What's the best writing advice you've ever gotten?
From Nora Roberts, though she didn't give it to me personally. She said when she hears writers talking about their creative muse, she wants to bitch slap them. The only method that works, she says, is the "ass in chair" method. I agree with her wholly, though in my case you'd have to extend it to be the "ass in chair, fingers on keyboard, logged off of Facebook and Gmail" method.

Of all the characters you've every written, which one is your favorite?
I have a real soft spot for Drum, the captain of the privateer in Tumbling Through Time. Maybe it's because he looks like Colin Firth (never hurts.) Maybe it's because he is such a natural seaman. Maybe it's because he ends up yearning for the heroine but not getting her. I think there are more stories ahead for Drum. 

What was the proudest moment of your career so far?
Oh, winning the RITA. Hands down. I think it even eclipsed getting the call that my first book sold. What made the night so special, apart from winning, of course, was that not only was my husband there, but four very close friends had come in to attend as well. It was great to share the night with them. That day was also my younger sister Claire's birthday. It had been Claire's unexpected death twelve years earlier that spurred me to become a writer. I know she was watching that night. In fact, if I know Claire, she was the one who made it happen.

Name one book you think everyone should read (besides your own!).
Any of Patrick O'Brian's 20-book Aubrey/Maturin series, but, heck, why not start with the first, Master and Commander. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the books follow the adventures of a British naval captain and his closest friend, the ship's surgeon who is also a British agent. The relationship the two characters share is extraordinary, and O'Brian is capable of deeply entertaining his readers while also teaching them about the natural world, geography, sea-going life, naval practices and politics, which to me is the best sort of writing. The New York Times called O'Brian's work "the best historical fiction ever written." It's certainly the best I've read. And it is safe to say my sea captain heroes owe much of their genetic makeup to Captain Jack Aubrey.

What book are you embarrassed NOT to have read?
The Bible. Sadly for me, the musical Godspell is pretty much the full extent of what I know.

How would you earn a living if you weren't a writer?
As an expert in brand management, which is how I spent the first 25 years of my working life.

What are you working on now? I'm working on my fifth novel. In it, a snobby book critic at a New York City magazine screws up at work, and her punishment is to write an in-depth article about why women love romances. She's never read one, considering them to be the literary equivalent of Word Search puzzles, and has no idea why anyone would read one . . . that is, until the photographer assigned to the piece—her ex-boyfriend, who has his own reasons for wanting the article to be a success—starts feeding her reading recommendations from his older sister, a romance-reading fiend. When his sister mentions offhandedly that she doesn't know why more men don't use romances as guidebooks for getting women in bed, the photographer finds himself as engaged a reader as his ex-girlfriend.

The working title is A Novel Seduction. It's my first non-time-travel romance, but since the books the hero and heroine read are so good at sweeping them in, the story still has a real magical feel to it. In January, I start on my sixth book, which will be a return to time travel with a nobleman, a bastard son and a librarian struggling to keep her library afloat. Timely, eh?

Author photo by Garen DiBartolomeo.

The Pleasure of Your Kiss, the newest historical romance from Teresa Medeiros and our January 2012 Romance of the Month, is proof that the desert can only get hotter. With sultans, swashbuckling heroes and a scantily clad harem, our Romance columnist promises “rousing adventure and great fun.”

BookPage chatted with Medeiros about hot guys, great moments in writing and the Sophie’s choice between cats and cupcakes.

Describe your book in one sentence.
Legendary adventurer Ashton Burke is hired to rescue the only girl he ever regretted leaving behind from a sultan’s harem only to find himself trapped in a palace of sensual delights with her.

What are the sexiest scenes to write?
The first kiss scenes because you know the dance has just begun.

What was the proudest moment in your career?
Receiving a letter from a young man who had been paralyzed in an accident who told me that reading my book Breath of Magic was what pulled him out of his depression and gave him the courage to want to go on living.

What is your favorite thing about being a writer?
Falling in love with a gorgeous new man once a year and knowing my husband doesn’t mind as long as the royalty checks keep coming.

Name one book you think everyone should read?
The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons.

What is your favorite movie based on a book?
The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I can’t resist Legolas’s dramatic pauses, Aragorn’s magnificent unwashed hair and my plump little hobbit love muffin Samwise Gamgee.

What do you want more at this moment–a cupcake or a cat?
Is a cat holding a cupcake an option?

In a month like February, when there are so many new romances to highlight (from our Valentine’s Day feature to our spotlight on new series), it is exciting to see a debut as our Romance of the Month. Anna Randol dazzled us with her exotic page-turner, A Secret in Her Kiss, so we simply had to chat with her about sexy scenes and the thrill of being a writer.

Describe your book in one sentence.
A Secret in Her Kiss is the story of a beautiful English spy in the heart of the Ottoman Empire who’s been blackmailed into completing one final mission, and the handsome, battle-weary soldier sent to ensure she complies—even if it costs her life.

What made you want to be a writer?
I didn’t decide to become a writer so much as I decided to dump the stories in my head onto paper. I’ve always had characters acting out scenes in my brain, and I’ve found they stay there until I write them down and get them safely to their happily ever afters.

Do you have a writing ritual?
Does eating lots of dark chocolate as I write count as a ritual? The darker, the better.

What are the sexiest scenes to write?
I think the sexiest scenes are the ones loaded with small details that heat the tension between the hero and heroine to the boiling point. The bunched muscles along his jaw when she dances by in the arms of another man. The calluses on his fingertip as he touches her cheek. The rasp of her silken glove over the inside of his wrist.

What are you reading now?
A Rogue by Any Other Name: The First Rule of Scoundrels by Sarah MacLean.

If you were stranded on a desert island with one fictional character, who would you choose?
Captain Malcolm Reynolds from Firefly. The man is noble enough to be swoon-worthy but just enough of a rouge to do whatever it takes to get us off the island. And if we got tired of talking, I could just stare at him longingly.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on final edits for my August 28th release, Sins of a Virgin. When a famous, young courtesan decides to auction the one thing no one expects she still possesses—her virginity—she hires a tough Bow Street Runner to keep it safe until the auction is over. Yet she soon discovers he’s hiding a secret agenda of his own. I’m so excited about this one! It’s set in London, but it takes place in the gritty, dangerous underbelly of the city Regency readers seldom get to explore.

Our July 2012 Romance of the Month is the fourth installment in Elizabeth Hoyt’s sizzling Maiden Lane series, Thief of Darkness. Writes romance columnist Christie Ridgway, “Scorching love scenes, a hero and heroine with deep wells of emotion and a delightful twist at the end make this a memorable, remarkable romance.”

Hoyt chatted with BookPage about sexy scenes and bad habits.

Describe your book in one sentence.
A man who hides his true emotions in shadows needs the love of a strong woman to bring him into the light.

Where do you write?
Everywhere. My office, coffee shops, the library, bed, planes, motel rooms . . .

If you weren’t a writer, what would you do?
Nothing. I have no other marketable skills.

What are the sexiest scenes to write?
Um . . . the sex scenes? 😉

What is your favorite character you’ve ever written?
Jasper, the hero of my fifth book, To Seduce a Sinner. He was something of a clown, which is a bit hard to pull off in a romance hero.

What is one bad habit you have no intention of breaking?
Coffee.

What are you working on next?
Right now I’m writing Duke of Midnight, which will be out November 2013.

A pawned family heirloom brings Lydia Kellaway and Alexander Hall together one late night in Nina Rowan’s debut romance novel A Study in Seduction, but much threatens to tear them apart. Lydia, a stubborn mathematician, experiences an attraction to the nobleman that she can’t ignore. But when a mysterious stranger threatens to unveil her dangerous family secret, a relationship with Alexander may no longer be possible.

In a Q&A with BookPage, Rowan tells us about the real-life woman who inspired her heroine and explains how a math phobe wrote a book about a math whiz.

Lydia Kellaway is an advanced mathematician, yet you admit that you are terrified of math. How did you manage to write about advanced mathematical concepts so convincingly?
I sought help. Lots and lots of help. I did a great deal of academic research and vetted the details with mathematicians. One of the most interesting things I discovered is how drastically the study of mathematics has changed since the Victorian era. Also, my husband is a research scientist whose brain somehow comprehends things like advanced calculus and flow density, so I forced him to . . . er, I mean, he graciously volunteered to review all of Lydia’s calculations and the mathematicians’ discourse.

One of the scenes in the novel involves Lydia challenging Alexander to solve a problem in five minutes. Since I seriously doubted my own ability to do that, I gave my husband the problem and timed him with a stopwatch. He solved it in eight minutes, so I figured Alexander would have his work cut out for him.

Tell us about Sofia Kovalevskaya, your inspiration for Lydia’s character. How did you discover her in your research?
I’ve always been interested in Russian history, and I knew I wanted this book to be set during the Crimean War because of the story possibilities and the conflict between Great Britain and Russia. One day I was just surfing the internet, looking up information about both 19th century Russia and Victorian women. Aside from Her Majesty, I found the histories of women writers, poets, travelers, scientists, nurses and artists. I was fascinated by Sofia Kovalevskaya, a Russian woman who had an early talent for mathematics and eventually sought a university education at a time when many such doors were closed to women. Sofia persisted and eventually became the first woman in Europe to earn a doctorate summa cum laude and a full university professorship. She unfortunately died at the age of 41 of pneumonia, but her ground-breaking work paved the way for future discoveries in mathematics.

Sexual chemistry is a difficult thing to deny or ignore, which makes it an excellent foundation for building true, deep emotions.

Lydia and Alexander experience an intense physical attraction that later blossoms into something much deeper. How do you use sexual chemistry to develop a great love story?
Sexual chemistry is a difficult thing to deny or ignore, which makes it an excellent foundation for building true, deep emotions. It also provides a great source of conflict, both internally (as in Lydia’s tug-of-war between her intellect and her desire for Alexander) and between characters. The struggle against passion, and eventual surrender to it, is also a journey that Alexander and Lydia take together, which bonds them on a whole other level. And physical intimacy and emotional intimacy are intertwined, so when Lydia and Alexander finally accept that truth, then they’re destined for a happy ending.

You hold a PhD in Art History. How has this training informed your writing of historical romance?
It’s all about the story. For me, art history is, at heart, the study of how stories are told visually. How do different artists use materials, structure, texture, lines and subjects to tell a story? Why do they choose to depict a certain moment in time? What is important about the people and objects in the scene? What does the setting contribute? What historical elements does the artist use? How are the figures interacting with each other? What does that say? How is the viewer pulled into the painting?

I like to ask myself similar questions when researching and writing a historical romance in the hopes that every detail of what I write will contribute to the overall flow and integrity of the story.

Why were you drawn to write historical romance instead of, say, contemporary or paranormal romance? Do you think you’ll ever venture into writing other romantic subgenres?
I love the story possibilities of historical romance. The Victorian era is rich with ideas for characters, plots and settings, and it’s both a challenge and a pleasure to craft a story in a specific historical time and place. Plus, I love research and get a lot of ideas from browsing the London Times archives and Google Books.

I am in awe of authors who write good contemporaries and paranormals. Though I have no immediate plans to branch out into other subgenres, I won’t say it will never happen! If a vampire and a ghost pop into my head and tell me their passionate, riveting story takes place in an alternate world, I’m willing to follow them there.

A Study in Seduction is your debut romance novel. How did you react when you found out it would be published?
I was beyond thrilled! I knew it was a bit of a risky submission because of the unusual heroine and certain plot elements, but I’ve always believed it’s a strong, interesting story with great characters. I was especially delighted that Grand Central/Forever Romance took a chance on both me and my book, as everyone has been phenomenal to work with. I could not be happier with how my own debut story has started.

What novels and authors do you read for inspiration?
I’ve been a student for most of my life, and one of the things I’ve learned is that you need to study The Greats. So I’ll always turn to Eloisa James, Betina Krahn, Jo Goodman, Elizabeth Hoyt, Patricia Gaffney, Judith Ivory, Loretta Chase and more! And any author who has mastered the use of language and descriptions has my undying admiration.

A Study in Seductionis book #1 in the Daring Hearts series. How will the books be linked? What can you tell us about book #2?
The books all take place during the mid-1850s and focus on the sons and daughter of the Earl of Rushton and his Russian-born wife. Book #2, A Passion for Pleasure, centers on the second son Sebastian Hall, a renowned, affable musician who is suddenly confronted with the loss of both his career and his inheritance. Desperate for a new purpose in life, Sebastian agrees to help one of his brothers with a clandestine task. As part of this, he seeks out Clara Winter for assistance, a woman who works in her uncle’s Museum of Automata. But Clara has a desperate, heart-wrenching goal of her own. When she realizes Sebastian can help her attain it, she makes him an offer that will change both their lives forever . . . but at what cost?

The Ugly Duchess, the September 2012 Top Pick in Romance, is a sexy, senusal Regency fairy tale that romance columnist Christie Ridgway calls “delicious” and “sensuous.” Eloisa James, Shakespeare professor by day and romance author by candlelit night, answered a few questions on fairy tales and the romance genre.

Describe your book in one sentence.
The Ugly Duchess is a version of “The Ugly Duckling,” in which the duckling is a duchess who falls in love with a pirate . . . because every ugly duckling deserves a gorgeous man with a tattoo (and a title).

If you could live in any fairy tale, which would it be?
Cinderella. Great dresses, magic wand, fabulous castle, singing mice—it’s got it all!

What are the sexiest scenes to write?
Scenes in which the hero and heroine are flirting. Nothing is as sensuous as elegantly constructed, witty conversation.

What is it about the Regency era that makes for such unforgettable romances?
The circumscribed nature of relationships between men and women at the gentry level and above make it an interesting period for romance. Sexual mores were not as rigid as they became during the Victorian period and nor as loose as during the Georgian.

Why are romances your favorite books?
The simple answer is that I love a happy ending. But a more complicated answer is that romance has a rhythm and a promise to it that appeals to me. I know the world is a tough and cold place; I’ve lost my mother and I have a child with a chronic illness. But—and this is a big but—I also know that love and joy make all the difference. Romance reminds me that if there’s a pattern to the universe, it’s one shaped around and by love. We can all use that reminder now and then.

What fairy tale will you remake next?
My version of Rapunzel will be published in July 2013.

And one question for your double life as a Shakespeare professor: In your opinion, what is the most romantic line Shakespeare ever wrote?
A half line, spoken by Romeo when he finds Juliet in the tomb: “O my love, my wife.”