On this day in 1944, the Allies marched into Maastricht, making it the first city in the Netherlands to be liberated during WWII. Having lived near Maastricht from 1992-1995 and 2002-2005, I know how much the Netherlanders appreciate, to this day, the Allies' liberation.
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| Maastricht courtesy of Wikipedia |
Today's guest, Darlene Gardner, explores an unwanted liberation in her upcoming book, THE TRUTH ABOUT TARA. First, let's meet Darlene!
Kim: From your bio, you are a Steelers' fan! I assume you hail from Pittsburgh. What is your favorite sight, sound, and smell of Western Pennsylvania?
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| Steely McBeam made a guest appearance at the SOS Military Mixer at RT/2008 |
Kim: Why did you pick the name "Julia Quinn" for your two first books? Have you met the second Julia Quinn?
Darlene: I was the original Julia Quinn. In the early 1990s when I sold my first book to Silhouette Intimate Moments, I was told to choose a pseudonym. I’d just given birth to a son. If he’d been a girl, his name would have been Julia. I chose the last name at random, wrote two books under the pseudonym and then didn’t sell again until years later. Imagine my surprise in the interim when I opened an issue of Romantic Times and read an article about a debut historical author named Julia Quinn! Yes, I have met (and liked) her. She didn’t realize another author had the same name until too late in the game. It’s all good. Of the thirty or so books I’ve had published, all but two have Darlene Gardner on the cover. I’d much rather publish under my real name than a pseudonym.
Darlene: I was the original Julia Quinn. In the early 1990s when I sold my first book to Silhouette Intimate Moments, I was told to choose a pseudonym. I’d just given birth to a son. If he’d been a girl, his name would have been Julia. I chose the last name at random, wrote two books under the pseudonym and then didn’t sell again until years later. Imagine my surprise in the interim when I opened an issue of Romantic Times and read an article about a debut historical author named Julia Quinn! Yes, I have met (and liked) her. She didn’t realize another author had the same name until too late in the game. It’s all good. Of the thirty or so books I’ve had published, all but two have Darlene Gardner on the cover. I’d much rather publish under my real name than a pseudonym.
Kim: My family is addicted to House Hunters (US) and House Hunters International. Since you are a fan of HHI, what would be your ultimate "getaway" home abroad?
Darlene: I like the episodes of House Hunters International where the buyers are making a big life change and moving from one country to another. Although I wouldn’t turn down a vacation home on a tropical island, my fantasy is to live somewhere central in Europe for a few years and spend all my free time traveling. Somewhere like Paris or Prague. Speaking of HH and HHI, an article came out recently about some of the shows being staged. My husband tried to keep the news from me so I wouldn’t be traumatized!
Kim: What are the rewards of writing for Super Romance? If your favorite theme is "secrets", what theme is the most challenging?
Darlene: A big perk of writing for Super Romance is the freedom to explore difficult themes. Perhaps my biggest challenge was writing about hate in A Time to Forgive, one of my earlier Supers. I really wanted to tackle the theme since hate is, after all, the flip side of love. The hero is filled with hate for the man who murdered his brother. He becomes attracted to the heroine before he realizes she’s the murderer’s sister. I’ve also written about a heroine addicted to prescription meds (A Time to Come Home), a hero who was the son of the woman for whom the heroine’s father left her family (The Other Woman’s Son) and another hero who was vilified in his home town for causing the auto accident that killed his girlfriend (A Hero’s Sin). I consider my books to be family dramas. Not all the plots are as heavy as the ones I just described, though. Variety is another advantage of writing for the line.
Kim: Tell us about your upcoming books!
Darlene: The Truth About Tara grew out of a what if? As in, what if a woman looked eerily like an age-progression photo of a missing child but didn’t want to know if she’d been abducted? What if she didn’t want to be the face on the milk carton? Tara Greer has a wonderful life on the beautiful Virginia coast where she lives with her mother and young foster brother. She doesn’t welcome gorgeous stranger Jack DiMarco’s suspicion that she was stolen as a child. If he’s right, it would devastate her family. Wish Upon a Christmas Star, which contains some of the same characters, will be out in December. Private investigator Maria DiMarco travels to Key West during Christmas week to pursue a lead that the younger brother she thought died in the World Trade Center attack is still alive. Logan Collier, her ex-love, follows her, except he’s not as willing to believe in miracles. See what I mean? Superromance really gives you the leeway for cool plots!
Mahalo, Darlene, for joining us at SOS Aloha! I am giving away a copy of THE TRUTH ABOUT TARA to one randomly selected commenter:
Steering clear of Jack is the easy answer, right? Wrong! The sexy, compassionate on-the-mend baseball player is everywhere she turns…exactly where her heart wants him. But their future seems unlikely when being with Jack means facing a reality that could cost Tara everything.
To enter the giveaway,
1. Leave a comment about your dream house (ala House Hunters) - where would it be? What is the one thing you must have?
2. This giveaway is open to all readers.
3. Comments are open through Saturday, September 15, 10 pm in Hawaii. I'll post the winner on Sunday, September 16.
Mahalo,
Kim in Hawaii
To learn more about Darlene and her books, check out her website at darlenegardner.com.
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| House Hunters filmed on Kauai |
My dream house would be an eco-house. Solar powered, rain water storage, easy clean, large orchard & vegie garden. I have these now, but I'd like to take it further.
ReplyDeleteMine would be on a wooded lot in the foothills of a mountain. it would have a very large front porch with swings.
ReplyDeleteMy dream house would be a condo with a huge terrace so I could read in the heart of city.
ReplyDeleteI know I'm not eligible to win my own book (smile), but I want to answer the question! My dream house would have lots of windows and overlook the water, not the ocean but possibly the Intracoastal. Between the water and my gorgeous pool would be my boat.
ReplyDeleteMine would be a small house near the ocean. With a jacuzzi on a deck that looks out over the ocean.
ReplyDeleteMy dream house would be somewhere on the beach where I can hear the ocean and see dolphins there has to be dolphins ! And the one thing it would have to have is easy ...a cabana boy that can bring me drinks ! Thanks for the contest Kim
ReplyDeleteI'll take that house on Kauai! The deal breaker - must have two bathrooms!
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A house with a library - so huge that you need a ladder to get to all the books.
ReplyDeleteMy dream home would be in Italy, nestled amongst the mountains. It would have to have a large kitchen, fireplaces, and decent bathrooms.
ReplyDeleteIt'd be in a tropical location with a huge library.
ReplyDeleteCountryside with a huge ranch-like lawn and if possible a greenhouse, gazebo, lake with a small bridge, I'll be out of words if I continue this up. :D But most specially, I'd like to be the one to build my dream house.
ReplyDeleteThis will probably sound weird, but I've never had a dream house. I don't think I ever dreamed about things I knew I would never have.
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