Aloha to Mia Marlowe and BETWEEN A RAKE AND A HARD PLACE

Mia Marlowe joins me today to celebrate BETWEEN A RAKE AND A HARD PLACE, Book Three in the Regency Rakes series with Connie Mason.

Kim: You frequently travel to exotic locales ... can you share a favorite memory or even a funny one?

Mia: One of my favorite travel memories is the day my family and I spent with you in Honolulu, Kim. We were blown away by the “behind the scenes” tour of Pearl Harbor and Hickam AFB you gave us. What a treat. As far as a funny memory goes, one time when the DH and I were on a different Hawaiian cruise there was a lounge singer who favored an odd little tune that went “I’m going to Maui to marry Tamara tomorrow unless I get lucky tonight!” The first time I heard it, I made the mistake of showing with round eyes and dropped jaw how scandalized I was by the lyrics (I wasn’t a romance writer then. I’m much less easily shocked now. In fact, I’m far more likely to be doing the shocking!) But every time he saw me after that he started in on that song. I think he even dedicated it to me once. 

Kim:  You also host "Red Pencil Thursday" on your blog (link). What inspired you to offer feedback? What have you learned by sharing with others?

Mia:  When I first started writing, I was amazed by the willingness of other writers to share what they knew about the writers’ craft. It seems only fair to pay that forward on my Red Pencil Thursdays. The way it works is that a volunteer sends in the first 500 words of their WIP. I do a critique, invite them to respond and then we let my readers and writer buddies weigh in as well. Kristan Higgins and Grace Burrowes are only a couple of the heavy hitters who frequently drop by to share their pearls of wisdom. But we can’t have Red Pencil Thursday without our volunteers so if you’d like a ride in the RPT hotseat, please check out the details on how to submit your material. 

Kim:  You wrote in your bio that relationships fascinate you. How did you come to be in a writing relationship with Connie Mason? 

Mia:  Mia: I first met Connie in 2006 when she graciously gave me a cover quote for my debut novel Maidensong. We shared the same agent and editor and between the two of them, the idea to pair us up for some projects was born. Connie and I have joined forces for 6 novels, Lord of Devil Isle, Sins of the Highlander, Lord of Fire and Ice and the Royal Rakes series—Waking up with a Rake, One Night with a Rake and our final collaboration Between a Rake and a Hard Place. Check out the fantastic covers at this link.

Kim: Tell us about BETWEEN A RAKE AND A HARD PLACE ... and what is one your list of secret pleasures? Mine is not so secret - chocolate!

Mia: Sir Jonah Sharp is the kind of man who can do what needs to be done. He’s been an assassin for the Crown and still sleeps like the just each night. So how complicated could it be to seduce one little debutante when he’s ordered to do so?

Pretty darn complicated when the debutante is Lady Serena. She knows she’s on the royal duke’s short list, but before she accepts a royal match, she has a list of forbidden pleasures she wants to experience. When Jonah realizes he’s on her list, he wonders just who’s seducing whom…

I don’t know that I have a secret pleasure. I’m pretty open about what gets me going and when I set my mind to something, like Lady Serena, I find a way to do it. 

Kim:  What's next for Mia Marlowe?

Mia:  Next October, Once upon a Plaid will come out from Kensington. My hero and heroine have been wed for 4 years, but there is trouble. In an age when a man needs an heir like he needs a strong sword arm, Katherine is barren. She’s determined to seek an annulment to set William free, but he’s unwilling to give up on the woman he loves.

Last year my sister served as a gestational surrogate for a childless couple and it got me thinking. So many deal with infertility issues now, I wondered how a couple would work through the pain of an empty cradle in 16th century Scotland. The result is a deeply emotional story I hope readers will take to their hearts.

I just finished the first book in a brand new series called Somerfield Park, which is a Regency era Downton Abbey-esque world with plenty of romance and intrigue both above and below stairs! Look for A Rake by Any Other Name in November 2014 from Sourcebooks.

I’m also working on a new adult/romantic suspense that should be out this spring. Sign up for my newsletter if you’d like to be notified when it’s available (link). 

BETWEEN A RAKE AND A HARD PLACE by Connie Mason and Mia Marlow - In Stores January 2014

Lady Serena's List of Forbidden Pleasures

Attend an exclusively male club.
Smoke a cigar.
Have a fortune told by gypsies.
Dance the scandalous waltz.

Sir Jonah Sharp thinks Lady Serena Osbourne will be just like any other debutante, and seducing her will be one of the easiest services he's ever done for the Crown. Then he catches her wearing trousers and a mustache in his gentleman's club and she demands he teach her to smoke a cigar. But what will truly be Jonah's undoing is finding out he's an item on her list too, which makes him determined to bring her all the forbidden pleasures she can handle.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Mia Marlowe is the award winning historical romance author of the Touch of Seduction Series and various Rock*It Reads. She lives in Boston. Connie Mason is a New York Times bestselling author of more than 50 novels. She was received a Career Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews in 1994. She currently lives in Florida. Together, Mia and Connie have written Sins of the Highlander, Lord of Fire and Ice, Lord of Devil Isle and the other books in the Royal Rakes Series: Waking Up with a Rake and One Night with a Rake. For more information, please visit miamarlowe.com.

To Purchase Between a Rake and a Hard Place:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Books-a-Million
Chapters/Indigo
iBookstore
IndieBound
Discover a New Love
Sourcebooks

Thanks so much for having me here today, Kim.  Sourcebooks is offering a giveaway copy of Between a Rake and a Hard Place (open to US and Canada) and I’d like to add another from me to sweeten the pot. Two winners will be chosen—one for the Sourcebooks print novel and one for a Kindle or Nook version of my newest Rock*It Read, Dragonsong. This sensual, adventurous story is perfect for readers who love the History Channel’s Vikings, but want a hero who knows how to love with faithfulness!

All you have to do to enter is answer this question: I write love stories set in Regency England, Scotland, the Viking era and am getting ready to branch into contemporary times. What’s your favorite setting for a romance?

Mahalo, Mia, for the fabulous giveaways!   Comments are open through Saturday, January 11, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winners on Sunday, January 12.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Check out my five star review of BETWEEN A RAKE AND A HARD PLACE on Amazon (link) and Goodreads (link).