trueromance

PALE ROSE OF ENGLAND by SANDRA WORTH

www.sandraworth.com
http://www.facebook.com/#!/sandraworthauthor

Setting: Early Tudor England, 1495 – 1537

Subgenre: Historical Romance

Hero: Richard, Duke of York, known in England as “Perkin Warbeck” (the younger of the two princes the Tudors said were murdered in the Tower of London)

Heroine: Lady Catherine Gordon, princess of Scotland

One sentence summary: Based on history, PALE ROSE OF ENGLAND relates the heroic journey of a young prince who comes to England to reclaim his father’s crown, and his love affair with the “unforgettable” (RT Book Reviews) Scottish princess, Lady Catherine Gordon.

Scene you like most and would never cut:

King Henry VII is Prince Richard’s rival in both love and war, and is besotted with Richard’s wife, Lady Catherine Gordon. The king holds both Catherine and Richard captive at court, but he has hidden their small child away in an unknown place. For the sake of her husband and little son, Catherine must tread warily in Henry Tudor’s glittering, but deadly court. As the story progresses, King Henry proposes to Catherine and she is faced with the terrible choice of wedding the man who tortured her husband and abducted her child, or refusing him, and placing the life of her lost boy at risk. The way she handles the king and his proposal is the scene I like most.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying:

Catherine is a spirited and high-principled woman, utterly loyal to the man she loves. He is a pauper and the king’s captive. When offered a choice between the king and the pauper, she chooses the pauper, though the king would lay the world at her feet. No matter how great her temptation to do so, Catherine could not be bought and would never say the words King Henry yearned to hear: “I love you, Henry.”

What celebrity is your hero like:

He looks like the handsome actor in my PALE ROSE OF ENGLAND video who reminds me of Brad Pitt in the movie, TROY. In a clip of the video, the sketch of the real Pretender turns into this actor’s face. The similarities between the historical figure and this Brad Pitt-look alike are uncanny.

What celebrity is your heroine like:

My heroine is like Catherine Zeta-Jones with the young Elizabeth Taylor’s famous “azure” eyes.

What is your heroine’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing:

Catherine is a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth of York, but staying alive in Henry Tudor’s court is her real full time job.

What is your hero’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing:

He’s a prince and should be king, but he’s taken prisoner by Henry VII, so I guess you could consider him “unemployed.”

What you think readers will like best about this book:

Readers have told me the book is like a thriller that keeps them reading on the edge of their seat. Maybe that’s because there’s never a dull moment in a Tudor court!

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet:

I have a personal ancestor who led a dramatic and colorful life. This is the book I have been urged to write. I should probably consider applying for “Who do U Think U R?”!

What’s next:

I’m superstitious and think it’s bad luck to talk about a work in progress but I can say this - like Pale Rose of England, this story is set in a colorful time of high drama and is driven by love, valor, passion and destiny.

For more about my books, and to read an excerpt, please visit my website: www.sandraworth.com

In PALE ROSE OF ENGLAND a woman believes a prophecy that says she will be queen and allows it to determine her destiny. Do you believe in prophecy?

Please leave a comment for a chance to win a signed copy of PALE ROSE OF ENGLAND –and thanks for loving romance!

KISS ME, KILL ME
Book 2 in the Lucy Kincaid Series

Setting: New York City, NY
Subgenre: Romantic Suspense
Hero: Sean Rogan
Heroine: Lucy Kincaid

One sentence summary:
After her FBI career plans are derailed, Lucy Kincaid helps her boyfriend—security expert Sean Rogan—track down a runaway teenager all the way to New York City where their investigation collides with the manhunt for the Cinderella Strangler, a killer who preys on young “party girls.”

Scene you like most and would never cut:
Early in the book, Lucy learns her FBI application was denied. When she locks herself in her room, Sean picks her lock and they have their first argument. It’s a powerful scene, in Sean’s point of view, because he wrestled with his instincts to coddle Lucy or show tough love. For the suspense, one of my favorite scenes starts the third act of the story, in the POV of a victim. I’ll just leave it at that 

Thing your heroine would never be caught saying or doing:
“It’s my way or the highway.” At this point in Lucy’s journey, she defers to her superiors and doubts her own sharp instincts. Therefore, she painstakingly justifies her theories. As she gains confidence, she still remains diplomatic. (At least in this book!)

What celebrity is your hero like:
Last time for Love Me To Death, I wrote that Sean was “Johnny Depp from his 21 Jump Street days with a little Milo Ventimiglia mixed in with a whole lot of Timothy Olyphant.” That still holds true. But one reviewer thought Josh Duhamel would make a good Sean Rogan. And I can’t really argue with that.

What celebrity is your heroine like:
Last time, I said a cross between Evangeline Lilly (Kate from LOST) and Angie Harmon. But after watching DETROIT 187, I would love to see Natalie Martinez—a Cuban American like Lucy—as Lucy Kincaid. She’s a little more hot-headed on DETROIT than Lucy, but there’s something about her I just love.

What is your heroines occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing:
In KISS ME, KILL ME Lucy is unemployed—she just finished her internship with the Washington DC Medical Examiner’s Office. But she should be an FBI Agent.

What is your heroes occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing:
Sean is a private investigator and specializes in computer and personal security. If he would be doing anything else, he’d probably be on the wrong side of the law. More than he already does.

What you think readers will like best about this book:
Kiss Me, Kill Me is a classic romantic suspense, with a strong hero and heroine who are both young but seasoned; idealistic but street-smart. New readers should be able to come into the series with no problem, and continuing readers will like the natural growth and conflict in Lucy and Sean’s relationship. But more than anything, I think readers will appreciate the suspense plot and glimpse into the seedy world of underground parties in New York City.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet:
Patrick Kincaid, Lucy’s older brother. He’s a secondary character in Lucy’s series and I think I’ve found the right heroine for him . . . I’m just not 100% sure until I put them on the page together, which isn’t in this book  If it’s who I think it is, Patrick will get “his” book in book six; if it’s not, he’ll get his book in book seven. If all goes well.

What’s next:
Kiss Me, Kill Me is book two in the Lucy Kincaid series. I’m currently writing book three, If I Should Die, which will be out in the Fall. Love Is Murder, a digital only novella featuring Lucy Kincaid, was recently released and hit the New York Times e-book bestseller list. And I always have other ideas in the pipeline, because for some reason, my mind won’t slow down.

What about you?

There are a lot of series out there, but few romantic suspense series featuring the same hero and heroine. JD Robb is the best known, and has done an amazing job of keeping the conflict between Eve and Roarke natural while also having them grow from book to book—as well as incorporating rich secondary characters and a compelling mystery.

I started the JD Robb series at book six and read every book since—but never went back to the first five. Some readers start only at the beginning. Which type of reader are you? What makes you keep coming back to the same characters? Do you prefer continuing characters or stand-alone books or a mixture of both? What book are you reading now?

To be fair, I’ll answer the above: I rarely go back to the early books, but if I like an author I continue with the series; I keep coming back because the characters are interesting, smart, and maturing as human beings. I want to see what they’re up to, like an old friend. I like both series and stand-alones. And right now I’m reading in non-fiction, SEAL OF HONOR about Navy hero Michael Murphy, and in fiction . . . I can’t say because I’m in the middle of reading my RITA entries for RWA.

I’m giving away a signed copy of KISS ME, KILL ME to one lucky commenter! If you have any questions, please ask, I’ll be checking in all day

Click here to see all of Allison’s books!

Setting: alternate contemporary Charleston, South Carolina
Subgenre: paranormal romance
Hero: Damian, a born vampire who has eyes for Sarah. He’s also the owner of Malevolent Dead, a supernatural night club.
Heroine: Sarah Vargas, a werewolf ex-bounty hunter who works in Damian club.

One sentence summary: To save everyone, Sarah will have to do the unthinkable.

Scene you like most and would never cut: I absolutely love the first chapter, when Sarah observes the interaction between Damian and Marcellus. That one scene alone adds so much depth to Damian’s character, and makes Sarah realize that she doesn’t know him as well as she thinks she does.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: Sarah always has to have control over every situation. She could never sit back and let others do what she’s capable of doing herself.

What celebrity is your hero like: I think Damian looks like a cross between Taylor Lautner and Ryan Reynolds; Taylor’s dark hair and skin tone and Ryan’s delectable body.

What celebrity is your heroine like: Sarah Vargas is a lot like Holly Marie Combs. She doesn’t seem to take an attitude from anyone.

What is your heroine’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing: Sarah Vargas used to be a bounty hunter with the Blood Moon Corporation, but she quit after they betrayed her trust. She’s now working at Malevolent Dead, Damian’s night club as security. She is also Damian’s emissary to the werecreature community.

What is your hero’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing: Damian is the vampire lord of Charleston, SC, and owns the night club Malevolent Dead.

What you think readers will like best about this book: With this being the second book in the Sarah Vargas series, I think readers will like seeing what happened after the events within the first book, Fade to Black. I think readers will enjoy seeing the growing relationship between Sarah and Damian.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet: I’ve had quite a bit of interest in T.D. Drake, a secondary character within Malevolent Dead. I’ve started working on her book, so hopefully those fans won’t have long to wait.

What’s next: Book three of the Sarah Vargas series, Blood Moon, is due out in March 2011. The Blood Moon Corporation is coming for Sarah, and even she doesn’t think she’ll make it out alive.

There are many ways to create a contemporary paranormal world. Some authors create a world where everyone knows that vampires and werewolves exist, while others like the idea of secrecy. As a reader, what do you prefer?

1 winner get’s Sue’s Stash! Good Luck!