Lady Sarah's Sinful Desires: Exclusive prologue not included in the book

Oakland Manor – 1820

“The carriages are ready,” Lady Oakland said as she entered her husband’s study. Dressed in preparation for their journey to Thorncliff Manor, she’d chosen a comfortable peach-colored gown and was presently pulling on her favorite pair of kid-skin gloves.
“And the children?” Philip, Earl of Oakland asked as he rose from his chair, closed the ledger he’d been updating and came toward her. “Are they ready as well?”
“Fiona keeps returning upstairs in order to fetch one thing or another that she claims to have forgotten,” Lady Oakland said in reference to her youngest daughter who, at the age of eighteen, was still as boisterous as ever, “so I think we should simply decide that it’s time to depart. Besides, the workers we hired are ready to begin on the renovations.”
“Alterations, you mean, considering our home is in perfect condition, save for the small detail that it’s not in the Greek style as you would prefer.”
Stepping forward with a smile, Lady Oakland allowed her husband to pull her into his arms. “You’re very good to me, Philip, there’s no denying that.”
He chuckled lightly as he kissed the top of her head. “The things men do for love…”
Leaning back a little, Lady Oakland gazed up at her husband in adoration. The corners of his eyes creased a great deal more than when they’d married thirty one years prior, and his hair now contained the occasional strand of gray, but he was still as handsome as ever.  “I dare say I only managed to convince you to accept the expense for Spencer’s benefit.”

Modern princess and princesses - the real fairytale stories. Part 1

As a European, I grew up on photos in magazines of princesses dressed in fantastic gowns and crown jewels. They lived in impressive castles, even rode in horse-drawn carriages on occasion, and comported themselves with the utmost of grace. There were princes too, and by the time I was five, I'd selected the one whom I planned to one day marry.
Needless to say, things didn't quite turn out that way, which was probably best for everyone. Considering all the attention these people have to suffer, living in the spotlight the way they do, I don't think I would have lasted more than a second for the simple fact that I value my privacy.
After moving to America, the European royalty drifted into the background and the Oscars became the event to watch if you wanted to see a ridiculously overpriced outfit. But I digress...let me instead begin by introducing you to the royal families of Scandinavia and the fairytale magic that they represent. Stay tuned for posts on England, Belgium, Holland, Greece and Spain.

Denmark

Crown Princess Mary (born in Tazmania) and Crown Prince Frederik (who will one day inherit the throne from his mother, Queen Margaret)

Princess Marie (born in France) and Frederik's younger brother, Prince Joachim

Norway

Crown Princess Mette-Marit (she was a single mother with a disadvantageous past, embodying the fairy-tale dream to perfection) and Crown Prince Haakon.

Crown Prince Haakon's younger sister, Princess Martha-Louise and her husband, Danish born Ari-Behn

Sweden

Crown Princess Victoria and her husband, Prince Daniel. He was a personal trainer and gym owner before marrying Victoria.

Prince Carl Philip, currently engaged to Sofia Hellqvist (former model & reality tv contestant). The couple plans to marry on June 13th, 2015

Crown Princess Victoria's younger sister, Princess Madeleine and her husband, British/American businessman, Christopher O'Neill

Exclusive Prologue Release

I’m so excited! We are so close to hitting the preorder goal for Lady Sarah’s Sinful Desires! If we reach it within the next week, I’ll be able to release an exclusive prologue for LADY SARAH’S SINFUL DESIRES on my website! This prologue will not be available in the book! So If you’d like to help out, please preorder the book here: http://avonromance.com/book/lady-sarahs-sinful-desires-2 Click "other retailers" for a list of options. And if you’ve already done so, THANK YOU!!!

OFFICIAL TRAILER Lady Sarah's SInful Desires

Last week I wrote a post about book trailers where I mentioned Book Candy Studios. They have been simply fantastic to work with, keeping me updated either by email or phone and brainstorming with me through the entire process. I'm truly impressed with what they came up with for Lady Sarah's Sinful Desires. Take a look at the result and leave a comment if you like. I'd love to know what you think =)

Lady Sarah Giveaway

Romance covers through the years

Since the publication of Kathleen E. Woodiwiss' The Flame and the Flower in 1972 by Avon Books, modern romance novels have evolved, and so have the covers. What probably surprised many, was how successful The Flame and the Flower would be, selling over 2.3 million copies in its first four years of publication. It paved the way for thousands of authors thereafter, laying the foundation for a genre that would become the top grossing one within the industry of literary fiction. But while these books once boasted domineering men and submissive women on their covers, they now seem more aware of gender equality and sensuality, with greater focus on the romantic. Because when all is said and done, aren't romance novels fairy-tales for adults? The reason we read them is in order to watch people fall in love and get that happily ever after that they deserve, no matter the odds stacked against them.
I have to admit, that I might think twice about reading a book with Fabio ravishing some woman on the cover, but I take no issue with showing off more recent romance novels. In fact, I think they're so pretty, and since many of them begin as paintings created by artists, I do feel that they deserve to be seen.

Flash back to the 80's and 90's

Some of the prettiest covers out there!

Just goes to show that not all romance novels depict a hero or a heroine on the cover.

The Mayfair Chronicle

Doing publicity for a new release is a lot of work, but it can also be creative and fun! I'm really lucky that I have some great people to work with at Avon. A publicist has been assigned to my book but that doesn't mean that I won't be doing any work myself. One of my favorite things when it comes to PR is coming up with new ways in which to advertise my book. With my new Secrets At Thorncliff Manor series, it's not just the book itself that I'm trying to promote, but the entire concept of Thorncliff and all that it has to offer.
In the past, I've done an advent story leading up to my New Year's Eve release of The Scandal In Kissing An Heir, I've created my ambassador group, ordered various kinds of swag and printed limited quantity t-shirts for my At The Kingsborough Ball series.
This time around, I've brought The Mayfair Chronicle to life. For those of you unfamiliar with my books, this is a fictional newspaper that I created for There's Something About Lady Mary, and which has since shown up whenever a newspaper was necessary, just as the Belle Anglaise has become the most popular shopping destination for all my female characters.