Hi everyone,

This is Marie-Claude. Hope everyone in the US recovered from Thanksgiving. I’ll be on a carrot stick diet for a few more days I think. Today, I am pleased to welcome UK native Evonne Wareham. Evonne is quite a special finalist. She finaled twice!!!!! This year, she finaled in the American contest V with a romantic suspense, NEVER COMING HOME.

Before I interview her, let me announce another winner. Today we congratulate Sue A!!!! Way to go Sue. : )

And turning to Evonne now……

M-C: Now Evonne, you are quite a unique American Title finalist. In the whole history of this contest, you are the only one who ever finaled twice. How did it feel when you learned you had made it to the finals of American Title V?

Evonne: After a bit of squeaking, I think I made myself a cup of tea. Then I rang my mother, and one of the two friends who knew that I had entered, and emailed the other, who lives in France. Then I was going to post to let my fellow Title Magicians, the other finalists from American Title IV know. I hadn’t told them I had entered for the second time, but Mel had already seen the finalist list and posted to ask if there was something I wanted to tell them.

M-C: You have a lot more experience than us with this and it is true that we, Title V finalists ask you a lot of questions about the contest logistics. How did the final changed things in your writing life?

Evonne: It’s given me a lot less time to write – which is exactly what happened last year. You are so busy, first with the entry for RT and then with publicity for the contest, writing takes a back seat. Since this is my second final. I’m thrilled and excited and incredibly grateful to Dorchester for picking my manuscript from the pile for a second time.

I’ve found that since last year, editors in particular have been much more responsive to my submissions, and although I did not achieve publication after ATIV, I have much more of a feeling that it is only a matter of time. I hope I am not delusional.

M-C: I am sure you’re not, I bet there are many good things coming along for you very soon!!! Can you tell us a little about NEVER COMING HOME?

Evonne: Kaz Elmore’s four year old daughter died in a car crash, while on an access visit to her father, in the US. Now, six months later, a man turns up on Kaz’s doorstep in London, to offer his condolences. His account of what happened at the crash site differs wildly from what Kaz got from her ex husband. She needs to find her ex, to discover what really happened to her daughter. Devlin, the stranger, seems to be the only one willing to help her. She doesn’t know his motives, but she need his skills – the attraction between them is a complications she really doesn’t need.

M-C: This looks like a very powerful story. How did you get the idea?

Evonne: I really don’t know where this one came from. I usually get fragments, perhaps a scene, or a snatch of dialogue in my head, then after a while it comes together and I know what the story will be. I don’t remember the process in this case, but that must have been what happened.

M-C: In what style or tone is this story written?

Evonne: Fast paced, dark, unsettling, wry humor, classically romantic in places.

M-C: An interesting series of characteristics. How do they translate in the book?

Evonne: NEVER COMING HOME is the darkest thing I have ever written. When I was editing it, I was surprised how dark it was in places. Whatever I write, my aim is for it to be a page turner, so I always have a voice in my head saying, faster pace, faster pace. I’m quite a sentimental romantic at heart, and as parts of the book are set in Italy, I indulged myself with a few classic moments – the walk along the Ponte Veccio at dusk, the drink in a little corner bar, the intimate dinner for two. The perfect setting, that a girl dreams about when she’s falling in love. Kaz has been through a pretty rough time, I though she deserved a little romance. It’s a new thing for Devlin, and it was fun to find out that he was a secret romantic too.

M-C: You seems to have a bit of both. The dark side and then the sweet romance to balance it out. Do you know why you write this way?

Evonne: I can’t account for the dark side coming to the fore, but I do always like the injections of pure romance – the sort of things that real lovers do. I make no bones about the fact that what I write is escapism, meant to entertain, but I want to feel that my characters are grounded and real, that they have the same hopes and fears and dreams as the reader, except theirs are more extreme, because of the pressure I’m putting them under.

M-C: How does your story fit with our American title V finalist Love Conquers theme?

Evonne: Devlin has a very nasty past. He worked for the government, in a branch of the security services that no one acknowledges exits. The one that does all the really dirty jobs. And he was good at it. He’s done things that he will never talk about. He has trouble believing that any woman can accept what he has been. He’s never been in love and he doesn’t know if he can do it. Kaz has learned the hard way that she has to be independent and she’s extremely cautious about following her instincts over Devlin. She can’t understand why she trusts him, particularly when she gets a small glimpse of the world he once inhabited. Love is what makes it possible for them to get beyond all that. I know that after the end of the book they are going to make a success of a new life together, even though it will sometimes be tough.

M-C: You said you had a very fast pace.

Evonne: I hope that it’s fast. It’s also quite complex, and I hope the reader won’t see the twists and turns coming.

M-C: And what sort of heroine is Kaz?

Evonne: She’s a very practical woman. Life has thrown her a pretty raw deal, but she knows that she has to pick herself up and get on with it. She’s quite self aware. She knows that her upbringing, and her parents’ bohemian lifestyle, have left her with insecurities and that she overcompensates by looking for stability. That’s part of Devlin’s attraction, no sane woman would expect him to stick around and set up house. Kaz has the chance to prove that she’s got past all that too. That she can have a fling that is only about sex, with a complete hunk. Except Devlin isn’t behaving the way he’s meant to behave. And neither is her heart.

M-C: And Devlin, what sort of hero is he?

Evonne: He’s an alpha, because of what he used to be, but it is so much part of him that it’s no longer a big deal. That makes him quite laid back, able to accept Kaz’s independence. He sees her unconscious vulnerability and her bravery and it touches him in a way he’s never experienced before. Kaz comes into his life when something is changing in him – he’s getting protective impulses that he finds deeply unsettling. He’s wrong footed and he neither likes nor understands it.

M-C: What kind of villain do you have?

Evonne: Luce is something out of a nightmare – Devlin’s nightmare, if he ever admitted to having them. They used to be in the same line of work, but now Luce has gone far beyond the dark side. And he has a score to settle with Devlin.

M-C: What do you think readers will get from the book?

Evonne: I hope they would get an unputdownable read.

M-C: Unputdownable , what a great word. I never heard that said before. You taught me something new today Evonne! Do you have any more writing projects?

Evonne: I’m currently working on a Victorian gothic – for fun while the contest is on, although it’s not getting along very fast. I have another project in development for a contemporary romance, a real tear jerker, and I’m doing on and off research for a cozy crime series that I hope to write one day, set in London. I’m inventing a whole new network of streets in Chelsea, and every so often I write a bit more to the descriptions of the locations and store it in a huge folder.

M-C: You are very busy and have a great imagination! Where on the web can we find you?

Evonne: You can find me at http://titlemagic.blogspot.com which is a site I share with finalists from American Title IV.

M-C: You will be back on Thursday to interview a character from NEVER COMING HOME. Who did you choose and why?

Evonne: I’m talking to Suzanne, Kaz’s mother. She’s had an interesting life. She was an international model in the swinging sixties, and then the muse and mistress of a famous artist. She was thrilled to be asked to recount some of her memories.

M-C: An international model from the sixties! Can’t wait, sounds like a lot of fun.

Thank you so much for coming today Evonne and answering my questions. Thank you Sylvia for letting us come today to your blog.

To everyone, don’t forget to return on Thursday for a fascinating interview conducted by Evonne and please leave her a comment today for your chance to win! There are still prizes left!

Have a wonderful Monday!

Marie-Claude Bourque

www.mcbourque.com

Hi everyone,
This is Marie-Claude. Today we get to meet a harpy!!! A paranormal creature from Michelle Lauren’s urban fantasy HOW TO TAME A HARPY. How exciting.
Before I leave the stage to Michelle, we have a winner from the commenter on the last post……Karin!!! Congratulations.

Now to you Michelle, let’s read!
———————————————————–

Ringing the doorbell to Siren Jones’ house would have been easier, but no matter how often I explained my reasons for writing the book about her, the staff still treat me like a member of the paparazzi. So here I am, freezing my butt off as I lobby pebbles at her bedroom window like a lovesick teenager.

A shiver works down my spine and I spin, searching the darkness. The feeling could be anything, but living in Poseidon, Virginia, has instilled a healthy fear of the dark in me. Then I feel it, a pulse of power – subtle but unmistakable. A figure separates from the shadows and prowls forward. Thick, cottony curls tumble down her back and she wears jeans paired with a white sweater that look stark against her dark complexion. She would have passed for human if not for those eyes. Amber and feral, they pin me.

Siren Jones:Stalking is a crime, you know.

Michelle Lauren:You haven’t returned my calls.

SJ:So you decided to hunt the monster in its lair? Gutsy.

ML:It’s about the book. My editor made some last minute changes we need your approval on.

SJ:What kind of changes?

A flicker of power belies her calm tone. Experience tells me to tread carefully. Harpies are normally temperamental, but this one especially is a wild card. Slowly, I pull the galley from my purse and extend the bound pages of the manuscript to her.

ML: She wants to include the scene with your mugging from the night you met Daniel.

A blast of kinetic energy knocks me to the ground. Sputtering, I look up and watch as Siren struggles to control her temper.

SJ:We agreed not to include that! Getting jumped by a bunch of humans makes me look weak and ridiculous!

ML:It makes you relatable. Your ex just trashed you to the tabloids, and then you found him in bed with his secretary. Of course you were distracted! Listen, this is why I wrote the book: to let everyone know you have feelings like us, that you aren’t a monster. Don’t you want that?

Vulnerability darkens those amber eyes, raw and deep, before disappearing.

SJ:Fine. What other changes?

This is the hard part.

ML: My editor found my description of your first time making love with Daniel…lacking. (I can’t hide my irritation at the insult to my writing. Siren, of course, notices and snorts.)

SJ:What does she want, diagrams? You were pretty accurate, right down to Daniel’s size.
MJ:(I blush.) I made an educated guess about that.

SJ:So what’s the problem? Does your editor have issues with my stamina?

ML:No. She just wants more raw emotion. For instance, how did you feel that first time?

Siren hesitates so long I think she won’t answer. Then she speaks, her voice soft and hesitant.

SJ:I felt fragile. Weird, huh? I can bench press a Hummer, but Daniel touched me like I was made of glass, like I was something to cherish and protect. I never felt that way before. I knew then that I never wanted to make love with anyone else. How’s that for raw?

ML:That will do. (Swallowing a lump in my throat, I replace the galley in my purse.) Thanks.

SJ:No. Thank you.

I can’t describe the look in Siren’s eyes, but it warms me. The ghost of a smile parts her lips and then she is gone, faded back into the night.

—————————————————————-
Thank you so much Michelle for this interview. Fascinating. Those harpies sure do have a temper! Siren ones is a great character.

Next week, we will have another finalist…Barbara Longley who will talk about her writing and her historical time travel, TRUE TO THE HIGHLANDER.
There are only 4 days left until the vote close for the American Title Contest V. The remaining seven finalists will be announced on Dec 15^th.
So don’t forget to vote for your favorite first line at:
http://www.romantictimes.com/news_amtitle3.php

Have a great week-end everyone and thank you Sylvia for hosting us today!!!
Marie-Claude Bourque
www.mcbourque.com

Hi everyone,

This is Marie-Claude. Guess what, this is the big day! It’s voting time for the American Title V. I’m very nervous about the judges’ comments. I’m just petrified to go over to the RT website (www.romantictimes.com) and look at what they said.

But I am so curious to read all the first lines of my fellow contestants, so I’ll have to be brave and go over to read them out.

I encourage you to play editor for a day and go read all the entries, vote for the one that grabs you in the first line, then read the judges’ comments. How fun!!!

Today, I have the pleasure to interview Jessica Darago, who finaled with The Serpent’s Tooth, a Victorian historical romance with a touch of suspense, set in America, England, and Scotland.

First let me announce the winner for today… Jane !!!! Congratulations.

Now back to Jessica.

M-C: Jessica, what is the first thing you did when you found out that you were an American Title V finalist.

Jessica: I was at work, and my office mate and I were discussing our busy upcoming weekends—all the housework, social events, and whatnot we had to get through. I was talking about the writing and editing I had on my list (in addition to my own fiction and my critique groups, I also freelance for a couple of ebook presses), and just as I was saying, “Plus, I still haven’t heard back from that big contest,” I glanced at my computer screen and saw a new email from Dorchester. I opened it. I squealed. My office mate squealed. My boss ran in, squealed, and hugged me. Then I started emailing—my family, my boyfriend, my critique partners, all in all some 30 people. I actually emailed 30 people and said, “Shh, this is just between us.” I didn’t actually catch the irony of that till later.

M-C: Better go over and email the same people and ask them all to vote now, right! How great to have so much support So far has the final changed things for you with your writing?

Jessica: My daily writing schedule has gone completely out the window in favor of all the promotion work for American Title, but I’m about to get back on track. I have shifted my goals a little as well. I write across several different genres, and I’d been focusing on the draft of a chicklit, just for a change of scenery. But since The Serpent’s Tooth is historical, I’m going to put more energy into revising and expanding a 20,000-word historical suspense about the Great Fire of London that I wrote for the International 3-Day Novel Contest in 2006.

M-C: Wow, this other story looks very interesting. Now, can you tell us what The Serpent’s Tooth is about?

Jessica: It’s a gothic tale of love, revenge, and redemption set amongst the dramatic, sometimes violent social upheavals of the mid-19^th century. All Reba MacKenzie ever wanted was to live the life of a country doctress, learning the art at her beloved Uncle Toby’s side. But Toby insists she needs a formal education–and on sending her to Scotland to get it. But when Toby is killed and Reba is left destitute, all their careful plans fall to ruin, and Reba ends up in the last place she expected: in the employ of her parents’ killer, and in the arms of his son.

M-C: How sad and yet gripping. Where did you get the ideas for this story?

Jessica: It actually started as sort of a joke. My old roommate and I were on a long drive and started throwing around ideas for a romance novel plot. Aside from a few jotted notes and scenes, I didn’t really work on it until almost a decade later. At that point, I did a bit of research about the period, did a lot of daydreaming, and finally, once I felt like I could tie the characters’ lives to the research, make these huge events like the Highland Clearances and the Underground Railroad movement really personal for them, I trashed all the pieces I’d written thus far and wrote the thing straight through, start to finish, working on my lunch hours over a period of about 11 months. I changed jobs shortly thereafter and had a lot less time to devote to writing, so the revisions took me almost two years!

M-C: My husband being Scottish, I know how deeply the Scots feel about the Highland clearances. Good for you to bring this up in a romance. What series of words would best characterize your writing style or tone?

Jessica: Dark, sensual, smart, intricate, evocative, witty, ironic.

M-C: I am curious to know how dark and sensual translate in The Serpent’s Tooth.

Jessica: The Serpent’s Tooth is a very dark story, but also very sensual—in more than one way. I was trying to evoke the style of a real 19^th-century gothic novel, without going completely impenetrable or melodramatic. Even though the characters are invented, the history they are living is very much real, and I tried to be as authentic as possible about the political, economic, and social realities surrounding them. The book also takes place in locations that I know well and love very much. I really wanted to bring Virginia, London, and Skye alive for the reader. I strove to make the landscape feel like another character. Everything about my style was calibrated to make the reader feel as if she’s really there.

M-C: I am really looking forward to read this. I love gothic settings. Do you have any idea why you wrote in such a dark tone?

Jessica: I’m always surprised by how dark my writing imagination is. I’m actually a very goofy person. I love puns and wordplay and really bad jokes. Hanging out with boyfriend and me is like living in a Spencer Tracy/Katherine Hepburn comedy crossed with an episode of A Bit of Fry and Laurie. We’re always playing verbal one-upmanship, making up songs about squirrels and bubble wrap, telling each other really rude jokes. I guess the part of me that makes stories is the flipside of that, the outlet for my imagination’s sinister side.

M-C: Is this story more character-driven or plot-driven?

Jessica: I always feel that plot and character are inextricably entwined. You put the right person in the right situation—or, more accurately, the wrong situation—and the plot is how that character changes her circumstances. In the case of The Serpent’s Tooth, I started with the idea of a strong-willed young woman who wanted to be a doctor in an era when women just didn’t do that. I added a hero whom she just wouldn’t get involved with, and I got her involved with him. Reba changes her world, but her world changes her, too.

M-C: Can you describe the pace of The Serpent’s Tooth? Is it a fast/edge-of-your-seat kind of story or more the kind of book you just want to bury yourself in for hours?

Jessica: The Serpent’s Tooth is definitely a rainy-day-and-cup-of-tea sort of read, but that’s not to say there’s no action. The last three chapters in particular aim to make that tea go cold.

M-C: Sounds great, I love to bury myself in a good book for hours. What is your heroine like and how does she relate to the hero?

Jessica: Reba is smart and brave and compassionate and takes everything far too seriously. Her life has been a bit of an uphill struggle. She lost her homeland and almost all of her family in one fell swoop when she was a toddler, and now she’s fighting the whole world just to be allowed to do what she does best: be a physician. When she meets Nate and discovers he’s the son of the man who destroyed her family, she pegs him as one more obstacle to overcome. And then he turns out to be the opposite of everything she expected. He’s kind and generous and funny wants to help her live her dreams. But he also has his secrets. The question becomes how much of him is real. Can she, when her own life is on the line, trust him?

M-C: Can you define Nate as a romance hero? Alpha or Beta?

Jessica: I don’t think Nate would fit easily into either alpha or beta categories. Nate was born the eldest son of a Scottish marquis, but he ran away at sixteen because…well, that would be telling. He made his way to America by working on cargo ships, then found his way to New Orleans, where he made himself an independent fortune through good poker skills and even better business sense. So he’s entirely his own man, and he knows what he wants and goes after it without hesitation, which is alpha-ish. But he’s not a domineering presence or brooding man of mystery, either. He’s like that movie sidekick who ends up stealing the show (and sometimes the girl)—a Jack Sparrow, a Barney Stinson, a Spike, a Mercutio. He’s the kind of character who always grabs my attention, so instead of relegating him to sidekick, I put him front and center.

M-C: He sounds very intriguing. How important is a happy-ever-after in your writing?

Jessica: In The Serpent’s Tooth? It’s essential. At the risk of spoiling the ending, Nate and Reba resolve both their conflict with each other and conquer the personal demons that have tormented each of them their whole lives. The plot is built in such a way that they couldn’t have met either goal without also meeting the other. But I can’t say happily-ever-after is always the case in my stories. Sometimes I like to leave the reader with happily-ever-possible—the sense that, though there may be tough times ahead, the characters have the strength to meet them. Then, of course, there’s the paranormal I plan to write that starts with a dead heroine and ends, happily, with a dead hero—and no, I don’t mean undead. Basically, I try not to worry about “the rules of romance” so much as being true to the characters.

M-C: What do you think readers will get out of your story.

Jessica: My real aim was catharsis. I want to put the reader through an emotional ringer and have her come out satisfied, maybe a little more thoughtful or introspective about what it means to love, to trust, and to forgive. It would be a nice bonus if I get people interested in an often-overlooked period of Scottish history as well.

M-C: Seems like you have everything covered. Do you have any villains? And how do they relate to your hero and heroine?

Jessica: There are multiple villains in The Serpent’s Tooth, and not all of them are people. Similarly, there are good people who do bad things and bad people who do good things, just like in real life. The whole story does build to a final showdown, but to say anything more than that would spoil the surprise!

M-C: Let me repeat myself, it does seem like you have everything covered Do you have any more projects in the work beside your AT entry?

Jessica: Like I said above, I’m presently revising a novella about the Great Fire of London into a full-length novel. But I can’t deny that other plotbunnies are hopping around, demanding my attention. Depending on where my pantser brain (now there’s an image!) decides to take me, I may end up marketing myself as a cross-genre writer very early on in my career!

M-C: If readers want to know more about you and your writing, where on the web can the find you?

Jessica: I chronicle my personal and writing life at my LiveJournal blog, http://justjayj.livejournal.com. I also have a website advertising my freelance editing services at http://www.darago.us, though I’m not taking on many large or long-term contracts these days, since I’m working full time for an educational publisher and, of course, doing more writing. I hope in the near future to be offering pre-submission editing services for other novelists, but I’m not focusing on building the business just now. In addition to all that, I recently drank the Facebook and Twitter Kool-Aid. I’m Jessica Darago (of course) on the former and justjayj on the latter.

M-C: Now you’ll come back on Thursday to interview a character? Who did you choose to interview and why?

Jessica: I decided to interview one of the tertiary characters—Gladys, a ladies’ maid in the service of the heroine’s chaperone, Mrs. Baxter. When Mrs. Baxter takes it upon herself to keep Nate and Reba apart, Gladys takes it upon herself not to let that happen. And like a good Victorian servant, she knows everyone’s secrets. I thought it would be fun to get the view from “below stairs.”

M-C: How clever, I love “downstairs” characters. I’m looking forward to Thursday. Aren’t you all?

Thanks so much for answering all my questions, Jessica.

See everyone back on Thursday.

But before don’t forget to go vote at
www.romantictimes.com/news_amtitle.php.

And don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win.

Thank you so much, Sylvia, to have us over today and to have gathered such great prizes!

Marie-Claude Bourque

www.mcbourque.com

IT’S BBBAAACCCKKK…

Some of you might remember the series of posts I featured last year with the Romantic Times American Title IV Finalists.

I’m a huge believer in publisher-sponsored contests, since the Brava Novella Contest (and the awesome Kate Duffy) changed my life. So we’re doing it again with the American Title V finalists!

Marie-Claude Bourque will be interviewing the other AT finalists and I’ll be posting their interviews here every Monday (author Q&A) and Thursday (character Q&A) starting October 20th! I’ve also gathered together some prizes from author friends. Read the interview posts and comment for your chance to win!

THE SCHEDULE –

• DEAD PEOPLE - Edie Ramer: Oct 20 / Oct 23
• ONCE UPON A MASQUERADE - Tamara Hughes: Oct 27 / Oct 30
• IN A LOVER’S SILENCE - Qaey Williams: Nov 3 / Nov 6
• THE SERPENT’S TOOTH - Jessica Darago: Nov 10 / Nov 13
• HOW TO TAME A HARPY - Michelle Lauren: Nov 17 / Nov 20
• TRUE TO THE HIGHLANDER - Barbara Longley: Nov 24 / Nov 27
• NEVER COMING HOME - Evonne Wareham: Dec 1 / Dec 4
• ANCIENT WHISPERS - Marie-Claude Bourque: Dec. 8 / Dec 11

THE PRIZES –
This list is a work in progress, so check back often to see the updates!!

* Shayla Black - a prize pack that includes a signed copy of TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS

* Karin Tabke - to be announced

* Debra Webb - autographed copy of NAMELESS

* Toni McGee Causey - to be announced

* Sasha White - a prize pack that includes a signed copy of SEXY DEVIL and some promo swag for its sequel, PRIMAL MALE

* Cathryn Fox - a copy of THE HOTLINE and swag for SUN STROKED

* Allison Brennan - autographed trilogy: SPEAK NO EVIL, SEE NO EVIL, FEAR NO EVIL

* S.J. Day - two MARKED series coffee mugs

* Jennifer Lyon - autographed copies of SUN, SAND, SEX and EXTREMELY HOT

* Roxanne St. Claire - an autographed set of the 2008 Bullet Catcher trilogy - FIRST YOU RUN, THEN YOU HIDE and NOW YOU DIE

* Mary Wine - autographed copy of LET ME LOVE YOU

* Mackenzie McKade - to be announced

* Lauren Dane - a signed copy of READING BETWEEN THE LINES

* Beth Williamson — a signed copy of LEATHER & LACE

* Shiloh Walker - a signed copy of THROUGH THE VEIL and a handmade bookmark

Thanks to all these phenomenal authors for their generous donations!!

Are you excited?! Ready to meet some up-and-coming authors, learn about their awesome stories, VOTE, and possibly win one of these great prizes? MARK YOUR CALENDARS! You won’t want to miss a post!