Aloha to Elizabeth Michels and HOW TO LOSE A LORD IN 10 DAYS OR LESS

Elizabeth Michels joins me for an intimate chat to celebrate HOW TO LOSE A LORD IN 10 DAYS OR LESS, Book 3 in Tricks of the Ton series:

"I want to know you, to understand anything at all about you, because you are the most maddening lady I have ever encountered."

He's the perfect gentleman...

After years hidden away from the mockery of the Ton, proud Andrew Clifton, Lord Amberstall, is finally ready to face Society again. But when his horse is injured on the road to London, Andrew finds himself literally thrown at the feet of the beautiful, infuriating, and undeniably eccentric Katie Moore.

...she's anything but a lady.

Katie always preferred the stables to society, so when she was badly injured in a riding accident, she was more than happy to retreat to the countryside and give up the marriage mart for good. She never expected an infuriatingly proper lord to come tumbling into her life - and she certainly never expected to find herself wondering what it would be like to rejoin the world at his side.

They couldn't be more different, and soon Andrew and Katie find themselves at odds about everything but the growing passion between them... and a keen awareness of a threat that may end their unconventional romance before it has even begun.

Kim:  After completing your third book of your debut series, what have you learned about fans and their expectations of Regency romance?

Elizabeth:  When I began writing Regency romance, I did so because I was a fan. I love the fashions and the ballroom scenes, but most of all, I love the escape from modern day reality this genre provides. After completing 3 books, the fact that I carry with me is that I’m exactly where I belong. I’ve had the opportunity to meet some of my readers and speak with others via email since my first 2 books were released, and every time I walk away with the feeling that I’ve found my people. I’ve found others like me who love history, love fun characters, and want to spend the afternoon dreaming of a time when carriages ruled the streets and scandal was only an alcove away. I love my readers, and I’m very thankful I found them.

Kim:  HOW TO LOSE A LORD IN 10 DAYS OR LESS involves horses - do you have equestrian experience or did you conduct research?

Elizabeth:  I grew up in an equestrian neighborhood of mini-farms. All of my neighbors had horses, and I would feed them occasionally even though I never learned to ride. I’m pretty sure we were the only family who lived there and didn’t have horses…because we had Christmas trees. *grins* But, my knowledge of trees didn’t help me much in telling this story of an injured horse who leaves a lord stranded and forced to take refuge with a most unconventional lady while on the road south from Scotland. So, I spent days watching videos on subjects ranging from treating wounds on horses to breaking wild horses. I read blogs and articles. I interviewed friends experienced with horses. And, at the end of it, I wrote HOW TO LOSE A LORD IN 10 DAYS OR LESS. It wasn’t without its fair share of challenges, but I think readers will be pleased with the outcome.

Kim:  Your titles are odes to contemporary romantic comedies - what are the key elements of combining romance with humor with the constraints of a historical era?

Elizabeth:  The humor, I blame on my characters. In my stories there are always shenanigans. My characters seem to find trouble if trouble is to be found. And, I think more trouble is to be found in a historical setting than today because of the constraints of their social situation at that point in history. I like the snowball effect one small event has on another. My former editor used to compare the comedy in my books to I Love Lucy when the conveyer belt of chocolates speeds up. It seems like a small change in their situation, and yet it ends in mouths and shirts stuffed with chocolate. These small changes that produce wild situations happen so easily within a historical setting that my characters seem to seek them out. Perhaps I need to keep a tighter rein on them, but to be honest, they make me laugh and that makes me happy.

Kim:  What's next for Elizabeth Michels?

Elizabeth:  I’m writing more! I’m currently working on Lady Roselyn Grey’s book and will follow that up with three ladies you’ll remember from DESPERATELY SEEKING SUZANNA, Evangeline, Isabelle, and Victoria. These are going to be great stories involving a new group of gentlemen I’m really excited about writing. There will be love, and knowing my characters, there will definitely be shenanigans.

Thank you for hosting me today on SOS Aloha! I hope you enjoy HOW TO LOSE A LORD IN 10 DAYS OR LESS! I look forward to chatting with you here in the comments. What is your favorite part of a Regency romance?

Buy links:
Amazon: link
BAM: link
B&N: link
IndieBound: link
iTunes: link

Sourcebooks is giving away a print copy of HOW TO LOSE A LORD IN 10 DAYS OR LESS to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment to Elizabeth's question - what is your favorite part of a Regency romance?

2.  Comments are open through Sunday, July 27, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Monday, July 28, assuming I recover from RWA!

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Learn more about Elizabeth and her books at elizabethmichels.com.

Aloha to Elizabeth Michels and HOW TO LOSE A LORD IN 10 DAYS OR LESS - Book Review

"I want to know you, to understand anything at all about you, because you are the most maddening lady I have ever encountered."

He's the perfect gentleman...

After years hidden away from the mockery of the Ton, proud Andrew Clifton, Lord Amberstall, is finally ready to face Society again. But when his horse is injured on the road to London, Andrew finds himself literally thrown at the feet of the beautiful, infuriating, and undeniably eccentric Katie Moore.

...she's anything but a lady.

Katie always preferred the stables to society, so when she was badly injured in a riding accident, she was more than happy to retreat to the countryside and give up the marriage mart for good. She never expected an infuriatingly proper lord to come tumbling into her life--and she certainly never expected to find herself wondering what it would be like to rejoin the world at his side.

They couldn't be more different, and soon Andrew and Katie find themselves at odds about everything but the growing passion between them...and a keen awareness of a threat that may end their unconventional romance before it has even begun.

Horseback riding at Turtle Bay,  Oahu's North Shore

No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle. ~Winston Churchill 

Elizabeth Michels continues her trademark humor HOW TO LOSE A LORD IN 10 DAYS OR LESS, Book 3 of the Tricks of the Ton series.   Both hero and heroine have a long history with horses, but recent events have taken them away from what they love.   Lord Andrew Amberstall fled from the ton after a disastrous exhibition where his prize horse, Shadow's Light, demonstrates his amorous intentions rather than his celebrated speed. After hiding away in Scotland for a year, Amberstall is called home by his widowed mother to tend to his failing estate. 

Shortly after he crosses the English border, he discovers two ruffians following him.  As he tries to evade them, Amberstall literally stumbles across Miss Katie Moore - he injures Shadow's Light and destroys Katie's pottery wheel.   Despite their unconventional introduction, Katie stables the horse to recover and invites Amberstall to the manor house.   Alas, Katie lives in the gardener's cottage, leaving Amberstall on his own once again.   

As Shadow's Light mends from Katie's care, Amberstall sees his privileged life in a different light.   His extended stay with Katie brings him into contact with characters from the first two books - MUST LOVE DUKES and DESPERATELY SEEKING SUZANNA - bringing the storyline back to why Amberstall fled to Scotland in the first place.   Likewise, Katie reveals the highlights (and low points) of her life that lead to her lonely existance in the estate cottage.   Amberstall and Katie are two souls set adrift - fate brings them together to forge a strong union in the face of danger.  

HOW TO LOSE A LORD IN 10 DAYS OR LESS is a lighthearted romp with Regency pomp.  I laughed throughout this book - who knew that the French hopped around the room in between dinner courses?   HOW TO LOSE A LORD IN 10 DAYS OR LESS is an amusing addition to the Tricks of the Ton trilogy.

I received an ARC from Sourcebooks for an honest review.

Mules bring tourists from "topside" to
Kalapaupa's leper colony on Moloka'i

I am giving away a book choice from my convention stash, including several titles from Sourcebooks, to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about the movie HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS with Kate Hudson and Matthew Mcconaughey - have you seen it?

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, July 12, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, July 13.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Learn more about Elizabeth and her books at elizabethmichels.com.

Aloha to Elizabeth Michels and MUST LOVE DUKES

From Vacation to a Book Series
by Elizabeth Michels

First of all thank you for hosting me today, and may I say, Aloha to all of you! It’s been less than 2 weeks since my debut novel, Must Love Dukes hit shelves and I’m still happy dancing from room to room in my house.

Although I began writing this first book of the Tricks of the Ton series rather recently, the research behind it began when I was 18 years old. That was *mumbles into hand* years ago and I love English history now more than ever. I had no idea when I hopped on an airplane headed for England at 18 that it would lead to a lifelong passion for history, but it did. In truth, I only went because my boyfriend’s family invited me to visit them in Middlesbrough, England for the summer, and I wanted to have a grand adventure with my cute, new boyfriend at my side. (This also worked out on a completely different level since I married that boyfriend 4.5 years later and we’re still together, but I digress.) So, off I flew to spend my first summer in England.

We spent the majority of our time in northern England, wandering through the shambles in York, hiking up Roseberry Topping to watch the paragliders leap from its summit, walking on the beach in Red Car and drinking pints in the Cross Keys Pub. It was a magical summer. But, how did any of this lead me to write Must Love Dukes? I think that story begins with a prawn salad sandwich.

We’d taken the train to Whitby for the day sometime in July. Whitby is a lovely sea side town and is home to the Church of St. Mary, where Bram Stoker was inspired to write Dracula. This is a pretty cool literary tidbit of information, but I was more enchanted with the ships along the shore. It was lunchtime, so we grabbed sandwiches from a shop on High Street and made our way to the docks. It was, without a doubt, the best prawn salad sandwich I’ve ever eaten—even to this day. I’ll restrain from going off on a food description tangent here, but trust me it was all kinds of yum! With our legs swinging over the edge of the dock, we watched the boats drift and bob in the water. I remember wondering where those ships were going…what adventure they had in store for them. That was the day the tiny seed of Lily Phillips was sewn.

Lily has spent her life on her family’s estate in Whitby, watching the ships come in and out of the harbor. But, when her brothers sell off the family heirlooms from the estate to cover their gambling debts, she sneaks away from her quiet life in Whitby to steal back the family’s possessions. It would have all gone to plan if only she hadn’t stolen from the Mad Duke of Thornwood…

Now, a year later her brothers have finally gotten around to selling her to the highest bidder on the marriage mart in London. And, who should she find at the first ball but the Duke? He’s bent on revenge for her theft, but his daring plots quickly turn into ways to keep Lily near. All of his plans may go up in flames with Lily’s brothers involved. And with all the men in her life pulling her in every direction, Lily may jump on board the next ship and finally leave the harbor.

So, the first book in the Tricks of the Ton series really goes back *mumbles* years to an amazing sandwich on a warm July afternoon at the docks in Whitby. Thank you for hosting me today! I hope you enjoy Must Love Dukes!

Church of St. Mary's in Whitby
Image by Tom Richardson
Creative Commons Attribution (link)

MUST LOVE DUKES BY ELIZABETH MICHELS – IN STORES FEBRUARY 2014

The Mad Duke leaned in closer, his lips gently brushing her ear, and whispered, "I dare you."

She Can't Resist the Dare…

Lillian Phillips could not imagine how her quiet, simple life had come to this. Blackmailed by the Mad Duke of Thornwood into accepting one wild dare after another...all because of a pocket watch. Desperate to recover her beloved father's pawned timepiece, Lily did something reckless and dangerous and delicious—something that led to a night she'd never forget.

He has a Reputation for Scandal…

When Devon Grey, Duke of Thornwood, runs into a mesmerizing, intoxicating, thieving woman who literally stole from his bedchamber—with his new pocket watch—Devon plots his revenge. If the daring wench likes to play games, he's happy to oblige. After all, what's the ruse of being the Mad Duke if you can't have some fun? But the last laugh might just be on him...

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elizabeth Michels grew up on a Christmas tree farm in rural South Carolina. After tip-toeing her way through school with her focus on ballet steps and her nose in a book, she met a boy and followed him a thousand miles away from home to Kansas City, Missouri, before settling down in North Carolina. She attended Park University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Interior Design. Elizabeth is a lover of happily-ever-afters; she invites you to read her stories, get lost, and enjoy. For more information, please visit elizabethmichels.com and badgirlzwrite.com.

To Purchase Must Love Dukes:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Books-a-Million
Chapters/Indigo
IndieBound
iBooks
Sourcebook

Mahalo, Elizabeth, for sharing the inspiration to your new series, Tricks of the Ton!  I posted my four star review of MUST LOVE DUKES on Amazon (link) and Goodreads (link). 

Sourcebooks is giving away a print copy of MUST LOVE DUKES to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about a favorite memory from a vacation.   

2.  Sourcebooks' giveaway is open to readers in the US and Canada.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, February 22, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, February 23.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Coming March 4, 2014