to be broken down. Literally, I had one of his flirtations go too far and the angry father tortured Connor by crushing his hands and breaking his wrists. For a warrior who depended upon his sword to protect himself and his family, this was a horrifying fate. Fortunately for Connor, he was found by a beautiful healer . . . and a woman who holds secrets of her own.
Aileen O’Duinne lost her heart–and her innocence–to Connor as a young maiden. He was her first love, and she never forgot him. When she finds Connor injured, she heals his wounds, but he’s angry about having lost his ability to fight. He wants to heal faster and despite Aileen’s skill, he lashes out at her when his hands aren’t recovering quick enough. He falls into despair and doesn’t know how to become a different man when he can no longer use his hands.
My brother doesn’t have the use of his hands. Born with physical disabilities, he cannot hold a pencil or write well. He can’t cup his hands or tie shoes. But it doesn’t make him less of a person. Instead, I admire him more for what he can do, in spite of his problems. His strengths are far different from ordinary people, and his memory is astounding.
I wanted to explore a character in fiction who suffers the same troubles but who overcomes them in his own way. Not only that, but he learns to love a woman who sees beyond his broken hands to the man beneath it all.
You can read more about The Warrior’s Touch here or join the discussion on Facebook. (P.S.–it’s on sale for 99 cents, for a limited time on Amazon).
After writing Her Irish Warrior (and awaiting a decision from Harlequin), I wanted to try a different time period entirely. I also hoped to write a longer single title book that would be different from anything else I’d written.
I love to bake and have enjoyed it since I was a girl. I own several Victorian era cookbooks, and I decided to give my heroine a love of cooking as well. At the beginning of the chapters, I put quotes or recipes from Emily Barrow’s fictional cookbook–recipes that were adapted from real historical recipes (or receipts, as they used to call them). In order for readers to be able to actually bake the confections, my editor and I converted some of the measurements. I baked several of the recipes and adjusted measurements along the way. It was a conscious choice to make the novel work as a cookbook, as well, and this is why I adapted the primary sources into measurements a modern reader could use.
Emily Barrow is a very strong-willed, unconventional heroine. What’s interesting to me, as an author, is how readers react to her. There seems to be no middle ground whatsoever–readers either love her or despise her. I never imagined that there would be such violent opinions on this book, but reviews tend to be skewed from one end of the spectrum to the other.
I also incorporated a mystery element in the plot (It’s essentially a Cinderella story after she marries her Prince Charming–only now, he has no memory of her OR the marriage.). I had a vague idea of who my villain was, but in order to make the writing more entertaining for myself, I didn’t make a decision until near the end of the book. In some ways, I think it helped the whodunit element, because *I* didn’t know whodunit.
The Accidental Countess was an early book of mine, written before I’d published anything. I broke a lot of rules, wrote with abandon and just had fun with it. Although it was completed in 2006, my agent shopped it around in 2007. I gave birth to my third child in the fall of 2007 and due to some heavy revisions on Her Warrior Slave, I found myself woefully behind on the next book that was due only three months later. Since I was teaching full time, I had only one option to meet that deadline–send the full manuscript of The Accidental Countess to my editor at Harlequin. I did sell it in early 2008, but I knew it would be a long time before it would see publication.
We ended up holding on to the book until 2010, because my editor wanted me to write a second Victorian manuscript to go with it. I wrote The Accidental Princess in the meantime, and both were published back to back in February and March of 2010.
This book is one that I sometimes want to shield from criticism. If I had to go back and rewrite it, I might soften Emily a bit more. But 2006 was a time of experimenting for me, of trying new things and learning what worked and what didn’t. That’s a necessary part of developing your author voice. Yet I know many readers who do love this book and the rest of the series. It *is* different from my MacEgans and my later books because *I* am a different author now than I was, years ago.
Will you love it or hate it? That’s entirely your choice.
View more details about the book here or join the discussion on Facebook.
After my first manuscript was rejected and set aside, I decided to try a new way of writing romance. Instead of creating characters and a set of events that happened to them, I decided to write a story about broken people. REALLY broken people. I killed off my hero’s first wife and child and made him a brooding Irish warrior. He had also witnessed the death of his eldest brother and was unable to save him. Bevan MacEgan had emotional baggage with a capital B. He was one messed up man, and I loved him immediately. But what kind of heroine should he have? A bold Irishwoman wouldn’t work for this man. He needed redemption after being unable to save so many people, and so I created Genevieve de Renalt, a woman desperately in need of a rescue.
Like Bevan, Genevieve had her own problems. Not only was she a Norman bride brought over to wed another man who had claimed Bevan’s land, but she was struggling to find the courage to leave her betrothed. When Bevan does help her escape, he’s haunted by memories of his first wife, and he keeps her at arm’s length. Genevieve is attracted to this man, but he wants nothing to do with her, aside from getting his land back.
Instead of crafting a story about events, I chose specific incidents that would push them to overcome their past. Bevan needed a chance to succeed in protecting someone. Genevieve needed to find her sense of self-worth. And when both of them are pushed to their limits…when he receives word that his first wife might not be dead after all, their love faces the ultimate test of all.
When I finished the book, there was something special with this story. It was different from all the other manuscripts because the conflict came out of these two people. It felt as if this book had a chance to be published. And still, I received rejections from many publishing houses. Some wrote notes that they really enjoyed the story but it wasn’t quite right for them. I got a request from Harlequin, and mailed off the book while working on an entirely different story (The Accidental Countess).
The book was also rejected by Harlequin. I was upset by this, but realized I could also try the Mills & Boon division of Harlequin in the UK. Only later did I learn that Mills & Boon had taken over the Harlequin Historical line. I worried that I would receive an instant rejection, since the New York office had turned it down. To my surprise, I received a revision request.
I made the changes, sent it back, and received a second set of revisions. Then a third, a year later. During this time I also wrote The Warrior’s Touch. I met the editor who had my manuscript, at the Atlanta Romance Writers of America conference. I was terrified to ask about the status of the book and learned that it had been passed up to the executive editor (the last step before a sale). She was so warm and friendly, I was crossing my fingers. There were a few more changes to make, she told me, and when I asked on a scale of 1-10, how extensive they were, she said, “Oh, about a 4.”
They were an 11. Not in terms of tons of work, but because I had no idea how to make the opening more character-driven. I poured everything I had into those opening chapters, adding more to what the characters were thinking and feeling. I tried to make Genevieve’s fears more real, more terrifying. And when I sent it off, I had nothing left to give.
On September 15, 2006 at 10:03 in the morning, my editor called and offered to buy the book. Her Irish Warrior was published in May of 2007. It will always be special to me, because it was my first book. And it’s still funny to me that Harlequin both rejected and bought this story.
It might surprise you to learn that Her Warrior King was the first MacEgan book I wrote. Inspired after a trip to Ireland in 1993, I kept wondering why I hadn’t seen more Irish medieval romances. Scottish medieval stories were everywhere–why not Ireland? The story idea kept turning over in my head, but I put it aside for many years because I had no idea how to write a full-length romance. I had tried earlier with a Western, but ultimately I never finished that manuscript. It was full of flaws, plot holes, and wooden characters.
Finally, I decided to write the first draft of Her Warrior King. I named it My Wild Irish Rogue as a working title and set to work crafting Patrick and Isabel’s story. I’ll admit, it was a lot of fun. I loved Isabel’s spirit and Patrick’s brooding ways. I threw myself into the book, inventing all sorts of disasters to befall them. In the end, I finished the story and realized that it, too, was a disaster. There was no love story. It was nothing but a series of misfortunes, strung along through 350 pages. Neither character developed or changed, and although I submitted it for publication, it was rightfully rejected.
I learned a great deal from that failed book. For the first time, I understood that at the core of a romance, it was about two people putting aside their past to fall in love. I put Her Warrior King away and began writing what would become Her Irish Warrior. That book went on to sell, and I continued writing the MacEgan brothers, with The Warrior’s Touch. But I never forgot about Her Warrior King, and I kept wanting to go back to Patrick and Isabel. I loved these characters, and although the manuscript was awful, they deserved a book of their own.
I threw out all of that book except the first two chapters and wrote a brand new book for them. This time, I focused on how Isabel was trying to make the best of her new life as queen and how Patrick kept trying to shut her out. I kept the emphasis on a lonely woman who was attracted to this fierce Irish warrior, and how she desperately wanted to fit in. He, too, was a tormented hero who didn’t want to love the daughter of his enemy. He was torn between choosing the needs of his tribe and the needs of his heart.
It was a better book this time. And it sold to Harlequin Historical, after I’d already published Her Irish Warrior and The Warrior’s Touch. Many people often wonder why the books were published “out of order,” and although they can be read in any order, this is why. It’s because the first version of Her Warrior King didn’t deserve to be published. I learned from my mistakes, and thankfully, that first manuscript draft will never see the light of day.
Sometimes characters stay with you and demand that their story be told. Patrick and Isabel fit into that category, and I’m glad I tossed out that early manuscript to write the one that suited them best.
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View this Book’s Page with Buy Links
There are some great book deals going on right now!
First, The Warrior’s Touch is still on sale for only $0.99 on Kindle in both the U.S. and Canada.
Second, my Accidental series is on sale through March 15 for less than $2.00 per title in all e-book formats.
The first story is a novella prequel to the series, “An Accidental Seduction.” It’s on sale right now for $0.99 from all major retailers (Kindle, Nook, and so on).
Emily Barrow once dreamed that she could marry Stephen Chesterfield, the Earl of Whitmore, and be saved from her dreary life. Then Stephen’s father sent him away, leaving Emily broken-hearted…
Now Stephen has returned to find Emily destitute and alone. He has vowed to help her without compromising her honor…but Emily has other ideas. She doesn’t want his charity, but she does long to know what it would be like to take him as a lover, even if marriage is out of the question. Confined to close quarters with their passion burning as brightly as ever, will Stephen be able to resist the temptation and rescue her, or give in to his desire and completely ruin her?
The second title is a full length book, The Accidental Countess. This book is on sale for $1.99 from e-book retailers (Kindle, Nook, etc.)
When Stephen Chesterfield, the Earl of Whitmore, awakes to find a beautiful woman berating him, he knows he is in trouble! He cannot recall the past three months of his life, never mind having a wife! What’s more, someone is trying to silence him before his memory returns….
Emily Chesterfield is trapped in a marriage of convenience with a man who doesn’t remember her. Stephen clearly thinks she is the most unsuitable countess, but she is falling for her enigmatic husband…. Can they find trust and love before it is too late?
The Accidental Princess, a full-length book, is on sale for $1.99 (Kindle, Nook, etc.)
Lieutenant Michael Thorpe is a forbidden temptation for Lady Hannah Chesterfield. Etiquette demands Hannah ignore the shivers of desire his wicked gaze provokes, but he’s the only man to recognize her restless spirit, and her unawakened body is clamoring for his touch….
Thrown together by scandal, a defiant Hannah joins Michael on an adventure to uncover the secret of his birth–is this common soldier really a prince? If so, will the ordinary man who has taught Hannah the meaning of pleasure now make her his royal bride?
If you enjoyed the Accidental series, the last title is now available in stores. On March 1st, it releases from Kindle and Nook.
His runaway princess
Princess Serena of Badenstein intends to flee—from her violent father and from the man to whom she’s been pledged in a political marriage of convenience.
Karl von Lohenberg is without a country, a title—and a bride if he lets Serena get away. A ruthless man, he takes her to a secluded island, hell-bent on seduction. Only, he discovers a broken woman behind the prim princess facade. The time they spend together mends her spirit and touches his soul, but how will she react when she finds out how he’s deceived her?
Finally, don’t forget–Undone by the Duke is still available for only $3.99. Enjoy the Spring book sales! 
Thank you so much to all of you who entered to win books today! The winners are as follows:
US Winners of a Kindle copy of The Warrior’s Touch:
Laurie Nichols
Melissa Porter
Audrey Glenski
Melissa Whitman
Molly Wilsbacher
Winners of Rogue Rider by Larissa Ione
Linda Larsson
Bonnie Hometchko
Winners of Eternity Embraced by Larissa Ione
Kimberly Cheeseman
Geraldine Pierson
UK Kindle winners of Undone by the Duke:
(winners still pending–not enough entries. I’ll keep this one open until noon tomorrow because of the time zone issue.)
Winner of Emma’s Wish by Margery Scott
Kantu Malhotra
Winner of Cade by Margery Scott
Tina Myers
Winner of Catch of the Day by Kristan Higgins
Ana Lopez
Winner of The Lady Most Willing by Connie Brockway, Julia Quinn, and Eloisa James
Joy Gifford
Winners of Heir to a Desert Legacy by Maisey Yates
Yazmin Rangel
Judy Theis
Congratulations to all winners, and thank you for helping me celebrate the release of Undone by the Duke!
It’s time for giveaway #6! If you missed giveaway #1 for one of my books, giveaway #2 for Larissa Ione, giveaway #3 for Margery Scott, giveaway #4 for Kristan Higgins, or giveaway #5 for Connie Brockway, you can still go back and enter them.
Maisey Yates has been a good friend of mine since she blazed onto the bestseller lists with her Presents alpha males. She’s offering up a copy of her newest book, Heir to a Desert Legacy.
Sayid al Kadar was trained from childhood to be a warrior. He’s fought, he’s conquered—but was never meant to rule…
Thrust reluctantly to the throne, Sheikh Sayid is shocked to discover a child who is his country’s true heir, and he’ll do anything to protect him, even if it means taking on the child’s aunt!
Chloe James might behave like a tigress protecting her cub, but this trained soldier can see her weak spot. Taking Chloe as his bride would appease the people of his kingdom, and provide the perfect outlet for the blistering chemistry between them….
If you’d like a chance to win, do one of the following. Using your Twitter account, tweet:
Hoping to win Heir to a Desert Legacy by @maiseyyates on the release date of Undone by the Duke by @michellewilling http://www.amazon.com/Undone-Duke-Secrets-Silk-ebook/dp/B009HX5VUA
Make sure you follow both of us, so we can send you a direct message if you’ve won.
If you don’t have a Twitter account, please sign up for my newsletter below (if you haven’t already) and send an e-mail to me, telling me whether you’d prefer print or e-book, and if it’s print, please include your name and address.
One winner will be chosen from Twitter and one from e-mail. You can enter both! Good luck, and all winners will be announced tonight.
No purchase necessary, void where prohibited.
It’s time for giveaway #4! If you missed giveaway #1 for one of my books, giveaway #2 for Larissa Ione, giveaway #3 for Margery Scott, or giveaway #4 for Kristan Higgins, you can still go back and enter them.
Connie Brockway writes amazing Historical romances. Her newest release in the anthology, The Lady Most Willing, with authors Eloisa James and Julia Quinn is a hilarious story that you’ll absolutely love.
At the behest of three of the most talented historical romance authors writing today, you are cordially invited to a ball. No, a party. No . . . a kidnapping.
Taran Ferguson, laird of his clan, is determined that his ancient (if not so honorable) birthright be secured before he dies. When both his nephews refuse to wed, the old reprobate takes matters into his own hands: he raids a ball and makes off with four likely brides . . .
Miss Marilla Chisholm—the bonniest lass in Scotland, and an heiress to boot.
Miss Fiona Chisholm—her older sister, another fine choice (but for that tiny stain on her reputation).
Lady Cecily Tarleton—true, she’s an English beauty, but very, very rich.
Miss Catriona Burns—without name or fortune, clearly someone made a mistake.
Oh, yes. And one very irate duke.
Because somewhere there must be one lady most willing to love a Scottish lord.
To win a print or e-book copy of The Lady Most Willing, just subscribe to my newsletter below and send me an email telling me that you’d like to win Connie Brockway’s book, and whether you’d prefer print or e-book. One random winner will be chosen from the entries, and the winner will be announced tonight. Good luck to all!
No purchase necessary, void where prohibited.
It’s time for giveaway #4! If you missed giveaway #1 for one of my books, giveaway #2 for Larissa Ione, or giveaway #3 for Margery Scott, you can still go back and enter them.
One of my favorite authors and friends is Kristan Higgins. She writes hilarious contemporary romances, and she has a new book coming out on February 28th, The Best Man, that is already on my pre-order list.
Her Rita-Award winning book Catch of the Day is a book I’ve read and re-read many times. It will make you laugh and cry, and it stays with you for a long time. If you haven’t tried one of Kristan’s books before, now’s your chance! I’m giving away a copy of Catch of the Day to one lucky reader (your choice, print or e-book).
Sparks will fly, but this catch of the day could be the dish of a lifetime!
First Date a la Maggie
Take one lovelorn diner owner (me)
A generous helping of nosy local gossips
A dollop of envy at married sister’s perfect life
A splash of divine intervention (my matchmaking priest)
Combine ingredients and add one strong-but-silent lobsterman with a hidden heart of gold.
Just subscribe to my newsletter below (if you haven’t already) and then send me an e-mail telling me you’d like to win Kristan’s book and which version you prefer. Please include your address if you’re requesting print. One winner will be announced tonight, chosen at random from all entries. Good luck!
No purchase necessary, void where prohibited.
It’s time for giveaway #3! If you missed giveaway #1 and giveaway #2, you can still go back and enter them.
I’ve known Margery Scott for nearly twenty years. She writes both suspense and historical books and has been a dear friend. I’m going to give away two different Kindle e-books by Margery. Both are historical westerns, if you love a good cowboy story. First is a copy of Emma’s Wish.
Still grieving his wife’s death, Sam Jenkins needs a mother for his children. He can’t build his ranch and care for three precocious youngsters alone. Emma Witherspoon has accepted the fact that she will never have a husband and children of her own, but that doesn’t ease the ache in her heart. When Emma makes Sam an offer he can’t refuse, neither of them can foresee the changes in their lives because of two little words – “I do.”
Second, Margery is offering a copy of her newest novella, Cade.
When revenge leads Cade Morgan to hold up a stagecoach and kidnap his childhood friend, Isabella Morrow, he discovers his feelings for her are stronger than ever. He suspects Bella feels the same way, so why is she intent on marrying another man? And what kind of future can he offer her now that he’s wanted by the law?
For your chance to win, subscribe to my newsletter below (if you haven’t already), and e-mail me, telling me that you’d like to win one of Margery’s books. I’ll draw two winning entries at random and winners will be announced tonight. Good luck!
No purchase necessary, void where prohibited.
