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.”

In The Ambassador’s Daughter, the daughter of a German diplomat struggles to find her own identity as the post-World War I powers seek to define the wartorn world. In our Q&A with Pam Jenoff, the author sheds some light on her influences and the historic settings in her novel.

You earned your master's in history, graduated from law school, have worked for the Army and the State Department and now teach at Rutgers. Were the people in your life surprised when you turned to writing fiction?

No, being a novelist was actually my childhood dream, and I’ve been putting my writing in front of friends and family for as long as I can remember. But for many years I could not get started—something always held me back. The epiphany for me was 9/11. When those tragic events happened, I had a heightened sense of mortality and realized I did not have forever to make my dream come true—I had to get started right away. So I took a course called “Write Your Novel This Year” and began to write.

What did each of your previous careers bring to your writing?

In the mid-1990s, I was sent to Poland as a diplomat for the State Department. It was an exciting time as Poland emerged from Communism and there were many issues related to the Second World War and Holocaust, such as preservation of the concentration camps and property restitution, which were unresolved. Politically, it became important to resolve these issues so Poland could join NATO and the European Union. I was very close to the surviving Jewish community in Krakow and the consulate gave me responsibility for many of these issues. I was quite moved by my personal and professional experiences in Poland and these have largely influenced my writing.

My years as a lawyer and now law school professor have also helped by strengthening my writing. I believe that there are many synergies between legal and fiction writing. For example, creative writing can help a lawyer craft narratives, while legal writing has developed my ability to revise my novels

Your book follows Margot, the daughter of a diplomat who stays in Paris during the peace conference that follows the Great War. Do you ever have doubts about setting your novels against important historical moments like this? How do you manage to make the world feel authentic to readers?

When setting my stories amidst real historical events, I’m always struck by a great sense of responsibility to do justice to the time period and the people who lived in it. Sometimes, such as when writing my earlier books set during the Holocaust, it can be quite daunting.

As to authenticity, I think it is a delicate balance of including fresh original details while still remaining true to the realities of the era. The challenge is to capture the larger mood while manifesting it in detail. I certainly struggle with it!

Post-war Paris is brilliantly evoked in this novel. Can you still find traces of it in the city today? What might readers be surprised to know about the city during this time?

Paris at the time was such a contradiction in terms, one of the world’s grand cities in rubble. People were attempting to live again and capture the splendor of the city among suffering and starvation. But Paris is timeless and you can feel the era today in every narrow, winding street of the Left Bank. And while we are talking about cities, please don’t forget Berlin, where the last third of the book is set. Postwar Berlin is a fascinating example of a city trying to live again among the devastation and recriminations of a defeated nation, and particularly interesting for the Jewish people, who were trying to find their place in the new order.

The world seems particularly fascinated with the world of the 1910s and ‘20s right now. Any thoughts about why that might be, and what parallels can be drawn between then and now?

I think that for so long the focus of 20th-century historical fiction has been the Second World War. The interest is understandable—those very difficult times provide fertile ground for putting the reader in the protagonist’s shoes and forcing her to question what she might have done under such circumstances. But it is so exciting to explore the years surrounding World War I, a period of great change and momentous questions that would set the scene for the tragic events to come. I’d wanted to write about this time period since writing about it for my master’s thesis at Cambridge on the Paris Peace Conference and the League of Nations covenant. The post-World War I era is such an exciting period—the whole world was being reborn, new nations and identities, new roles and possibilities for women. The fledgling interest in the period following the First World War can be seen in everything from the popularity of recent novels such as The Paris Wife to the phenomenal success of “Downton Abbey.” I hope readers will enjoy taking this detour into the “deeper past” with me!

The Ambassador's Daughter features a love triangle. Do you have a(nother!) favorite literary love triangle? What makes for a compelling one?

I haven’t thought about other literary love triangles, though in some sense for me it dates back to Camelot and the Arthurian Legend (love triangle between Guinevere, Lancelot and Arthur.) If I look, most of my books include some form of love triangle, because it just makes for such a great story. The absolute best are the ones where both romances are compelling and there does not seem to be an easy answer or way out, because you must keep reading to see what happens

What is your favorite part of the writing process?

I like the beginning, which for me involves throwing down on paper (keyboard, actually) 150 pages or so of whatever comes out. And I like the end, when I have a manuscript taking shape. I often go away for a weekend with that manuscript and attempt to beat it into submission. But my least favorite part is the middle, or what I call “the dark place” when you are mired in a ton of material and can’t see the shape of it yet, or the light at the end of the tunnel. I get through that period with coffee and faith. And there’s nothing better than receiving a friendly reader email when you are in the pit of creative despair, to remind you while you struggle through writing in the first place.

Do you have a remedy for beating writer's block when you're working on a novel?

I’m not sure I believe in writer's block. There are times where my energy or inspiration is low, but to me this is a job so I still put my butt in the chair and write something. It’s all about finding what inspires you—fear or desire or whatever—and harnessing that.

What other books/authors do you read for inspiration?

I like to read other 20^th century historical fiction that is well done, though that can sometimes be intimidating because they are so good. For example, I loved The Postmistress by Sarah Blake and All That I Am by Anna Funder. But the timeless inspiration for me is Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones. Her Zen Buddhist approach to writing is what broke me wide open and set my feet on the path to realizing my dream of becoming a novelist.

What are you working on next?

I’m presently working on another novel set during the Second World War. It involves twin sisters in rural Poland who are struggling to care for their three younger siblings, and one of them finds a downed American paratrooper in the woods. How far will she go to help him and at what cost?

Historical romance The Last Debutante is BookPage’s March 2013 Top Pick in Romance. It finds a young woman captured by a sexy, naked Scot—whose heart is in turn captured by her. Writes Romance columnist Christie Ridgway, “This is a tender story peopled with memorable secondary characters and two culture-crossed lovers worth rooting for.”

We chatted with author Julia London about writing romance novels, torturing characters and much more in a 7 questions interview.

Describe your book in one sentence.
A Highland laird’s fiercest battle is waged against the ransom he holds in an English debutante, who refuses to allow her situation to deflate her.

What is it about those Scottish men, anyway?
They are the ultimate historical romance fantasy: Sexy and strong, they take what they want and discard what they don’t. They are dismissive of rules and propriety when it comes to true love, and if one claims you and makes you his own, he is yours for life.

What is your favorite part of writing romance novels?
I never get tired of the mating dance between the sexes. It’s fun to step into different worlds and watch a man and woman try and resist their heart’s true north. I confess to liking to torture them a bit, too. In the end, a hero or heroine of mine only knows how good they’ve got it if they’ve been drug through a wringer or two.

“Push the boundaries, turn every scene upside down and see what shakes out.”

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?
Push the boundaries, turn every scene upside down and see what shakes out.

What’s your favorite movie based on a book?
Pride and Prejudice, of course! I think I’ve seen every version of it.

What advice would you give to a woman being held for ransom in 19th-century Scotland? You know, just in case.
Girl, work that captivity like you’d work a shark-infested ballroom!

What’s next?
A new historical series about four sisters who realize that when their stepfather dies, they may be nudged out of their cushy situation, and proactively work to make sure that doesn’t happen . . . in very unconventional and risk-taking ways.

The newest in Elizabeth Boyle’s popular Rhymes With Love series, And the Miss Ran Away With the Rake, will charm fans of historical romance with the tale of Miss Daphne Dale who responds to a newspaper advertisement looking for a “sensible lady.” She, writing as “Miss Spooner,” strikes up a correspondence with “Mr. Dishforth.” Writes Romance columnist Christie Ridgway, “What transpires is an engaging comedy in which words and deeds sometimes confuse minds and hearts, and the happily-ever-after seems just out of reach.”

We chatted with Elizabeth Boyle about writing historical romance, watching movies and more in a 7 questions interview.

Describe your book in one sentence.
And the Miss Ran Away With the Rake is the book everyone should be curled up and reading this weekend—but only if you want to laugh and enjoy a fun read with a happily-ever-after ending.

If you could begin a correspondence with any man in history—fictional or real—who would it be, and in the spirit of “Miss Spooner,” what would you sign your letters as?
Thomas Boyle, an American privateer during the War of 1812. He was audacious and daring—I read all about him as I was researching one of my heroes and favorite characters, Captain Dashwell, or as he is known to his legions of fans, Dash. I loved Dash/Thomas so much, I put him in four books: This Rake of Mine, Love Letters from a Duke, Confessions of a Little Black Gown and Memoirs of a Scandalous Red Dress.

Oh, and I would sign my letter to Thomas as I always do when writing my loved ones, simply with my first initial, E. He would know exactly who I am.

What is your favorite part of writing historical romance?
Spending my days with dukes, rakes and pirates. Truly, who wouldn’t want to spend their days wrangling dukes? But I love the writing process—the nuts and bolts of a discovering a story idea/characters, pondering the what-ifs and weighing the story potential, and then exploring those characters by telling their story. Adding the historical elements is like the frosting on cupcakes—so many choices and always the chance to toss in some sprinkles.

“Truly, who wouldn’t want to spend their days wrangling dukes?”

When you’re not writing, what are you usually up to?
Wrangling kids, which is not unlike wrangling dukes—stubborn, willful creatures both. But my afternoons and evenings are usually stuffed with carpooling, scouts, sports, ortho appointments, the usual mom stuff. When I get a free moment—which any mom who works knows is a rare and precious commodity—I love gardening, knitting, cooking and, of course, reading. I’m also horribly addicted to Pinterest and Ravelry, which is sort of a combo of Pinterest and Facebook for knitters.

What is your favorite movie based on a book?
Other than one of mine? (Yoo-hoo, Hollywood, I’m standing by the phone. Yes, I’ll hold—while you take yet another look at one of my novels.) As for other books, any of the Harry Potter movies. I love the books. I love the movies. I just love the world J.K. Rowling created, and it was brought to film so beautifully. My oldest kid and I will settle in on a rainy Saturday and watch as many of them as we can stand. We call it a “butt-o-rama” and just watch the movies and eat popcorn. And I love the Star Trek reboot—I know the books came after the TV series, but that counts, doesn’t it?

What has been the greatest moment of your writing career?
Well, there was the time I fell over into Puget Sound while doing a photoshoot for the local newspaper. Oh, you said “greatest,” not most memorable. Greatest moment would probably be selling my first book. The whole entire thing was unbelievable—and truly unlike the usual I-submitted-my-book-and-was-offered-a-million-dollars-the-very-next-day sort of story. You can read all about my first sale here.

What’s next?
The details for the Run Away With Romance Tour are being finalized: Me, Cathy Maxwell and Lorraine Heath are going out on tour. Look out, Houston, Richmond and Crestview Hills, KY—three wild and crazy romance writers are about to invade. Details are on my website. But before I hit the road, I have to put the finishing touches on my next book, If Wishes Were Earls, then it will be on to the next three Rhymes With Love books. And since summer is approaching, I have high hopes for sunny days, some camping under the stars and my garden bursting with flowers. But I live in Seattle, so I am hopeful the rain will warm up by July. Mid-July, if we’re lucky.

When Sarah MacLean writes a historical romance, you can bet she does her research. This best-selling author holds a history degree from Harvard, and she just so happens to love stories that involve a good amount of smooching, and she’s not about to apologize for it.

MacLean continues her Rules of Scoundrels series with No Good Duke Goes Unpunished. It's dark, gritty and full of conflicts that are heightened by the pre-Victorian setting, but the emotional depth will have you struggling to put it down.

It has been 12 years since Temple, the “Killer Duke,” received his infamous title after a night with Mara Lowe—his father’s young bride-to-be—went horribly awry. After waking to a blood-soaked bed with Mara nowhere to be found, he was cast out from his home and polite society. Since then, he’s made his way in London as a boxer at the Fallen Angel, a seedy club where the London elite can exercise their debauchery out of the public eye. Yet, just as Temple has resigned himself to his misfortune, Mara resurfaces and offers the one thing he wants most—redemption and absolution.

In an impressive feat, MacLean builds a captivating romantic tension between these two characters despite the anger, conflict and mistrust between them. Both Temple and Mara are quite complex, and their relationship is not a typical or easy one, but the emotional revelations and forgiveness they find through their love makes this a stand-out read.

Maclean answered some of our questions about bad boys, Romance snobs, old-school gambling and her ideal date night.

All three of your Rules of Scoundrels books are set in Pre-Victorian London. What is it about this particular era that inspires you?
I’ve been a romance reader forever . . . and historicals were my first love as a reader, so it seemed natural that when I wrote my first book, it would be historical. I love the breathlessness of them—the way that every glance, every touch, every movement can mean something. In this particular series, I’m also exploring the darker side of London in the early 1800s, which makes everything slightly edgier and even more fun.

"Romance is, at its core, a heroine’s journey. She’s the hero of the story, and, at the end, she wins."

Like your other female characters, Mara Lowe is empowered and strong, even during her most intimate scenes. Why is this important to you?
Romance is, at its core, a heroine’s journey. She’s the hero of the story, and, at the end, she wins. Her journey is one of becoming empowered, of gaining strength through love and partnership. Not all of my heroines start the book this way—in fact, none of them do. Mara puts on a good face, but it takes her much of the book to believe in her own power and strength. I think that’s true of so many of us. Writing heroines who have to travel this path feels authentic to me . . . which is why I’m so drawn to it as a story.

Temple, the Killer Duke, is a famous fighter at the Fallen Angel, a gambling club that features prominently in this series. What drew you to focus on gaming hells, a little-known aspect of Regency life?
I knew I wanted to move away from ballrooms and into something a little more masculine and dark with this series. I was drawn to casinos because they give off this vibe that if you just barely scratch the surface, you’ll find something desperate and nefarious down there. The juxtaposition of winning more than you could ever dream vs. losing everything was a big plus for me. I like the way it works for love, too.

During my research on early casinos, I discovered a man named William Crockford—the grandfather of the modern casino. By all accounts, there was nothing sexy about William Crockford—he was ham-fisted, pasty-faced, foul-mouthed and fouler-smelling, with a penchant for prostitutes, but he was cunning and wealthy and more than enough for me to be down the imaginary rabbit hole. Crockford’s Casino became the Fallen Angel, and Crockford himself morphed into four fallen aristocrats—Bourne, Cross, Temple and Chase—each exiled from society either by chance or by choice. Scoundrels, yes, but clean, handsome, charming (when they want to be), and in need of love.

What do you love most about your bad boy characters?
The way they fall in love: hard and intense and grumbling all the way. But once they’re there, desperate for that one woman who can change everything . . . they’re not bad boys at all. They’re tremendously heroic and perfect for their heroine.

There’s a huge secret about one of your characters that is revealed in this novel. Has it been hard to keep the secret?
Yes! I’ve known it for two years and had to do a fair share of dancing around the truth to keep it quiet. I confess, I’m happy that it’s finally out—and that I can share it with readers. I hope it was worth it!

You are an outspoken champion of the Romance genre. What do you think is the most misunderstood aspect of the genre?
I think romance is maligned in large part because at first glance, love seems so pedestrian. It’s all around us. It’s in books and songs and movies and on billboards, so how could it really hold literary value? But what people tend to forget is that the search for love—for the simple idea that there is someone out there who will see us for who we are and accept us isn’t trite. It’s a huge part of our lives. And it’s an enormous part of our dreams.

There are so many fabulous romances out there—there’s something for everyone. I really believe that. And I believe that most of the people who look down their noses at the genre haven’t ever read a romance novel. I think that if they did, they’d be really surprised by how good great romance can be.

What are your top “gateway” books for Romance newbies?
I always start everyone with Susan Elizabeth Phillips, who is hysterically funny and deeply emotional. My favorite of hers is Nobody’s Baby But Mine, which is the story of a socially inept but brilliant scientist heroine with a clicking biological clock, who is terrified of having a baby as smart as she is . . . so she goes looking for an unintelligent man who might make a decent sperm donor. She ends up “stealing” a baby from the quarterback of the local NFL team . . . and thereby hangs a tale.

If you’re watching and/or reading Game of Thrones or just into fantasy, you should absolutely try Thea Harrison’s Dragon Bound, set in an alternate universe of New York City where magic exists. The hero is the wealthiest man in New York, who happens to be a Dragon shape-shifter, and keeps his hoarde of wealth locked up in the basement of his skyscraper. The heroine has never met a lock she can’t pick. She gets herself into trouble and ends up having to steal something from him . . . so she takes one penny, and leaves a replacement and a note saying, “I’m sorry.” The story begins there.

And I have to recommend a historical, too! Loretta Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels is consistently listed as the best romance novel ever written, and it is. The hero is dark and truly alpha—a Marquess who doesn’t believe in love. The heroine is a spitfire who is his match in every way. They fall for each other with fireworks that are undeniable . . . but end up butting heads in a magnificent display of chemistry that burns you up.

What’s an ideal date night for you?
I know it sounds cheesy, but honestly? I’m still pretty crazy about my husband . . . add in a great dinner and a long conversation with lots of laughs, and I’m happy.

This novel ends at Christmastime. Which of your characters would you most want to kiss under the mistletoe, and why?
I’m still pretty hooked on Temple, the hero of No Good Duke Goes Unpunished. He’s the gentlest of all my heroes, even though he’s made his name as the winningest bare-knuckle boxer in London. A true alpha male with a gooey, nougatty center.

What’s your number-one song to smooch to?
I’m a firm believer that the smooching makes the song . . . not the other way around.

What’s next?
Chase’s book! The last in the Rules of Scoundrels series and the one that I’ve been waiting to write for nearly three years. Readers of the series will find Chase’s biggest secret revealed at the end of Temple’s book, and they’ll get the rest of the story in late 2014!

Jennifer Haymore's The Scoundrel's Seduction is our June Top Pick in Romance! Sam Hawkins is an undercover agent, and is sworn to protect his king and country. When he is sent to assassinate an aristocratic conspirator, he carries out his orders, but the traitor's wife, the beguiling Lady Dunthorpe, witnessed the entire event. Sam is horrified and sees no choice but to kidnap her from the scene, yet Élise is glad to be free from her abusive husband. Soon, she is torn between her desire to escape from Sam and the heated attraction between them, but an unforeseen danger at last unites the pair, and they must put faith in each other as they run for their lives.

We chatted with Haymore about her favorite character, English history and more in a 7 questions interview.

Describe your book in one sentence.
An assassin and his target’s wife are thrown together and need to weed through the truth and the lies, and struggle against their growing attraction for each other.

What do you love most about writing historical romance?
I love so much about it! One of my favorite things is the lushness of the historical worlds I write in. Money, power, aristocracy and pomp and circumstance make a delicious backdrop. 

What traits are most important in a romance heroine?
Inner strength, intelligence and a strong spirit.

Of all the characters you’ve ever written, which is your favorite?
That’s impossible! That’s like publicly picking one of your children out as your favorite!

I guess I’ll have to say, it’s my “firstborn” hero, the should-be hero of my first book, A Hint of Wicked, Garrett, the Duke of Calton. I think his story is the most heartbreaking of all my heroes, because he really does lose everything but fights back and ultimately earns his happily ever after.

How do you conquer writer’s block?
I just write through it. I think to myself, “You’re writing crap. It makes no sense. It’s horrible. But you’re writing it, and you’re not going to stop.” Invariably, I read it later on and discover that it’s not so horrible after all.

What’s your favorite period of English history?
Another hard question! I love so many periods of post-Roman English history.  Of course I do love my beloved Regency period, but I also love the Middle Ages and Victorian England as well.

What are you working on next?
An offshoot of the House of Trent series, The Highland Knights. Many of the characters from the House of Trent will be making appearances, and some will find their own happily ever afters.

Author photo by Lawrence Balingit