WELCOME TO THE BOOK TOUR:
HOWDY GAYLE!!!
Meet Gayle:
A USA Today Bestselling author, Gayle Callen writes historical romances for Avon Books. Her latest novel, A Most Scandalous Engagement, was published in December 2010.
Named the "Notable New Author of 1999," Gayle has also won the Holt Medallion and the Laurel Wreath Award, and finaled in the National Readers Choice Awards. Her books have been translated into over nine different languages.
She resides in a suburb of Central New York, with her husband and three children. Besides writing, she loves to read, sing, travel, crochet, and delve too deeply into historical research. A past President of the Central New York Romance Writers, she is also a member of Romance Writers of America, the Authors Guild, and Novelists Inc.
K: Tell us a little about your latest book, EVERY SCANDALOUS SECRET.
G: EVERY SCANDALOUS SECRET is part of my “Scandalous Lady” trilogy, where a nude painting hung in a gentlemen’s club is the basis for a bet among three men—which woman of Society is the model? Bad boy Leo chooses to prove it’s spinster Susanna, and he follows her to a house party, where they make their own new scandal.
K: What is it about bad boy heroes that appeal to you?
G: The fantasy is that a woman will take this bad boy, teach him to love, and change both their lives. But really, I think we all love a man who knows he’s sexy, who writes his own rules and doesn’t care what anyone thinks. And then when he focuses all that charisma on the heroine— wow.
K: If you could run away with one of your heroes, who would it be and why?
G: So hard to choose! They’re all so different. But I must say, I really enjoyed my current hero, Leo Wade, so much so that when he was semi-villainous in The Viscount In Her Bedroom, I couldn’t forget about him. He needed to learn from his mistakes and have his own happy ending. So he gets to square off in Every Scandalous Secret against a woman who is focused on her art, and not on men, which he takes very personally. But Leo has some dark secrets that come to life,explaining why he became a rake. It’s up to Susanna to help figure everything out.
K: What is your favorite brand, er type of heroine? (sorry about the bad Twilight joke)
G: Over the course of 25 books, some written as Julia Latham, my medieval pseudonym, I’ve written so many different types of heroine that I’m not sure I can choose! I love innocent spinsters, world-weary widows, intelligent debutantes, and kick-ass women who can defend themselves. It all depends on the story.
K: What’s next in store for your readers?
G: I’ve started a new trilogy of three ex-soldiers returning to England because of a debt of honor owed to families of their fallen friends. In the first book, the heroine begs the hero, a soldier in India, for a marriage by proxy so she can control her inheritance, and he obliges because he owes so much to her dead father. But things really get complicated when he shows up at her door.
Neither is what the other expected… I don’t have a title for the book yet, but it will be out next summer.
G: EVERY SCANDALOUS SECRET is part of my “Scandalous Lady” trilogy, where a nude painting hung in a gentlemen’s club is the basis for a bet among three men—which woman of Society is the model? Bad boy Leo chooses to prove it’s spinster Susanna, and he follows her to a house party, where they make their own new scandal.
K: What is it about bad boy heroes that appeal to you?
G: The fantasy is that a woman will take this bad boy, teach him to love, and change both their lives. But really, I think we all love a man who knows he’s sexy, who writes his own rules and doesn’t care what anyone thinks. And then when he focuses all that charisma on the heroine— wow.
K: If you could run away with one of your heroes, who would it be and why?
G: So hard to choose! They’re all so different. But I must say, I really enjoyed my current hero, Leo Wade, so much so that when he was semi-villainous in The Viscount In Her Bedroom, I couldn’t forget about him. He needed to learn from his mistakes and have his own happy ending. So he gets to square off in Every Scandalous Secret against a woman who is focused on her art, and not on men, which he takes very personally. But Leo has some dark secrets that come to life,explaining why he became a rake. It’s up to Susanna to help figure everything out.
K: What is your favorite brand, er type of heroine? (sorry about the bad Twilight joke)
G: Over the course of 25 books, some written as Julia Latham, my medieval pseudonym, I’ve written so many different types of heroine that I’m not sure I can choose! I love innocent spinsters, world-weary widows, intelligent debutantes, and kick-ass women who can defend themselves. It all depends on the story.
K: What’s next in store for your readers?
G: I’ve started a new trilogy of three ex-soldiers returning to England because of a debt of honor owed to families of their fallen friends. In the first book, the heroine begs the hero, a soldier in India, for a marriage by proxy so she can control her inheritance, and he obliges because he owes so much to her dead father. But things really get complicated when he shows up at her door.
Neither is what the other expected… I don’t have a title for the book yet, but it will be out next summer.
They say you can tell a lot about a person with the answers they choose. So right now, we're going to have a little fun with Gayle.
Either/Or:
I’ll preface my answers by saying I’ve used all your Either/Or examples in books, and enjoyed every plot. But if I have to choose, I might lean one way more than the other…
1. Alpha or Beta? It totally depends on the plot (I could begin each answer with this phrase), but more often I probably write a strong Beta, who works well in a group, and thinks through his problems instead of just jumping into the fray. But that isn’t to say he doesn’t make mistakes!
2. Wallflower or Belle of the Ball? Probably Bell of the Ball. I like strong heroines who still have a lot to learn about themselves.
3. Debutante or Spinster? Spinster. There’s something really sexy about following a heroine’s first journey into love, when she’s just about given up on finding the perfect man.
4. Virgin widow or Secret baby? This may be shocking from a romance writer, but I have never done either of these plots! *GASP* I tried to do a secret baby once, and I just couldn’t make it believable, although some authors really make it work. I guess I’d say virgin widow, because in a historical, I could certainly imagine that plotline, heroine forced to marry older man by her family, and of course, he dies. Hmm…maybe I need to revisit these plotlines…
5. Titled peer or Working man? The number one favorite hero in a historical romance is titled peer. There’s just something about a strong man in command of his own empire…
6. Love at first sight or Second chances? Second chances. It’s very difficult to make a Love
at First Sight plot work, because that could so easily be simple lust. Now have my heroes felt immediate lust for my heroines? Of course! Isn't that always the case? lol.
7. Naval officer or Swashbuckling pirate? Naval officer! I love the honorable, patriotic type of man. Although one of my favorite heroes of all times was Kathleen Woodiwiss’s Ruark Beauchamp in Shanna. He had to pretend to be a pirate, and he was pretty sexy doing that!
8. Vampires or Shifters? I haven’t read all that many books about Shifters, so I’ll have to say Vampires. Love a wounded man the heroine has to heal!
9. Past, Present or Future? (sneaky) The past, of course! It’s CHOOSING which historical time period I want to write in that’s so hard. I love them all. But there’s something about the Victorian era, where everything was changing for the aristocracy, that gives such great plot conflicts.
10. Writing or Reading? Reading because it’s easier, relaxing, and enjoyable. But writing is very fulfilling.
11. Paperbacks or e-books? Right now, paperbacks, but I’ve read e-books as well, and I don’t mind them at all! Whatever works for the reader.
12. Plotter or Pantser? Plotter! I come from a love of math and science, so I need to figure things out before I write. The plot isn’t written in stone, but I do like having a blueprint to follow, rather than staring at a blank screen.
13. Author’s choice: You get to ask a question for the readers to answer.
Ooh, how fun! Okay, you’ve heard all about my favorite types of romance, now tell me yours! What’s your favorite type of romance: marriage of convenience, beauty and the beast, etc. And let me know why!
1. Alpha or Beta? It totally depends on the plot (I could begin each answer with this phrase), but more often I probably write a strong Beta, who works well in a group, and thinks through his problems instead of just jumping into the fray. But that isn’t to say he doesn’t make mistakes!
2. Wallflower or Belle of the Ball? Probably Bell of the Ball. I like strong heroines who still have a lot to learn about themselves.
3. Debutante or Spinster? Spinster. There’s something really sexy about following a heroine’s first journey into love, when she’s just about given up on finding the perfect man.
4. Virgin widow or Secret baby? This may be shocking from a romance writer, but I have never done either of these plots! *GASP* I tried to do a secret baby once, and I just couldn’t make it believable, although some authors really make it work. I guess I’d say virgin widow, because in a historical, I could certainly imagine that plotline, heroine forced to marry older man by her family, and of course, he dies. Hmm…maybe I need to revisit these plotlines…
5. Titled peer or Working man? The number one favorite hero in a historical romance is titled peer. There’s just something about a strong man in command of his own empire…
6. Love at first sight or Second chances? Second chances. It’s very difficult to make a Love
at First Sight plot work, because that could so easily be simple lust. Now have my heroes felt immediate lust for my heroines? Of course! Isn't that always the case? lol.
7. Naval officer or Swashbuckling pirate? Naval officer! I love the honorable, patriotic type of man. Although one of my favorite heroes of all times was Kathleen Woodiwiss’s Ruark Beauchamp in Shanna. He had to pretend to be a pirate, and he was pretty sexy doing that!
8. Vampires or Shifters? I haven’t read all that many books about Shifters, so I’ll have to say Vampires. Love a wounded man the heroine has to heal!
9. Past, Present or Future? (sneaky) The past, of course! It’s CHOOSING which historical time period I want to write in that’s so hard. I love them all. But there’s something about the Victorian era, where everything was changing for the aristocracy, that gives such great plot conflicts.
10. Writing or Reading? Reading because it’s easier, relaxing, and enjoyable. But writing is very fulfilling.
11. Paperbacks or e-books? Right now, paperbacks, but I’ve read e-books as well, and I don’t mind them at all! Whatever works for the reader.
12. Plotter or Pantser? Plotter! I come from a love of math and science, so I need to figure things out before I write. The plot isn’t written in stone, but I do like having a blueprint to follow, rather than staring at a blank screen.
13. Author’s choice: You get to ask a question for the readers to answer.
Ooh, how fun! Okay, you’ve heard all about my favorite types of romance, now tell me yours! What’s your favorite type of romance: marriage of convenience, beauty and the beast, etc. And let me know why!
Thank you Gayle for stopping by my blog!
You’re very welcome! Thanks for having me!
You’re very welcome! Thanks for having me!
Every Scandalous Secret:
Where To Buy: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Nook | Book DepositoryGenre: Historical Romance
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Avon (September 27,2011)
ISBN: 9780061783456
He may be the younger brother of a viscount, but Leo Wade is more at ease in London’s gaming halls and ladies’ boudoirs than at tonnish events. Although lately, he’s been consumed by a growing boredom he can’t shake…That is until Leo stumbles upon three society misses trying to steal a scandalous painting from his gentleman’s club and becomes obsessed with pursing a lady unlike any of his acquaintance.
An artist, bluestocking and veritable spinster by anyone’s definition, Susanna Leland never dreamed she and her cousins would find themselves in the eye of a potential scandal. So when she receives an invitation to a country house party she takes it hoping to escape London and divert the suspicious gaze of Mr. Leo Wade. Susanna never expects he’ll follow her!
As the unrepentant rogue and on-the-shelf artist clash, Leo may just have met the one woman immune to his charms, and Susanna may have found the one man she can’t scare off with her intellect. But when the pair are caught in a compromising position and forced to marry, they may just find that the price of trust is well worth every scandalous secret.
Book Extras: Read an Excerpt | My Review
Other Books in Series: Click on covers to learn more.
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*Comment at all the stops on Gayle's blog tour to increase your chances. Keep updated with the tour schedule here.
Easy peasy, right?
Giveaway ends 10/7. Gayle will choose the winner from all the comments on the stops at each blog. Winner will be announced here. I will also update this post with the winner after it is announced.
***Update: Congrats June***
A HUGE thank you to Gayle and Harper Collins for donating the prize. Thanks to Gayle for stopping by to answer some questions and giving us a peek inside her latest release. Also, thanks to Marianne at Goddess Fish Promotions for forwarding correspondence between Gayle and I.
