Monday, February 24, 2014

The Temptation of Laura by Rachel Brimble - Interview and Giveaway


This post is part of a virtual book organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Rachel will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift certificate to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Welcome back to It's Raining Books, Rachel. Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?

As well as Victorian romance, I also write contemporary romance and romantic suspense. I love alternating the sub-genres because it keeps (I hope) my writing fresh and interesting. My books run to around 85-90,000 words and when I finish a project set in today’s world, there’s nothing more exciting to me than re-entering England in the late 19th century. I have so much fun telling stories from two very different environments and social practices…yet the emotions of the characters always remain the same. Love, loss, jealousy, revenge and joy are universal and timeless.

What research is required?

I am lucky enough to live just a short, thirty-minute drive from the famous city of Bath, England so chose to set my historical romances there because I can come and go so easily. Bath is rich in history from the Roman times, through to Regency and Victorian eras. The buildings have hardly changed over the years and the museums are fantastic. It’s a pleasure to visit Bath under the banner of research – I often use real buildings, churches and settings but the plots and themes need very little research because they are so emotion based.

Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.

Laura (my heroine) – tenacity makes anything possible.
Adam (my heroine) – true happiness is more often than not found in the place you were least expecting or where you were seeking to find it.
Do you have any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?

No – does that make me boring? Lol! I write the entire time my kids are at school and once they are home, I write as often as physically possible. I use a Mac laptop and tend to write sitting on the sofa with my snoring black Lab beside me. I need absolute silence to create but often edit and complete promo work while household chaos erupts around me. Are you a plotter or pantser?

A mix of the two – I start each book with an idea or premise and then write a two-three page synopsis and character sketches for my hero and heroine (and villain, if I have one). After that, I start writing. I complete the first draft from start to finish without looking back. It’s in the following drafts that the real work begins…

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

Right now, my husband. I am completing this interview while he’s watching Gandhi on TV. It’s the weekend so the whole family is home…and avoiding the downpour outside! Such is the UK…

Anything new coming up from you? What?

My next book is actually due out next week – “What Belongs To Her” is my third book with Harlequin Superromance and the third book in my Templeton Cove series. It is a contemporary romance featuring a brand new hero and heroine…with lots of cameo appearances from existing characters from the first two books.

Here’s the blurb and buy links:

She's ready to take back what's hers.

Since the moment a local crime boss claimed ownership of her family's fairground, Sasha Todd has dreamed of righting the wrong. Now it's time to act, and backing down from the man's estranged son is definitely not an option. After all, giving up her legacy to hot-blooded John Jordon means losing the chance to finally heal the wounds in her past. Stopping John in his tracks—and resisting the sizzle between them—is Sasha's best defense. But there's more to him than she thought, which changes everything. With what matters most at stake, she'll have to risk a brand-new future with John, or walk away from the man whose heart belongs to her.

Buy Links:



 


Do you have a question for our readers?

Do you like series books set in the same town or with returning characters? If yes, which series is your favorite?  

About the Author:
Rachel lives with her husband and two young daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. After having several novels published by small US presses, she secured agent representation in 2011. In 2012, she sold two books to Harlequin Superromance and a further three in 2013. She also writes Victorian romance for Kensington--her debut was released in April 2013 and she has since signed for three more.

Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family and beloved black Lab, Max. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England.

She likes nothing more than connecting and chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. Rachel would love to hear from you!

Website: http://rachelbrimble.com
Blog: http://rachelbrimble.blogspot.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachelBrimble
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachel-Brimble/181873201887441?fref=ts

Laura Robinson has always been dazzled by the glamour of the stage. But perhaps acting and selling one’s favors are not so different—for Laura must feign pleasure with the men she beds to survive. Now, with her only friend at death’s door and a ruthless pimp at her heels, escaping her occupation seems impossible. Hoping to attract a gentleman, she attends the theater. Yet the man Laura captivates is no customer, but a rising star and playwright…

Adam Lacey has been driven to distraction since the moment he saw Laura. She is his ideal leading lady come to irresistible life—and so much more. Certain they can make the perfect team on and off stage, he is determined to win her heart—and discover her story. But that is precisely what Laura fears. And she has no idea that Adam harbors shameful secrets of his own. Will the truth free them to love—or destroy all their dreams…?

14 comments:

  1. Thanks for having me here today - I look forward to chatting with your visitors!

    Rachel x

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  2. I do like series set in the same town. My favorite right now is the Beth Ciotta series. I just finished Anything But Love last night.

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  3. Hi again, Rita!

    I have never heard of Beth Ciotta so look forward to looking her up - is the series contemporary? I LOVE discovering new books set in the same town - my favorite reads...although it does mean I tend to buy the whole backlist :/

    Rachel x

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  4. I have enjoyed learning about your book. Thanks for sharing it.
    psiu@ live.com

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  5. Great interview & story concepts!

    falcondraco at Hotmail dot com

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  6. Congratulations on the publication of The Temptation of Laura! It sounds very interesting. I enjoy series books set in the same town with returning characters. One of my favorites is Carla Negger's contemporary Swift River Valley series that is set in Knights Bridge.
    bhometchko(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  7. yes, sometimes
    Abbi Glines' Rosemary Beach series

    bn100candg at hotmail dot com

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  8. Yes, I've read many different series about a town & various residents. They're fun because you often have characters from previous books making appearances.

    davesmsperfect@yahoo.com

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  9. So sorry for my absence! Being across the pond in a very wet UK means we have the pesky time difference :/

    Thanks for being here everyone and I will have to look into those series bn100 & booklady - I haven't heard of either and love discovering new series!

    Rachel x

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  10. Yes I do.
    I love any of Robyn Carr's small town ones.
    Thanks for the chance to win!
    natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

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  11. I'd love to visit Bath. It seems to pop up in all my favourite books & movies.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  12. JD Nixon's Little Town series is a must read!

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So... inquiring minds want to know: what do you think?