Aloha to ONCE UPON A TRUE LOVE'S KISS with Julie Johnstone, Katherine Bone, Collette Cameron, Jillian Chantal, Samantha Grace, Alanna Lucas, Lauren Smith, and Victoria Vane

USA Today Best-selling author, Julie Johnstone, joins best-selling, award-winning authors, Katherine Bone, Collette Cameron, Jillian Chantal, Samantha Grace, Alanna Lucas, Lauren Smith, and Victoria Vane in this delightful limited edition, containing eight tantalizing kiss-and-tell stories. Meet dashing, wildly charming rogues, spies, pirates, rakes and their extraordinary, intrepid heroines as they whisk you along on sweet to sizzling romantic romps in these wickedly entertaining historical romances.

AFTER FOREVER by JULIE JOHNSTONE

Lady Julia is hired to turn a rogue into a gentleman and receives lessons in love and desire.

Widowed Lady Julianna Barrows never wants to fall in love again. But when the notorious former boxer Nash Overton hires her to transform him into a gentleman, Julianna quickly becomes the student, learning more about passion than she’s ever known, and more importantly, learning how to love again.

THE PIRATE’S DUCHESS by KATHERINE BONE

A duke masquerading as a pirate to "rob from the rich and give to the poor" sheds his darkest-kept secrets to keep from losing the duchess his wife has become.

Duty forces him to take on the pirate code, but honor brings him back.

Prudence, Duchess of Blackmoor, has one desire—to be happy again. After struggling to overcome the horrifying death of her husband, she accepts an earl’s offer of marriage, confident she’s taking a step in the right direction. But demons, refuse to die, and Prudence finds herself caught in an intricate web of deceit that threatens the very foundations of all she holds dear.

Tobias, the Duke of Blackmoor, crosses the line when an assassination attempt on him fails. To restore the reputations of friends under attack by the same villain, and ensure his wife’s safety, he stages his own death, becoming The Black Regent, a notorious pirate bent on brandishing justice, never thinking he’d survive. But to his amazement, he has, and now the darkest-kept secrets are not worth losing the duchess his wife has become.

HER SCANDALOUS WISH by COLLETTE CAMERON

A marriage offer obligated by duty . . . an acceptance compelled by desperation.

Philomena Pomfrett is resigned to spinsterhood, but to ease her dying brother’s fretting, she reluctantly agrees to attend a London Season with one purpose—to acquire a husband. Stumbling upon her hiding in a secluded garden arbor during a ball, Bradford, Viscount Kingsley doesn’t recognize his first love, yet something about the mysterious woman enthralls him, and he steals a passionate, moonlit kiss.

Caught in the act by Philomena’s brother, Bradford is issued an ultimatum—a duel or marry Philomena. He offers marriage, but even impoverished and with no other decent prospects, she rejects his half-hearted proposal until her brother collapses. Now, Philomena’s faced with marrying a man who deserted her once already.

MILADY AND HER SPY by JILLIAN CHANTAL

A lady, a spy, a traitor… a battle of wills.

Raised in the country after her mother’s death with only the company of three unruly brothers, Lady Augusta Covington is more proficient at fencing, riding and playing cards than being prim and proper. Myles Cuthbert, a spy in His Majesty’s service on a mission to find and expose a traitor, crosses paths with Lady Augusta when she rides to the aid of her brother, believing him to be injured. With the assignment at risk, Cuthbert agrees to accept the assistance of the troublesome lady eager for intrigue. As they move forward, his sense of obligation to her and the danger involved stir his soul.

KISSED BY A SCOTTISH ROGUE by SAMANTHA GRACE

Scottish land steward Fergus McTaggert calls a temporary truce with his employer's companion only to discover their passionate battles have been masking their hidden desires.

His Mother Insists He Needs a Wife.

Fergus McTaggart, Aldmist Fell’s land steward, has no time for wife hunting. Any day his employer's sisters will be arriving at the Scottish castle for a long overdue reunion. Fergus is determined to make their stay memorable, but all anyone is likely to recall are the loud rows between him and his employer’s cheeky paid companion.

She Insists He Needs a Good Knock to the Head.

Edith Gallagher has been charged with watching over her employer’s youngest sister while the family winters in Scotland, but the stubborn land steward interferes at every turn. Eventually, she and the Scot call a truce for the sisters’ sakes only to discover their passionate battles are masking hidden desires.

STOLEN KISSES FROM THE VISCOUNT by ALANNA LUCAS

A rake, an heiress, and stolen kisses...this seduction could be his last.

Desperate times call for drastic measures as Miss Aveline Redgrave enters her third season. Fearful of fortune hunters, she attempts to stay clear of Lord Leybourne, a rogue who is not to be trusted. But his seductive smile and enticing kisses awaken a passion that threatens her common sense. No stranger to scandal, Leybourne is determined to save his family from ruin whatever the cost, even marrying an heiress he doesn’t love. But an unexpected desire and need to protect threatens his plans. Will past heartaches and a devastating wager destroy their future or will true love’s kiss triumph?

TEMPTED BY A ROGUE by LAUREN SMITH

Gemma never planned on falling in love with her childhood sweetheart’s best friend, Jasper, when he returns home, but she can’t resist the naval officer’s brooding charm.

Gemma plans to marry James, her childhood sweetheart. With every letter written between them while he's been off at sea, their love has grown. Now they will be reunited with his return to England. But the man whose words she'd fallen in love with isn’t James...

Jasper, a gentleman rogue of the first order, is trapped. Talked into a scheme by his friend, he pretended to be James for eleven years while writing to Gemma. He’s promised James he’d break it off. But when he returns home, his secret will come out – and he’ll lose the one woman he can’t live without.

THE REDEMPTION OF JULIAN PRICE by VICTORIA VANE

She gave him a chance to bury his past… but the price would be his heart…

Burdened by the past…Orphaned at a young age and left to run wild, at eighteen Julian Price joins the fight against Napoleon in the hope of attaining honor. Devastated when his best friend, Thomas, is killed in battle, Julian returns home burdened with guilt, only to find his wastrel uncle has squandered his inheritance.

Desperate to live her own life… Facing a future of drudgery caring for her aging mother and raising her brother’s children, Henrietta Houghton believes her chance at a real life died with Thomas, the only man who ever wanted her. But Henrietta is still full of dreams. When her wealthy aunt, offers her a gift of ten thousand pounds, Henrietta finally has the chance to choose her own destiny.

Everything has a price...With a fortune at her command, Henrietta offers Julian a marriage of convenience, unaware that she really offers Julian a means of salvation—not just his fortune, but his very soul.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

JULIE JOHNSTON is an USA TODAY best-selling author of edgy Regency Romance. She feels she’s living the dream by working with her passion of creating worlds from her imagination. When not writing, she’s chasing her precocious children around, cooking, reading or exercising. Julie loves to hear from her readers. To connect with Julie or learn more about her books, visit juliejohnstoneauthor.com.

KATHERINE BONE is an Amazon #1 best-selling Historical Romance Author passionate about history since she had the opportunity to travel to various Army bases, castles, battlegrounds, and cathedrals as an Army brat-turned-Officer's-Wife. Now she lives in the south where she writes about Rogues, Rebels and Rakes, aka Pirates, Lords, Captains, Duty, Honor, and Country and the happily-ever-afters every alpha male and damsel deserve. To connect with Katherine or learn more about her books, visit katherinebone.com.

JILLIAN CHANTAL is a 2015 RONE Finalist and lives on the beautiful coast of Florida, and even though she loves her little slice of paradise, she’s an Anglophile at heart. Writing in a variety of romance genres makes her happy, but she has a particular fondness for the Georgian/Regency era as it was the age she adored as a teen and as her introduction to the world of happily-ever-afters. Living on the gulf coast also reminds Jillian, daily, that even though she loves the past, she needs the present. Air conditioning is vital for her survival. To connect with Jillian or learn more about her books, visit JillianChantal.com.

COLLETTE CAMERON is an Amazon #1 best-selling and award-winning Historical Romance Author of more than ten Scottish and Regency Romances featuring rogues, rapscallions, rakes, and the intrepid damsels who reform them. Mother to three and self-proclaimed Cadbury chocoholic, she makes her home in Oregon with her husband and five mini-dachshunds. You'll always find animals, quirky—sometimes naughty—humor, and a dash of inspiration in her novels. To connect with Collette or learn more about her books, visit collettecameron.com.

SAMANTHA GRACE is an Amazon best-Selling, RITA-nominated Historical Romance Author who discovered the appeal of a great love story at the age of four, thanks to Disney’s “Robin Hood”. She didn’t care that Robin Hood and Maid Marian were cartoon animals. It was her first happily-ever-after experience, and she wanted the warm fuzzies to go on forever. Now that Samantha is grown, she enjoys creating happy-endings for characters that spring from her imagination. Publisher’s Weekly describes her stories as “fresh and romantic” with subtle humor and charm. Samantha describes romance writing as the best job ever. To connect with Samantha or learn more about her books, visit: samanthagraceauthor.com.

ALANNA LUCAS is an Amazon best-selling author and grew up in Southern California, but always dreamed of distant lands and bygone eras. From an early age she took interest in art, history, and travel, and enjoys incorporating those diversions into her writing. However, she believes that true love is the greatest source of inspiration and is always an adventure. Alanna makes her home in California where she spends her time writing historical romances, dreaming of her next travel destination, spending time with family, and staying up too late indulging in her favorite past time, reading. To connect with Alanna or learn more about her books, visit alannalucas.com.

LAUREN SMITH, an attorney by day, is an Amazon best-selling, award winning author by night, who pens adventurous and edgy romance stories by the light of her smart phone flashlight app. She’s a native Oklahoman who lives with her three pets: a feisty chinchilla, sophisticated cat, and dapper little schnauzer. She’s won multiple awards in several romance subgenres including being a New England Reader’s Choice Winner, Greater Detroit Bookseller’s Best Award Finalist and a Semi-Finalist for the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Award. To connect with Lauren or learn more about her books, visit laurensmithbooks.com.

VICTORIA VANE is an Amazon #1 bestselling author of smart and sexy romance. Her works range from comedic romps to emotionally compelling erotic romance and have received over twenty awards and nominations to include: a 2015 Red Carpet Finalist for Best Contemporary romance (SLOW HAND), 2014 RONE Winner for Best Historical Post Medieval Romance (Treacherous Temptations), and Library Journal Best E-Book romance of 2012 (The Devil DeVere series). Victoria also writes romantic historical fiction as Emery Lee. She currently resides in Palm Coast, Florida with her husband, two sons, a little black dog, and an Arabian horse. To connect with Vicki or learn more about her books, visit victoriavane.com.

I am giving away a digital copy of ONCE UPON A TRUE LOVE'S KISS to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about your favorite type of hero - rogues, spies, pirates, or rakes.

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, January 2, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, January 3.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore 

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Aloha to Collette Cameron and HEARTBREAK AND HONOR

 

Highland Gypsies

by Colette Cameron

The term gypsy is a misnomer derived from Egyptian, much like the label Indian for Native Americans, and Romany Gypsies are quite different than the Highland Scottish Travellers or Black tinkers as they were known.

Though both groups, as well as at least a half a dozen other nomadic tribes, traveled throughout Scotland, the Roma’s origins trace back to India, whereas the Black Tinkers (in Gaelic-The Ceárdannan or the craftsmen) are mostly a genetic indigenous Scots.

That meant I had to rethink Tasara Faas, my heroine in Heartbreak and Honor.

I’d written a story with a part Roma heroine before, The Viscount’s Vow, but the Highland gypsies were vastly different. Everything from her dress, customs, and speech had to be researched because she's far more like a Scotswoman than a Romany.

Some Scottish Highland Traveller families do claim Roma heritage, and their Scottish–Gaelic cant contains Romany or Anglo-Romany words. In fact, some groups call themselves Nackin which is thought to be of Hindi origin.

No surprise there since the various tribes date back at least five hundred years in Scotland. However, the prevalence of the Roma influence is seen more in the Lowland travellers rather than the Highlands.

The Black Tinkers language is secret and has never been recorded in writing, according to one source. Many hold typical Scottish surnames such as Stewart, Macmillan, MacDonald, and Cameron. They possess a strong belief in the importance of family and purity taboos, much like the Roma travellers.

And much like the European Roma, the Highland Travellers were (are) a maligned segment of population. Stereotyped as thieves, con men, and fortune tellers, stories were broadly circulated that gypsies would kidnap children. In an odd twist, gypsies’ feared abduction themselves. Many disappeared and were thought victims used in medical schools for dissection. Rumors abounded of illegitimate children of the gentry or haute ton, being sold or given to the gypsies as well.

Highland Travellers were so despised, that during the 17th century, Scottish law ordered them to “quit the realm” or hang. Scottish Travellers toted their goods in carts and pitched bowed tents while the Roma typically lived in vardos, a type of caravan wagon. Some sources also claim the Highland Scottish Travellers used caravans as well.

Today, usage of the terms gypsy or even tinker is considered derogatory.

Though a Scottish Regency Romance, Heartbreak and Honor uses the abduction and persecution elements of the Scottish gypsies to help spread their unique, and often unfortunate, tale.

What unusual elements do you enjoy reading about in a historical romance?

Heartbreak and Honor, Highland Heather Romancing a Scot Series, Book 3

Abducted by a band of renegade Scots, Highland gypsy Tasara Faas blackens her rescuer’s eye when the charming duke attempts to steal a kiss. Afterward, Tasara learns she’s the long-lost heiress Alexandra Atterberry and is expected to take her place among the elite society she’s always disdained.

Lucan, the Duke of Harcourt, promised his gravely ill mother he’d procure a wife by Christmastide, but intrigued by the feisty lass he saved in Scotland, he finds the haut ton ladies lacking. Spying Alexa at a London ball, he impulsively decides to make the knife-wielding gypsy his bride despite her aversion to him and her determination to return to the Highlands.

The adversary responsible for Alexa’s disappearance as a toddler still covets her fortune and joins forces with Harcourt’s arch nemesis. Amidst a series of suspicious misfortunes, Lucan endeavors to win Alexa’s love and expose the conspirators but only succeeds in reaffirming Alexa’s belief that she is inadequate to become his duchess.

Bestselling, award-winning Historical Romance Author, Collette Cameron, pens Scottish and Regency Romances featuring rogues, rapscallions, rakes, and the intrepid damsels who reform them. Mother to three and self-proclaimed Cadbury chocoholic, she’s crazy about dachshunds, cobalt blue, and makes her home in Oregon with her husband and five mini-dachshunds. You'll always find animals, quirky—sometimes naughty—humor, and a dash of inspiration in her novels.

Her award-winning Castle Brides Series, Highland Heather Romancing a Scot Series, and Conundrums of the Misses Culpeppers Series, as well as her other books, are all available on Amazon and other major retailers.

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Check out the giveaway on Collette's website at collettecameron.com.

More books in the series ...

Aloha to Collette Cameron and WAGERS GONE AWRY

What Inspires My Romance Novel Ideas? What doesn’t? 

By Collette Cameron 

Thank you so much for having me back on SOS Aloha, Kim. I need a sunny destination to hang out with all the rain we have in Oregon in April.

I often get asked what inspires me to write my romances. I think that’s true of all authors. I usually search for something pithy and wise sounding.

And come up empty-handed.

I’ve got three books releasing back-to-back, and each one was written for entirely different reasons.

Wagers Gone Awry (Conundrums of the Misses Culpepper) was intended as a sweet, light, easy Regency read, and the original title didn’t have anything about wagers in it. But then, on the cusp of planting my rear in a chair to start writing it, my husband told me about the struggles a close friend of ours is having with a gambling addictions.

The next thing know, I’m quoting, Wisdom and Advice—The Genteel Lady’s Guide to Practical Living, a fictionalized guide that is mentioned throughout the story.

“As is oft the case when wagering, one party is a fool and the other a thief, although both may bear the title nincompoop.”

During the Regency Era, gambling was a popular and acceptable form of entertainment, which resulted in the financial ruination of many a man and woman. Heath and Brooke learn first-hand the hardships and chaos one person’s careless gambling can cause for others.

Bride of Falcon, a Regency Novella (May 4, 1015) was birthed as a result of the Wimpleton’s ball scene in Triumph and Treasure. I introduced a couple of characters at that ball that I wanted to have their own stories, and A Kiss for Miss Kingsley was the result.

Once my imagination got hold of the idea, though, there was no stopping my mind from formulating some additional fated matches at the ball, and Bride of Falcon came along. Ivonne and Chance are reunited after a three-year separation. There’s is a hard-won happily ever after.

You’re the first to know, but I’m working on a third novella set at the Wimpleton’s ball too. Shhh.

Finally, Heart of a Highlander, a Scottish short story (May 26th), came about when I was asked to write a short story for an anthology. I adored Hugh and Giselle Ferguson since I first introduced them as secondary characters in Highlander’s Hope.

I cut a scene in Highlander’s Hope where Ewan told Yvette how his mother and Hugh met and married. Heart of a Highlander tells the entire tale, and it’s filled with Scottish folklore too.

So you see, just about anything will get my mind weaving another story. It’s actually becoming a bit of a pain, since I cannot possibly write as fast as I get ideas.

Do you like getting a chance to peek a bit more into secondary characters lives? What about when historicals dig into some of the social issues of the era? Does that ruin the escapism and the enjoyment of the story for you?

I’d love to connect with you!

collettecameron.com
twitter.com/Collette_Author
facebook.com/collettecameronauthor

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Bride of Falcon Pre-order Links

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Heart of a Highlander Buy Links

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Mahalo, Collette, for introducing us to WAGERS GONE AWRY.  I am giving away a book choice from my convention stash to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Answer Collette's questions, 

Do you like getting a chance to peek a bit more into secondary characters lives? What about when historicals dig into some of the social issues of the era? Does that ruin the escapism and the enjoyment of the story for you? 

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, April 25, 10 pm in Baltimore.  

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, April 26.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Aloha to CAPTIVATED BY HIS KISS - Historical anthology

CAPTIVATED BY HIS KISS

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Cheryl Bolen and USA Today Bestselling Author Bronwen Evans are joined by Barbara Monajem, Collette Cameron, Wendy Vella, Heather Boyd, and Lauren Smith in this exciting collection of regency romances. Be CAPTIVATED BY HIS KISS in these seven emotional stories of second chances, scandalous wagers, and the quest for true love. Lose yourself again and again in beautifully written romance.

His Lordship’s Vow by Cheryl Bolen - The exceedingly plain spinster, Miss Jane Featherstone, helps the earl she loves woo an heiress in order to honor the deathbed vow Lord Slade to his father.

To Wager the Marquis of Wolverstone by Bronwen Evans - Marcus Danvers, the Marquis of Wolverstone, is renowned for his cynical demeanor. It's rumored that long ago, a beautiful woman broke his heart. Now he lives life for pleasure. That is, until the beautiful, as she is deceitful, Contessa Orsini re-enters his life with a wager he cannot resist.

The Christmas Knot by Barbara Monajem - Widowed and destitute, Edwina White takes a job as a governess in a haunted house, and if that’s not trouble enough, her new employer is the one man she’d hoped never to meet again.

Bride of Falcon by Collette Cameron – Faced with spinsterhood, Ivonne Wimpleton takes fate into her own hands, determined to win the heart of her wholly unacceptable childhood love . . . scandal be damned.

Christmas Wishes by Wendy Vella – Desperation makes strange bedfellows, and when the only person left to turn to is a dissolute Rake, Miss Hero Appleby realizes she is about to forsake more than her reputation.

Miss Watson’s First Scandal by Heather Boyd – Overworked London banker David Hawke had two goals for his week in the seaside town of Brighton: one, recover a debt from a friend and two, relax for his remaining holiday. Marriage wasn’t part of the plan…until the girl next door barges in and turns his life upside down.

The Duelist’s Seduction by Lauren Smith - Helen Banks, disguised as her twin brother, fights a duel against Gareth Fairfax but he has other ideas in mind of how to have Helen repay her debt starting with a sinful kiss and a wicked embrace...

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The authors are giving aways a $100 gift card to one randomly chosen reader.

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Aloha to Collette Cameron and TRIUMPH AND TREASURE

My Top Ten Most Atrocious Historical Beliefs and Practices 

I’ve come across the most, er, interesting facts while researching my historical novels. I’ve chuckled at some, grimaced at others, and had WTF (White Turkey Feathers) moments with others.

I can’t help shake my head and ponder what it really would have been like to live a few centuries ago. Some beliefs and practices were rather astonishing, if not downright macabre.

Here’s my list of the top ten most atrocious:

1. Drugging children with “soothing syrups” which contained quantities of morphine, heroin, cocaine, and other lovely drugs. (Gee, and to think I struggled with giving my kidlets Tylenol or Benadryl.)

2. The consumption or application of mercury for nearly everything. (Yep, that highly toxic stuff that’s guaranteed to send you six feet under.)

3. Wife selling-Say what? Seems that hubby could auction off wifey. You know, divorce was so frowned upon. So much better to sell one’s wife to be free of her.

4. The 19th century cure for ED (No, not eating disorder . . . erectile dysfunction) was ever so much more creative than taking a little pill. Strap on an electrical device meant to come in contact with a certain sensitive area of the male anatomy and ... ZAP!

5. Feeling like you’re coming down with cold? Try a tobacco smoke enema. Not going any farther with that one. I might lose my lunch.

6. And if the idea of a tobacco enema didn’t send you running for the door, there was always the good ole urine enema. Heck, you could bath in the stuff or even swig it to cure just about everything including body odor. Hmm, because urine smells so wonderful?

7. Okay, this one is so gross, I almost didn’t include it. Anthropodermic bibliopegy, which is just a fancy way to say binding books in human skin. What nut job came up with that one?

(I really shouldn’t have eaten before writing this.)

8. I’m blushing as I write this one, and so it will be very brief. The cure for female hysteria was quite simple. A doctor administered a massage to a certain part of a lady’s anatomy. Nuff said.

9. Know what a Tosher is? Well, I’m about to tell you. During the Victorian era, they tootled around the sewers looking for things to sell.

I’d laugh at this, or gag, except, I lost my wedding ring down the toilet. Really.

Don’t ask.

10. And last, post mortem pictures became all the vogue after the invention of photography, especially, pictures of children.

While I’m at it, I might as well mention, Mourning Jewelry, which either contained or was made of the dead person’s hair. Bleck!

There you have it! I bet you are so grateful those practices have been abolishes. Well, most of them have. I’ll leave you to guess which ones are still being used. 

Blackness Castle - film location for Outlander

A disillusioned Scottish gentlewoman.

Angelina Ellsworth once believed in love—before she discovered her husband of mere hours was a slave-trader and already married. To avoid the scandal and disgrace, she escapes to her aunt and uncle’s, the Duke and Duchess of Waterford. When Angelina learns she is with child, she vows she’ll never trust a man again.

A privileged English lord.

Flynn, Earl of Luxmoore, led an enchanted life until his father committed suicide after losing everything to Waterford in a wager. Stripped of all but his title, Flynn is thrust into the role of marquis as well as provider for his disabled sister and invalid mother. Unable to pay his father’s astronomical gambling loss, Flynn must choose between social or financial ruin.

When the duke suggests he’ll forgive the debt if Flynn marries his niece, Flynn accepts the duke’s proposal. Reluctant to wed a stranger, but willing to do anything to protect her babe and escape the clutches of the madman who still pursues her, Angelina agrees to the union.

Can Flynn and Angelina find happiness and love in a marriage neither wanted, or is the chasm between them insurmountable?
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Award winning, best-selling author, Collette Cameron, has a BS in Liberal Studies and a Master's in Teaching. Author of the Castle Brides Series and Highland Heather Romancing a Scot Series, Collette writes Regency and Scottish historicals and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and five mini-dachshunds. Mother to three and a self-proclaimed Cadbury Chocolate chocoholic, Collette loves a good joke, inspirational quotes, flowers, trivia, and all things shabby chic. You'll always find dogs, birds, quirky—sometimes naughty—humor, and a dash of inspiration in her novels. 

Her motto for life? You can’t have too much chocolate, too many hugs, or too many flowers.

She’s thinking about adding shoes to that list.

Connect with Collette:

collettecameron.com
facebook.com/collettecameronauthor
blueroseromance.com
twitter.com/collette_author
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Collette’s giving away a digital copy of The Earl’s Enticement to one commenter. To enter the giveaway,

1. Leave a comment about treasure - have you found any at the beach? Have you seen any at the museum?

2. Comments are open through Saturday, December 6, 10 pm in Baltimore

3. I'll post the winner on Sunday, December 7.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City 

Aloha to Collette Cameron and THE EARL'S ENTICEMENT

Isn't this cover gorgeous?  Collette Cameron joins us with a guest post to celebrate the release of THE EARL'S ENTICEMENT .... 

Can I Be Honest With You?  Want to know a secret? 

Well, I guess it’s not really so much a secret as a confession. I never aspired to be an author. And, I never, ever dreamed I’d write romance novels.

What?

I didn’t scribble notes and fabricate prose from the time I could string two or three words together? I didn’t dream of being the next Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott, or Emily Bronte?

Nope.

Almost sounds blasphemous, doesn’t it? 

I did write some rather heinous poetry in high school, but there was never the slightest inkling to someday become a published author. Really. I’m telling the truth.

So, what happened, you ask? Okay, maybe you didn’t ask, but I’ll tell you anyway. Lucky you.

I started reading—more like voraciously inhaling—sweet romances when I was thirteen. A girlfriend gave me a Barbara Cartland Regency to read, and I was hooked! Over the next several years . . . er . . . decades, I read thousands of romances, mostly historicals because to me, those are the ultimate romance. (BTW, I graduated from sweet, just a wee bit.)

Still, it never crossed my mind to write a novel, let alone a romance. All that dialogue and . . . well, you know, the sex. I couldn’t ever write a love scene. Ever. What would people say?

Actually, they ask all the time if I write them from my personal experiences. Seriously?

But I digress. Back to how I became a historical romance author. I know, the suspense is killing you.

A couple things happened that starting the old creative juices flowing. I went back to school and got a bachelor’s of Science in Liberal Studies and a Master’s in Teaching (In three and a half years-Do Not do that! It nearly killed me.) Naturally, there were all sorts of torturous essays I had to write, but professor after professor told me I had a knack for writing.

One of them, my Children’s Literature professor, turned to me one day after I’d shared a children’s book I’d written for an assignment, and said, “You’re going to be a great teacher, but writing is your true gift.”

Yeah right. The story was a ridiculous thing about split pea soup and a frog swimming around the bowl. Still, the insidious seed of, “What if?” had been planted.

Within a year, my last child left home for college, and there I was with a brand new teaching certificate, no kids at home (hubby doesn’t count) and I was only substituting part-time.

So, what did I do?

In February 2011, I parked myself in front of my computer, and as an experiment, decided to see if the scene that had popped into my head a few weeks before, could be made into an entire novel.

Seems it could.

Highlander’s Hope, the first book in the Castle Bride’s Series was born. My, but that was a long labor! Today, I’m celebrating the The Earl’s Enticement’s release, the third and last book in the series. Another six book series, The Highland Heather Romancing a Scot Series, is in the works, as well as two novellas. All the books are spin-offs from the first series.

Now, I’m thoroughly addicted and cannot imagine why I waited so long to begin writing. Hubby would say I’m obsessed, but that would mean I’m preoccupied and a bit fanatical about writing. . . . All the time. Every waking moment.

Darn. He’s right.

I think the most important thing is, once the niggling seed to become an author took hold, a dream I didn’t even realize I harbored, blossomed. And look where I’ve ended up?

What are your impossible dreams? What can you do to make them come true?

Urquhat Castle on Loch Ness

THE EARL'S ENTICEMENT

She won’t be tamed.

A fiery, unconventional Scot, Adaira Ferguson wears breeches, swears, and has no more desire to marry than she does to follow society’s dictates of appropriate behavior. She trusts no man with the secret she desperately protects.

He can’t forget.

Haunted by his past, Roark, the Earl of Clarendon, rigidly adheres to propriety, holding himself and those around him to the highest standards, no matter the cost. Betrayed once, he’s guarded and leery of all women.

Mistaking Roark for a known spy, Adaira imprisons him. Infuriated, he vows vengeance. Realizing her error, she’s appalled and releases him, but he’s not satisfied with his freedom. Roark is determined to transform Adaira from an ill-mannered hoyden to a lady of refinement.

He succeeds only to discover, he preferred the free-spirited Scottish lass who first captured his heart.

Glenfinnan, Scotland

Award winning, Amazon best-selling, and multi-published historical romance author, Collette Cameron, has a BS in Liberal Studies and a Master's in Teaching. A Pacific Northwest Native, Collette’s been married for thirty years, has three amazing adult children, and five dachshunds. Collette loves a good joke, inspirational quotes, flowers, the beach, trivia, birds, shabby chic, and Cadbury Chocolate. You'll always find dogs, birds, quirky—sometimes naughty—humor, and a dash of inspiration in her novels. Her motto for life? You can’t have too much chocolate, too many hugs, or too many flowers. She’s thinking about adding shoes to that list.

Connect with Collette:

Website 

Blue Rose Romance Blog

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Mahalo, Collette, for sharing your secret!   It's no secret that I love Regency ... and Scotland!   I am giving away a digital copy of THE EARL'S ENTICEMENT to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Answer Collette's question, What are your impossible dreams? What can you do to make them come true?

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, May 31, 10 pm in Baltimore.  

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, June 1.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Glen Coe, Scotland