It is with great pleasure that I welcome Sarah MacLean to the blog today. As I noted below in Carrie’s review of Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake, I just adored this book. I’m so glad Sarah has decided to write also for the adult market and that I don’t have to wait terribly long for Sarah’s next book (psst, Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord releases Oct 26, 2010).

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Hi Sarah, I read Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake and really loved it. Tell us about Callie and Gabriel’s love story.

It means so much to me to hear you say that, Bev, as you’re a romance connoisseur! Thanks for the kind words . . . and for having me at The Season!

Ten years prior to the start of this book, in the middle of her disaster of a first season, Lady Calpurnia Hartwell ran into Gabriel, the Marquess of Ralston in a darkened garden. He didn’t think twice about it, but Callie never forgot the meeting. A decade later, Callie is on the shelf and staring down a long life of lace caps and Spinster Seating . . . and in a fit of frustration and refusal to accept this dismal future, she decides to take matters into her own hands. She makes a scandalous list . . . which just so happens to land her in the arms of Ralston—and that’s just the beginning.

I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Wallflower/Rake romances . . . I think they’re just about perfect . . . there’s just something about the world-weary aristocrat who is knocked for a loop when he meets the unpretentious wallflower. This is Callie & Ralston’s romance. And I confess, I loved watching it unfold.

What do you think makes Gabriel such an appealing hero…because he is.

At first glance, Gabriel is hard and unfeeling . . . but in actual fact, he’s deeply loyal to his family, unflaggingly committed to his recently-discovered sister, and a gentlemen at heart. When he discovers Callie’s crazy list, he can’t help but stay near to her, a decision borne in equal parts of gentlemanly politesse and his growing passion for this unparalleled woman. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s dreamy. And plays the piano like the maestro himself.

When I was reading Nine Rules, I laughed pretty much throughout the book. How easy does humor come to you when writing? Is humor an important part of your writing style?

First, thank you! That’s a wonderful compliment! The short answer to your question is, I don’t set out to make my books funny. They really do just turn out that way. I think this is partly because I tend to see humor in everything (which is a gift and a curse, depending upon the situation I’m in), and partly because the characters to whom I am drawn can’t help but laugh at themselves, which makes it ok for me to laugh with them.

Callie is not your typical beautiful heroine. She has some weight on her and has a more beautiful younger sister. Why is she such a joy to write about?

I think you’ve hit on it right there. Callie is atypical. She’s filled with doubt and insecurity and a complete certainty that she’ll never have all the things that come so easily to the women around her. The book begins in earnest with her decision to try to live despite all of her hangups. And I enjoyed her ride so much because I envied her that willingness to take action. I wish I was as brave as her. And so, I root for her . . . and I hope readers will, too.


Nine Rules has received a starred review from Booklist and a 4 ½ Top Pick review from Romantic Times. I’m sure it’s a wonderful feeling knowing Nine Rules is being critically well received. Does that add at all to your excitement about the coming release or does it make you nervous. Perhaps a bit of both?

It’s amazing . . . and terrifying . . . all at the same time.

I’m astounded by the incredible support Callie and Ralston have received . . . both from the review journals and from the Romance community—yourself included! At the same time, as you know, it’s scary! The book is out in the world, and all I can do is hope that it speaks to as many readers as possible. I have cancelled my Google alerts, for sanity’s sake.

Your first historical, The Season (great title BTW ), was a YA. The love scenes in Nine Rules were pretty hot , how easy was it to pour on the heat?

This was one of the things I thought would be most difficult for me . . . and I think that when I first started working on Nine Rules I thought it would be as simple as writing another book like The Season and just adding sex this time. Oh, silly silly Sarah.

The Season was a coming-of-age story, as much about Alexandra (the heroine) finding herself as it was about her finding love. Nine Rules is, in its own way, also about a heroine coming into her own, but Callie is much more mature, with much richer experiences upon which her life and story is built—so the naughty bits made sense for her in a way that they didn’t for Alex. I think that, because Callie is who she is, writing those more sensual scenes was much easier than one might expect.

Would you say writing The Season prepared you for writing an adult historical romance?

Every book prepares us for the next one and, while I approach my YA and adult romances very differently, there is no question that without Alex there would never have been Callie. And I feel the same about my next heroine, Isabel; she is the next because Alex and Callie have paved the way for her.

Will you be writing anymore YAs?

Absolutely. I adore writing YA . . . I love the brilliant and committed YA author community that I’m a part of . . . and, most importantly, I love writing for teens.

You received degrees from Smith College and Harvard. Was becoming a writer your intent when you were in college? Are your college friends surprised that you’re now writing romance novels?

I have been a voracious romance reader for most of my life, and that didn’t stop in college. At Smith, I was the keeper of the “romance library” in my dorm—I had a few hundred romances, from Johanna Lindsey and Judith McNaught to Amanda Quick and Nora Roberts and scores of Loveswepts and Silhouettes—always there if someone was looking for something to read. My college dormmates are not at all surprised. (An aside . . . I went back to the Smith campus a few years ago and visited the dorm, sure that the collection would be gone—only to discover that it’s tripled in size and is now housed in a common room of the house! What a treat! I can’t wait to add a copy of Nine Rules . . . to that library!)

Is there anything else you’d like to tell the readers about you or your book?

Only to thank everyone for taking the time to learn more about me and Nine Rules . . . I would love to hear what you think of the book if you do decide to read it!

Thanks so much for having me, Bev!

Thank you, Sarah, for joining me today on the blog. And Sarah is generously giving away a copy of Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake to one lucky commenter.  If you have a question or comment for Sarah, ask away! If you’d like to double your chances of winning, you can comment below on the review post where I’m giving away a copy of my own.