Squawk Radio

Dear friends,

My next book Devil In Winter will be out in about a week! I’ve been published for over twenty years now, and I feel the same excitement every time I have a new novel come out. It is such a pleasure to share my dreams, thoughts and fantasies with my readers.

DIW is the third in my Wallflower series, which follows the progress of four young women who are trying to find husbands in the Victorian age in England. I’ve never done a series before, and it has been even more fun than I expected. I have loved bringing in characters from the other novels in brief “guest appearances”, and seeing how all of them change through the events of each book.

With each novel I try to set up a challenge for myself, to keep things fresh and interesting. DIW is different from my other books in a few regards. Usually my heroes are self-made men, outsiders who try to find a place for themselves in a very stratified British society. But the hero of this book, Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent, is an aristocrat. He was also the villain of my last novel, and trust me, he is no “fake rake”. He’s an authentic bad guy. He is blond and blue-eyed and looks like an angel, while inside he is the darkest and most wicked hero I’ve ever created. So the question was, how could I redeem him, and who could do it? The fun was in pairing him with the most unlikely match imaginable . . .Evie, the nicest and shyest wallflower, who has a stammer, and has been abused by her relatives until her self-confidence is pretty much nonexistent.

Evie has been underestimated by everyone, including herself. She turns out to have a quiet strength and a sharp wit that fascinates Sebastian as much as it annoys him. And even though she isn’t confident, she has a strong sense of her own self-worth that demands respect. And their marriage of convenience results in a sexy battle of wills, not to mention surprise after surprise for both of them.

So here are some things you may not know about “Devil In Winter” :

--The book is dedicated to the Squawkers, "for friendship that makes my heart sing"

--I got the idea for a title after reading a naughty old saying, that a man who hasn’t had sex in a while is as horny as the devil in Winter. After reading the book, you’ll see this suits Sebastian perfectly.

--Lillian finally gets her opportunity for revenge after what Sebastian did to her in the last book.

--There are a couple of mentions of Derek Craven, the hero of Dreaming Of You.

--Evie refuses to have sex with Sebastian after their wedding night. As a result, he is nearly crazed with desire for her, and at one point he pins her against the wall and tells her all the things he wants to do to her. I, jaded old romance writer that I am, still blush every time I read it. Definitely the most erotic scene I’ve ever written.

So there are some tidbits! I’m so glad the wait is almost over, and I hope you’ll keep your eye out for Devil In Winter hits the stands!

BTW, if you have any questions about the story, I can try to answer them as long as I don’t give away any spoilers *g*.