Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Liana De la Rosa | A Tantalizing Victorian Season
Author Guest / April 5, 2023

1–What is the title of your latest release? ANA MARIA AND THE FOX 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A forbidden love between a Mexican heiress and a shrewd British politician makes for a tantalizing Victorian season. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? While researching immigration records, I came across those of Mexicans emigrating to the Europe, which sparked my interest, and I began researching historical events that would necessitate such a move. And then I remembered the French occupation of Mexico! From there, the idea for the Luna Sisters series was kindled, and I knew that the first book would start with the three sisters disembarking from the ship that carried them from their home in French occupied Mexico to safety in London. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely! Ana María is charming and kind and is curious about the world around her. I would love to be her bestie! 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Dutiful, protective, curious 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned so much! I knew general information about the French occupation of Mexico but not the…

Liana de la Rosa | 20 Questions: TO TEMPT A SCANDALOUS LORD
Author Guest / June 23, 2021

1–What is the title of your latest release? TO TEMPT A SCANDALOUS LORD 2–What is it about? Niall, the Marquess of Inverray, is standing for Prime Minister when anonymous political tracts circulate that critique his campaign, and he’s determined to find the writer and put a stop to them. Little does he know the writer is Alicia, the dowager Countess Lindsay…his new bride of convenience. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  This book delves a bit into the political climate of the time, which is not something I initially intended to include. But since Niall is standing for Prime Minister and Alicia pens political tracts, I wanted to include details about the issues that the country was grappling with in 1834, and I found myself intrigued by how political and social life was changing even while some factions were determined it should remain the same. 4–How did your heroine surprise you?  For all the challenges and heartbreak that Alicia has experienced in her life, she is still motivated by kindness. By a fierce sense of justice and equality. And because she feels so strongly about those things, her wealth of love is endless. 5–Why will readers…

Liana De la Rosa | Writing about Horse Racing…When You Don’t Know Horses
Author Guest / October 31, 2019

My new historical romance, TO TAME A SCANDALOUS LADY, is set at a horse stud farm in the rolling hills of Suffolk. The heroine, Lady Flora Campbell, disguises herself as a young man to work as a horse trainer at the famed stables of the Marquess of Amstead. After a devastating fire killed his father and destroyed the paddocks at Amstead Gardens, along with the entire racing stock, Christian, the marquess, is determined to rebuild not only the stables but his family’s horse racing legacy. If the public discovered an unmarried lady is working in his stables, the scandal could alienate all the investors he has managed to court. But Flora is willing to sacrifice her reputation, and possibly even Christian’s, to see her dream of training racehorses become a reality. The majority of the action in the book revolves around Flora and Christian training the equine occupants of the stables at Amstead Gardens, but primarily Christian’s prize Egyptian-bred stallion, Asad. When I first came up with the idea for Flora and Christian’s story, I was painfully aware of one important truth: I don’t know much about horses. I could count on one hand the number of times I have…

Liana De la Rosa | The Most Emotional Movie Scores To Write to For Maximum Impact
Author Guest / June 28, 2019

After a day spent listening to Baby Shark ad nauseam, I crave peace and quiet. To be fair, sometimes a little Rage Against the Machine is just what I need to release the stress of the day, but I digress. When I write my historical romances, the music I listened to needs to be void of lyrics but heavy on the emotional feels. And do you know what kind of music fits that bill? TV and movie scores! Depending on the scene I’m going to write, I select a song from a movie score I know is going to deliver the emotional punch I need to bleed the feels into the words I type. So here are my top five TV/movie score songs to write to. 5. “Marry Me” by Hans Zimmer from the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End score The combination of horns and strings creates a romantic, soulful sound perfect for writing those grand gesture scenes. 4. “The Way” by Zach Hemsey from A Discovery of Witches trailer This is the perfect song to listen to during the black moment. The crescendo leading to the climax of the song is potent and soaring, and the last…