Welcome back, TLN'ers!!
Hope your Halloween was full of good times and tons of candy! Are you ready for the holidays? Well, what better way to get into the swing of things than with Linda Banche's latest release MISTLETOE EVERYWHERE. If Regencies are your cup o' tea, then Linda's charming tale about lost love and forgiveness needs to be on your TBB List!
Linda's book, THE PUMPKINNAPPER finalled in the 2011 EPIC eBook Awards Competition. As a bit of trivia, it's important to note that her debut novel, LADY OF THE STARS was also a finalist in a previous year! Not bad! Not at all!!
Grab a comfy blankie and a mug of something warm, because we're getting into that feel-good time of year spirit!!
Pip-pip-OH-and a Cheerio! Here we go . . .
1) If you were a book, what would your blurb be?
In the world of romance, there are serious people and there are light-hearted people. Linda is one of the light-hearted people. Why read a story full of sturm und drang when you can read a happy story about funny things? Come with Linda 200 years into the past to Regency England, an era devoid of the modern nuisances of jangling cell phones, traffic jams and miserable jobs. Enjoy a world of elegance and politeness and pretty clothes. And all those gorgeous men in tight breeches and ruffled shirts. Sigh.
2) Using three words, describe your voice.
Humorous, quirky, playful.
3) How do you keep yourself balanced with your writing and life away from the computer?
Balance, what balance? When I’m not writing romance, I’m reading it. I love romances, and my favorite, Regencies. I can’t get enough of them. And I like it that way, too.
4) As a multi-pubbed author, do you have any writing/industry advice to share with aspiring writers? Tidbits you wished you would have known earlier on in your career?
Do what works for you. There's a lot of information out there and a lot of people and things to help you. But not everything is for everyone. If you like entering contests and find them valuable, go to it. By the same token, if critique groups or a critique partner works for you, use them. Same for going to conferences, using social media, blogging and lots of other things that I probably can't even name. But whatever you do, write. A lot.
5) In your opinion, what are the key elements a romance novel needs to possess? How do you ensure they've been included in your books?
A man and a woman. *g* We’re talking mainstream here, so if you have other tastes, insert your favorite leading characters. We also need attraction between them and also some conflict between them. This conflict can be external, as in a threat to their lives, or internal, if one or both of them is afraid to commit to the other, or a combination of the two.
In Lady of the Stars, the conflict is mainly external when the 21st century heroine steps into the Regency. Talk about culture shock. In Pumpkinnapper, the conflict is both internal and external. The hero wants to help the heroine catch her pumpkin thieves. She refuses. Not that it stops the hero. They also have a history, which gets in the way. And in my latest, Mistletoe Everywhere, the hero and heroine were once engaged, and each thinks the other called off the engagement. Here the conflict is again both internal (their still-simmering feelings for each other) and external (what exactly happened in the past?)
6) What's up next for you? Give us the juicy details!
My latest Regency novella is a Christmas story, Mistletoe Everywhere.
BLURB:
A man who sees mistletoe everywhere is mad--or in love.Charles sees mistletoe. Not surprising, since he's spending Christmas at Mistletoe Manor. But why does no one else see it? And why does it always appear above Penelope, the despised lady who jilted him after their last meeting?Penelope wants nothing to do with the faithless Charles, the man who cried off after she accepted his marriage proposal. But he still stirs her heart--and he stares at her all the time. Or rather, he stares at the empty ceiling over her head…What does he see? According to folklore, mistletoe is the plant of peace. Can Penelope and Charles, so full of hurt and anger, heed the mistletoe's message and make peace?
EXCERPT:
After Charles had heaped his plate with more food than he wanted, he took one of the empty chairs at the table bottom, as far from Penelope as possible.
His tensed muscles eased as he joked with his friends. Smythe made a comment and Charles turned to answer. He caught sight of Penelope…and a monstrous bunch of mistletoe above her.
"Gordon? What is it?" Smythe swiveled in the direction Charles was staring. He looked up and down, and from one side to the other. "I say, with your mouth hanging open like that, you must see something spectacular, but damned if I know what it is."
With an audible click, Charles clamped his jaw shut. "I thought I saw…" He forced his gaze back to his companion. "Nothing. I imagined I saw mistletoe."
Smythe's eyebrows rose. "Mistletoe?"
"Yes. The house is named 'Mistletoe Manor', so the place is filled with mistletoe decorations. Pictures, wall hangings, ceiling trim, whatnot."
"Indeed." Smythe's eyebrows rose higher. "That 'mistletoe' you saw is over that Miss Lawrence. Lovely little filly." His lips curved into a knowing grin. "My jaw dropped the first time I saw her, too."
Charles stiffened. "I was not looking at Miss Lawrence. I believed I saw mistletoe over her."
"'Mistletoe'." Symthe's grin widened. "Of course."
BUY LINK: http://www.blogger.com/Loops/:%20http:/www.thewildrosepress.com/mistletoe-everywhere-p-4295.html
Thanks for having me.
Now, that is what I'd call a tempting teaser! MISTLETOE EVERYWHERE sounds like a sure-to-please read guaranteed to get you feeling the joy of the holiday season! I'd like to thank Linda for letting me interview her. If you'd like to know more about the very lovely and talented Linda Banche, please hitch up the sled and head on over to her website: http://www.lindabanche.com/
THANK YOU, TLN'ers! I appreciate you swinging by! I've been a naughty girl and have been MIA for the last few weeks. I've been diligently trying to organize my house in preparation for the new baby. I'm just about done, thank goodness! I've got roughly 8 weeks to go and time is just whizzing by! The crib is up and it makes me smile every time I pass it! Once the baby stuff is done, it's on to planning a b-day party for my oldest and the huge Christmas 'To-Do' list. Sheesh! When I think of what I have left to accomplish before my 12/30 due date, I realize I should have started way earlier. ;)
Here's some STEEL MAGNOLIA singin' JUST BY BEING YOU! Hope your weekend is awesome! We'll catch you back on 'Moan'day! Take care and Hugs!!
Hope your Halloween was full of good times and tons of candy! Are you ready for the holidays? Well, what better way to get into the swing of things than with Linda Banche's latest release MISTLETOE EVERYWHERE. If Regencies are your cup o' tea, then Linda's charming tale about lost love and forgiveness needs to be on your TBB List!
Linda's book, THE PUMPKINNAPPER finalled in the 2011 EPIC eBook Awards Competition. As a bit of trivia, it's important to note that her debut novel, LADY OF THE STARS was also a finalist in a previous year! Not bad! Not at all!!
Grab a comfy blankie and a mug of something warm, because we're getting into that feel-good time of year spirit!!
Pip-pip-OH-and a Cheerio! Here we go . . .
1) If you were a book, what would your blurb be?
In the world of romance, there are serious people and there are light-hearted people. Linda is one of the light-hearted people. Why read a story full of sturm und drang when you can read a happy story about funny things? Come with Linda 200 years into the past to Regency England, an era devoid of the modern nuisances of jangling cell phones, traffic jams and miserable jobs. Enjoy a world of elegance and politeness and pretty clothes. And all those gorgeous men in tight breeches and ruffled shirts. Sigh.
2) Using three words, describe your voice.
Humorous, quirky, playful.
3) How do you keep yourself balanced with your writing and life away from the computer?
Balance, what balance? When I’m not writing romance, I’m reading it. I love romances, and my favorite, Regencies. I can’t get enough of them. And I like it that way, too.
4) As a multi-pubbed author, do you have any writing/industry advice to share with aspiring writers? Tidbits you wished you would have known earlier on in your career?
Do what works for you. There's a lot of information out there and a lot of people and things to help you. But not everything is for everyone. If you like entering contests and find them valuable, go to it. By the same token, if critique groups or a critique partner works for you, use them. Same for going to conferences, using social media, blogging and lots of other things that I probably can't even name. But whatever you do, write. A lot.
5) In your opinion, what are the key elements a romance novel needs to possess? How do you ensure they've been included in your books?
A man and a woman. *g* We’re talking mainstream here, so if you have other tastes, insert your favorite leading characters. We also need attraction between them and also some conflict between them. This conflict can be external, as in a threat to their lives, or internal, if one or both of them is afraid to commit to the other, or a combination of the two.
In Lady of the Stars, the conflict is mainly external when the 21st century heroine steps into the Regency. Talk about culture shock. In Pumpkinnapper, the conflict is both internal and external. The hero wants to help the heroine catch her pumpkin thieves. She refuses. Not that it stops the hero. They also have a history, which gets in the way. And in my latest, Mistletoe Everywhere, the hero and heroine were once engaged, and each thinks the other called off the engagement. Here the conflict is again both internal (their still-simmering feelings for each other) and external (what exactly happened in the past?)
6) What's up next for you? Give us the juicy details!
My latest Regency novella is a Christmas story, Mistletoe Everywhere.
BLURB:
A man who sees mistletoe everywhere is mad--or in love.Charles sees mistletoe. Not surprising, since he's spending Christmas at Mistletoe Manor. But why does no one else see it? And why does it always appear above Penelope, the despised lady who jilted him after their last meeting?Penelope wants nothing to do with the faithless Charles, the man who cried off after she accepted his marriage proposal. But he still stirs her heart--and he stares at her all the time. Or rather, he stares at the empty ceiling over her head…What does he see? According to folklore, mistletoe is the plant of peace. Can Penelope and Charles, so full of hurt and anger, heed the mistletoe's message and make peace?
EXCERPT:
After Charles had heaped his plate with more food than he wanted, he took one of the empty chairs at the table bottom, as far from Penelope as possible.
His tensed muscles eased as he joked with his friends. Smythe made a comment and Charles turned to answer. He caught sight of Penelope…and a monstrous bunch of mistletoe above her.
"Gordon? What is it?" Smythe swiveled in the direction Charles was staring. He looked up and down, and from one side to the other. "I say, with your mouth hanging open like that, you must see something spectacular, but damned if I know what it is."
With an audible click, Charles clamped his jaw shut. "I thought I saw…" He forced his gaze back to his companion. "Nothing. I imagined I saw mistletoe."
Smythe's eyebrows rose. "Mistletoe?"
"Yes. The house is named 'Mistletoe Manor', so the place is filled with mistletoe decorations. Pictures, wall hangings, ceiling trim, whatnot."
"Indeed." Smythe's eyebrows rose higher. "That 'mistletoe' you saw is over that Miss Lawrence. Lovely little filly." His lips curved into a knowing grin. "My jaw dropped the first time I saw her, too."
Charles stiffened. "I was not looking at Miss Lawrence. I believed I saw mistletoe over her."
"'Mistletoe'." Symthe's grin widened. "Of course."
BUY LINK: http://www.blogger.com/Loops/:%20http:/www.thewildrosepress.com/mistletoe-everywhere-p-4295.html
Thanks for having me.
Now, that is what I'd call a tempting teaser! MISTLETOE EVERYWHERE sounds like a sure-to-please read guaranteed to get you feeling the joy of the holiday season! I'd like to thank Linda for letting me interview her. If you'd like to know more about the very lovely and talented Linda Banche, please hitch up the sled and head on over to her website: http://www.lindabanche.com/
THANK YOU, TLN'ers! I appreciate you swinging by! I've been a naughty girl and have been MIA for the last few weeks. I've been diligently trying to organize my house in preparation for the new baby. I'm just about done, thank goodness! I've got roughly 8 weeks to go and time is just whizzing by! The crib is up and it makes me smile every time I pass it! Once the baby stuff is done, it's on to planning a b-day party for my oldest and the huge Christmas 'To-Do' list. Sheesh! When I think of what I have left to accomplish before my 12/30 due date, I realize I should have started way earlier. ;)
Here's some STEEL MAGNOLIA singin' JUST BY BEING YOU! Hope your weekend is awesome! We'll catch you back on 'Moan'day! Take care and Hugs!!
8 comments:
Hi Sarah, thanks again for having me. And take care of yourself and the baby-to-be. Enjoy your holidays and he/she will, too!
Linda, love your advice! And you know I love your humor. :-)
What's up next for you? I don't think I've heard.
Super interview, Sarah!
Linda, I'm a big fan of your work. I'm looking forward to reading your latest as soon as I have a nice gap of free time - once I start reading it, I know I won't want to stop until the end!
Hi, Linda and Sarah--I can always count on Sarah's blog to be cheerful and very, very clever.
Linda--I read the blurb and excerpt at another blog, but I especially wanted to visit The Lovestruck Novice.
Good job! Celia
I liked your time travel story, Linda. Holiday stories always get my attention. Loved your excerpt for your Christmas story. I wish you all the best.
Sarah McNeal
Great interview, ladies! Congrats on the release, Linda.
Hi LK. We can become overwhelmed so easily with everything that's out there. Not everything is for everyone. And I'm glad I can make you laugh.
My next story, which still needs some work, is about a mix up, a very startling and hilarious mix up.
Ah, Lindsay, thank you. you're great for my ego.
Thanks, Sarah. I'm glad you liked LADY OF THE STARS. I like holiday stories, too. I guess it shows.
Thanks, Celia. I agree, Sarah's blog is always fun.
Hi Emma, nice to see you. And thanks.
I seem to be late everywhere these days, but I wanted to say how much I enjoyed the blog, Linda. Very nice, or bery nice as I first typed it.
How fun to "see" mistletoe. Your excerpt really caught my imagination.
Best wishes!
Maggie
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