Have you ever wondered what your parents were like as a newly married couple before they had kids?  Sure, we’ve all seen the photographs from their pre-parenthood days and have heard the story of how they met, but that doesn’t really tell us anything. Was theirs a whirlwind romance that would make you swoon? Or, was it filled with tumultuous times that tested the strength of their love? This month’s Jen’s Jewels Holly LeCraw explores a sister and brother’s intense struggle to come to terms with the haunting revelations from their parents’ past in her debut novel, THE SWIMMING POOL.  Splashing on the scene with her expertly written book of dives and dips and twists and turns, this psychological tale will keep you up until the wee hours of the morning.  Mark my words…Holly LeCraw is the new IT girl in the publishing world! As part of this interview, Doubleday, a division of Random House, has generously donated 5 copies for you, my lucky readers, to win. So, don’t forget to look for the trivia question at the end. And as always, thanks for making Jen’s Jewels a part of your reading adventure. Jen: As a debut novelist, the story…

I’ve always wanted to write a bride series. Something romantic with orchids and white lace. For years, I toyed with an idea for a sort of Cinderella story about a duke who accidentally falls in love with the wrong woman. Not his betrothed, the woman he has promised to marry, but his fiancée’s poor relations, a cousin hardly suited to become the wife of a duke. ROYAL’S BRIDE was the result. From conception, it was a book that involved three brothers, which gave me two more hunky Dewar men in need of the perfect bride. In REESE’S BRIDE, the middle brother, Reese, is the kind of dark, brooding hero I love to write. He is home from the war, retired from the cavalry and forced to live the sedentary life of a country gentleman, the last thing he wants to do. Worse yet, Reese’s next door neighbor is the woman he once loved, a woman who betrayed him by marrying another man. Elizabeth is now a widow, a forbidden temptation even more powerful than before. Reese definitely has his problems, but so does his younger brother, Rule. In RULE’S BRIDE, the handsomest, most rakish Dewar brother is shocked to find…

Banning Sisters Trilogy #3 April 2010On Sale: April 13, 2010Featuring: Elizabeth Banning; Neil Severin400 pages ISBN: 0743410610EAN: 9780743410618Hardcover$25.00 Romance Historical Buy at Amazon.com Shamelessby Karen Robards Three broken engagements in a search for true love. Elizabeth Banning finds herself risking everything to win the one man who doesn’t want her. In Regency England, a beautiful young woman finds her life thrown into turmoil by the arrival of a handsome scoundrel. Lady Elizabeth, the youngest and most headstrong of the three Banning sisters, has been engaged three times, and has most scandalously broken off all three engagements. Her fear of becoming any man’s property has kept her from marriage and earned her a reputation in the ton as a heartbreaking flirt. Neil Severin is a wicked rogue, black of heart and black of reputation. A man of no morals, devoid of compassion, he is a government sanctioned assassin. And his newest target is a man Beth holds dear. When the flame-haired beauty thwarts his plan, Neil exacts his own brand of spicy revenge. Beth despises him. Neil doesn’t care. But circumstances most unexpectedly throw them together, and with Beth’s life in danger, Neil finds himself in the unexpected role of hero,…

April 2010 On Sale: April 6, 2010 Featuring: Jane Cummings; Byrne Worth 368 pages ISBN: 0425232395 EAN: 9780425232392 Trade Size $15.00 Romance Historical Buy at Amazon.com The Summer Of You by Kate Noble A summer to remember… From the acclaimed author of Revealed comes a tale of first loves and second chances. Lady Jane Cummings is certain that her summer is ruined when she is forced to reside at isolated Merrymere Lake with her reckless brother and ailing father. Her fast-paced London society is replaced with a small town grapevine. But one bit of gossip catches Jane’s attention- rumors that the lake’s brooding new resident is also an elusive highwayman. Jane must face the much discussed mysterioso after he saves her brother from a pub brawl. She immediately recognizes him from London: Byrne Worth, war hero and apparent hermit-whom she finds strangely charming. The two build a fast friendship, and soon nothing can keep this Lady away from Merrymere’s most wanted. Convinced of his innocence, Jane is determined to clear Byrne’s name-and maybe have a little fun this summer after all. Lady Jane Cummings must deal with Previous Picks Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

I can’t remember when I first noticed that Five Stages of Grief are really, really similar to what I go through every week when I get a chapter back from my critique group with comments. 1. Denial. “Whatever, my chapter is perfect the way it is. I don’t really have to change anything.”“She just didn’t understand what I’m trying to do.”“Well, A said I needed to fix X, but B said it was okay, so it’s probably fine.” 2. Anger. “How dare she say that about my heroine?”“Don’t they realize how hard I worked on this chapter?”“MEANIES MEANIES MEANIES I HATE YOU!” 3. Bargaining. “Well, I know in my heart that this scene is under-motivated and lacks conflict like my critique group said, but maybe if I just give the heroine a new hat no one will notice.”“Can I put a band-aid on it?”“I’ll wait until my rough draft is done to make a decision.” 4. Depression. “I’m a terrible writer.”“Why is everything I do such crap?”“I’ll never sell a(nother) book.”“This can’t be fixed.” 5. Acceptance. This is the place I have to fight to get to, where I’m able to say, “Look, Rose, this is why you have a…

Writer TipsThe nuts and bolts of the writer’s toolbox During the DFW Writer’s Conference writers had a chance to register for a ten minute scheduled appointment to sit down and pitch a piece of their work to an agent. But for first time writers sitting down with an agent for the first time is a heart pounding, stomach flipping experience. I know. I was lucky enough to sit down and talk with Laurie McLean, of the Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents, about one of my literary works. I had known for a couple weeks which agent I was meeting with. I didn’t feel nervous until the day of my appointment. At fifteen minutes before my appointment I stood outside the room, waiting to be ushered in for the actual sit down had my stomach doing back flips and my heart racing like a galloping horse. I wasn’t alone, nor was I the first to arrive. Other writers were waiting for their turn with their chosen agent. Some were nonchalant, others dressed up for it like an interview, and in a way it was. I spent the entire time telling myself that regardless of what happens I’ll still gain the experience of talking…

What makes you laugh? I find all sorts of things funny, although they are rarely jokes in the traditional sense. I can only remember one joke in fact – the one about the inflatable headmaster at the inflatable school telling the inflatable boy caught with a needle that not only has he has let the school down; worst of all he’s let himself down. But the best fun is when people are being amusing without knowing it. In my past as a glossy magazine journalist I worked with some staggering characters (sometimes literally if they’d been on the white wine and, as usual, hadn’t eaten). One editor asked me in all seriousness if I knew the difference between aristocratic legs and those of common people. Another had some good party tips: champagne made your breath smell, canapés were to be avoided because those that fell on the floor were put back on the trays and MTF men were to be avoided at all costs (MTF = Must Touch Flesh). Oh, and Desserts was Stressed in reverse. An assistant of mine once failed to show up to work because she was testing different shades of white paint on the wall of…

April 2010On Sale: April 1, 2010352 pages ISBN: 142010876XEAN: 9781420108767Paperback$6.99 Romance Historical Buy at Amazon.com Something Scandalousby Christie Kelley Her Shocking Past. . .Raised as the youngest daughter of the Duke of Kendal, Elizabeth learns a devastating truth on his deathbed: he wasn’t her father at all. And because the Duke had no sons, his title and fortune must go to his only male heir: a distant cousin who left England for America long ago. Anticipating the man’s imminent occupation of her home, Elizabeth anxiously searches for her mother’s diary, and the secret of her paternity. . . Her Unexpected Future. . .Arriving in London with his seven siblings, William Atherton intends to sell everything and return to his beloved Virginia farm, and his fiancée, as quickly as possible. But as Elizabeth shows William an England he never knew, and graciously introduces his siblings to London society, it becomes clear the two are meant for each other. Soon, Elizabeth finds herself determined to seduce the man who can save not only her family name but her heart. . . Excerpt London, 1817 As the door to Elizabeth’s home slammed shut, she braced herself for the inevitable confrontation. They hadn’t even…

My birthday is April 22. The year I turned twenty-two, I was so impressed with the fact that I was turning twenty-two on the twenty-second that I set out to make my birthday a national holiday – or at the very least a local one – greatly annoying my older sister. Now, there was nothing special about me. I was a single legal secretary with no reason to get her name in the church bulletin, let alone the local paper, let alone a national anything. But I really liked to have a good time. Who doesn’t at twenty-two? I wasn’t a bad kid. I wasn’t even wild or deliberately obnoxious. The problem was I hated to be bored. So I wasn’t surprised eight years later, when I turned thirty and threw a major hissy fit. My husband said, “What is wrong with you?” I said, “I’m bored and not doing anything I want to do with my life.” He said, “What do you want to do?” and I said “Write.” And he said “So write.” Who would have guessed that two simple words would not only stave off boredom for the next _ lots of years.. but also start a…

My birthday is April 22. The year I turned twenty-two, I was so impressed with the fact that I was turning twenty-two on the twenty-second that I set out to make my birthday a national holiday – or at the very least a local one – greatly annoying my older sister. Now, there was nothing special about me. I was a single legal secretary with no reason to get her name in the church bulletin, let alone the local paper, let alone a national anything. But I really liked to have a good time. Who doesn’t at twenty-two? I wasn’t a bad kid. I wasn’t even wild or deliberately obnoxious. The problem was I hated to be bored. So I wasn’t surprised eight years later, when I turned thirty and threw a major hissy fit. My husband said, “What is wrong with you?” I said, “I’m bored and not doing anything I want to do with my life.” He said, “What do you want to do?” and I said “Write.” And he said “So write.” Who would have guessed that two simple words would not only stave off boredom for the next _ lots of years.. but also start a…