Last month I flew to France in grand style to interview the fabulous Eloisa James about her upcoming release, A KISS AT MIDNIGHT, the first in her fairy tale themed books. Paris is quite lovely this time of the year. I was lucky enough to be visiting on Bastille Day, so I was able to see the military parade marching down des Champs-Élysées. What a sight, I tell you! After a visit to La Tour Eiffel…I woke up from my very pleasant dream, much like the characters in most fairy tales. But fear not, Eloisa continues to live my dream in France. Sigh. Please welcome Eloisa to the blog.

One lucky commenter will receive a copy of A KISS AT MIDNIGHT, which is an August Top Pick!

Hi Eloisa, welcome to The Season Blog and congratulations on A Kiss At Midnight’s, Top Pick with a perfect rating score of 10. A Kiss At Midnight is—as you state—a skewed, funny version of Cinderella, but what is the biggest difference between Kate and Cinderella?

I would love to answer this, but I’m not sure there are enough details in the fairy story to point with confidence to differences. If you think of the brief storyline, Cinderella could be a wimp (sitting in the fireplace all those years), or a victim (abuse at the hands of her stepmother), or just truly foolish (who wants a man with a shoe fetish?).

In fact, one could think of Cinderella as a paper doll, waiting for someone to come along and give her personality and color and passion. My Kate, on the other hand, is no paper doll—she’s a fierce, very funny woman caught in a terrible situation and making the best of it.

I really loved—and was relieved—that A Kiss At Midnight didn’t mirror Cinderella in the sense that all the villainous characters in the fairy tale weren’t villainous in your book (Victoria, the stepsister). Was there any thought to not making the stepmother evil?

No… Fairy stories grapple with evil, and in the case of Cinderella, the evil is a specifically familial, female version. What I did want to create a woman who acted in evil ways, but whom readers could understand. Mariana is not sadistic, but she is the very definition of opportunistic.

I’ve heard A Kiss At Midnight is the first in a series of fairy tale themed historicals you’re writing. Can you tell us which fairy tale is going to be adapted next?

When Beauty Tamed the Beast will pub January 27th—I think there’s no mystery about which fairy story lies at the heart of that novel! Right now I’m working on the story of the princess and the pea. The pea is proving a challenge. I had a lot of fun translating Cinderella’s Disney rats, the gown, the fairy godmother… I’ve having a lot more trouble with the pea!

You have The Lady Most Likely coming out in December with Julia Quinn and Connie Brockway? Is this an anthology? Can you tell us a bit about the book and your  part in it?

The Lady Most Likely is not really an anthology—it’s more of a jointly written novel. Julia, Connie and I stole away from our families for a long weekend, holed up in a hotel and wrote like mad. We came up with the idea of a hero whose sister gives him a list of possible brides, and then brainstormed our individual heroine’s stories within the larger novel. And then we worked on the bits that are shared among us – the introduction, the epilogue, that sort of thing. We had a wonderful time! At night we wandered out into New Orleans and had amazing food, and then went back and wrote some more. It was great fun creating this novel, and I think our pleasure at writing—and being together—really comes through.

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A Kiss At Midnight
Author: Eloisa James
Publisher: Avon / HarperCollins
Pub. Date: July 27, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0061626845
Retail: $7.99
Pages: 384

Miss Kate Daltry doesn’t believe in fairy tales… or happily ever after.

Forced by her stepmother to attend a ball, Kate meets a prince… and decides he’s anything but charming. A clash of wits and wills ensues, but they both know their irresistible attraction will lead nowhere. For Gabriel is promised to another woman—a princess whose hand in marriage will fulfill his ruthless ambitions.

Gabriel likes his fiancé, which is a welcome turn of events, but he doesn’t love her. Obviously, he should be wooing his bride-to-be, not the witty, impoverished beauty who refuses to fawn over him.

Godmothers and glass slippers notwithstanding, this is one fairy tale in which destiny conspires to destroy any chance that Kate and Gabriel might have a happily ever after.

Unless a prince throws away everything that makes him noble…

Unless a dowry of an unruly heart trumps a fortune…

Unless one kiss at the stroke of midnight changes everything.

**Click cover to read review

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Last year you left the United States to spend a year in France (I just about died of envy when I heard). Were you fluent in French before you went to France? If not, are you fluent now?

Nope. I used to speak French fluently; I lived here before. But in the years of being married to an Italian husband, it seems as if all my foreign language receptors were replaced by Italian. I can understand people if they speak slowly, which they never do. And I didn’t work on becoming fluent – I find that big smiles and small French work quite well in Paris.

Which book did you hit the New York Times bestseller list with, and who told you that you made the list? What was your reaction?

My fourth novel hit the NYT extended list. My editor called me at work (I’m a professor). I was ecstatic – but at that point, I hadn’t yet told my colleagues that I was moonlighting as a romance novelist. So I danced down the corridor, keeping it all to myself. And later my husband brought home roses. It was a lovely day.

Do you have any intention of publishing a fictional novel outside the historical romance genre?

Not at the moment, but I am finishing a memoir of our year in Paris. It will be published by Random House sometime in 2011. That’s my first venture outside of romance, other than scholarship.

Not only are you a bestselling author, but you also have your own monthly column on Barnes & Noble website. What’s the best thing about doing that
column?

Getting to read fabulous new books before anyone else!!

I hear you’re running a really exciting contest – can you tell us about it?

I am! Harper Collins (my publisher) and Barnes & Noble have come together to give out two fabulous B&N electronic readers (the Nook), along with $50 gift cards! Here’s how to win: “like” my fan page on Facebook, which is http://www.facebook.com/EloisaJamesFans. If I reach 15K fans by August 3rd, the first Nook will be given to one of them. And then enter the contest on my website, www.eloisajames.com, for a chance at another Nook & gift card, and some fabulous runner up prizes as well! Please share this with all your friends…I do want to make that 15K by August 3rd and make sure two Nooks go to my fans!

I tell you, those publishers are so sneaky. After I finished Loretta Chase’s upcoming book, Last Night’s Scandal, and was sighing over how much I enjoyed it, I read the excerpt of Adele Ashworth’s July release, THE DUKE’S CAPTIVE, which was a teaser at the back of the book. From that point on, I was hooked.

I knew I had an egalley of the book on my eReader and instead of going to sleep at midnight like I should have, I started reading THE DUKE’S CAPTIVE. Needless  to say, I didn’t get much sleep. Eventually, though, I couldn’t stave off sleep any longer, but bright and early the next morning, I finished it. It was one of those books. That’s when I knew I had to have Adele on the blog and thank goodness, she generously consented to an interview. Welcome Adele!

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I loved THE DUKE’S CAPTIVE. I started it very late one night, read until about 3 am and then woke up the following morning to finish it. For me the hook was the revenge theme which you gave your own unique twist on that made for a compelling read. Can you first tell the readers a little about THE DUKE’S CAPTIVE and then how was it to actually write.

I’m thrilled you enjoyed THE DUKE’S CAPTIVE so much! (And I envy your ability to read a book – any book – so quickly! I’m the slowest reader on the planet, I think.

TDC is about Ian Wentworth, Earl of Stamford, Duke of Chatwin, who — in my last book — was kidnapped, chained to a wall in a dungeon for five weeks, and nearly died. This book begins five years later when he inherits a new title, lots of money, and decides hunt down one of his kidnappers who he thinks escaped justice, Viola Bennington-Jones, now the Lady Cheshire and widow of a baron. She’s just come out of mourning and he sets his goal on seducing her and ruining her socially and/or financially. But she knows some secrets of his, too, and when she learns that he’s coming after her, she fights back. Although this h/h appear briefly in my last book, this one stands alone, so there’s no reason to have read that one first.

I’ve never done a revenge theme book before, so in that regard, writing THE DUKE’S CAPTIVE was a blast. In every other respect it was pure and simply drudgery. Ugh. And I’m not sure why except that my muse decided to take a long vacation for some reason. I also got stalled in one particular scene (the seduction scene in the cottage where the hero tells all) because it was just so intense. I had to get it right — especially since the kind of vengeful love scene associated with it was a totally new thing for me.

This is the first book I’ve read of yours. Do all your books have the same intense emotional conflict and sexual tension?

I think so, yes. I don’t write humorous books, though I wish I could. Some of my books are less emotionally draining than this one, and my previous heroes weren’t quite as Alpha-esque as Ian. But I do think I’m known for writing good sexual tension and characters that elicit strong emotions from each other and the reader.

Can I safely say that if not for your seven years as an flight attendant, you wouldn’t be the romance writer you are today?

That’s probably true, although it’s not because I came into contact with a huge number of “characters” which I did. I think it’s because as a f/a I had so much free time to read, read, read, especially on all those overnights. And because I had great seniority I was able to bid to work in the back of the plane, so when passengers were coming on board, I could stand in the back galley and read between my announcements. I must have read hundreds of romances in those seven years! Really, if you want to be a romance author, you have to be a romance reader first.

Your published novel, MY DARLING CAROLINE, which won the RITA for Best First Book in 1999, was recently released by Avon. Was that the first book you’ve had rereleased? How excited were you about the news?

I was thrilled (and kind of relieved) when Avon decided to reissue my Berkley backlist. Thrilled because those first three books had very small print runs, especially WINTER GARDEN, and relieved because STOLEN CHARMS introduces the heroine of WG, which connects with my last book, A NOTORIOUS PROPOSITION, which connects with my next book, THE DUKE’S CAPTIVE. It’s not necessary to read any one of these books to read another since they all stand alone, but it will be really nice when all are in print so those readers who do want to read them can. And WG, which so many people seem to want to read, is really, really hard to find now. By the way, both SC and WG will be re-released in the fall of 2011 — I think October and December respectively.

Selling the first book is probably one of the most exciting and unforgettable times in an author’s career. Can you tell us a little about the call that changed your life?

Okay, weird story. Like all writers, I had been trying to sell my manuscript (My Darling Caroline) for a long time. I hired an agent about a year before she sold it, and during that time she would call me frequently to give me updates on what editors were saying, and changes they thought I could do to make to make the story better. I got a couple of marvelous rejection letters where editors loved the book, but didn’t have room on their lists, and a couple of rejections where there were suggestions I could really use but they weren’t interested. And each time my agent would call and say something like, “Well, Pocket isn’t interested, but so-and-so over at Dorchester thinks you might be able to do such-and-such…” Anyway, this went on for about nine or ten months. I got very used to getting calls from my agent, re-writing chapters, taking stuff out and replacing, etc.

So, on this day, my husband was making cheeseburgers for lunch, and my six-month-old daughter was staring at me in her bouncy seat, wearing her pink onesie with the bright pink tulips (you remember this stuff when you finally get “the call”;) and just before we sat down for lunch, my agent calls. No problem, I’m used to getting work-on-chapter-whatever calls, right? So the first thing out of her mouth is a very bland, practical, “Well… Berkley’s made an offer…” And I yawn, thinking – seriously – what can they possibly want me to do with the manuscript now? It totally didn’t register for like a minute that she’d just told me that an editor actually wanted to BUY my book. The only thing I remember after her words struck me was my agent laughing at my incoherent babbling, and that my appetite had totally vanished. It was an awesome day.

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The Duke’s Captive
Author: Adele Ashworth
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Pub. Date: June 29, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0061474842
Retail: $7.99
384 pages

Vengeance would be his . . .

Ian Wentworth arrives in London with one goal: revenge. Now a duke of enormous wealth, he should settle down to the business of marrying and producing heirs. But nightmares of an ordeal from his past haunt him at every turn. All those he believes responsible have paid with their lives. All but one: Viola Bennington-Jones, the lovely Lady Cheshire. And he will not rest until he sees the tempting beauty suffer.

Viola keeps her secrets—and there are many—safe from society’s prying eyes. When she first spies Ian at a glittering ball, the rush of recognition immediately turns to panic. Does he remember the tender touches that once passed between them? Does he feel the electric passion that binds them still? Or does he blame her for the awful horrors her kin bestowed upon him? The enigmatic duke holds her captive: in desperate thrall to his powerful sensuality, her future—and her heart—in his hands.

Click to read the review.

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What tropes do you find yourself instantly drawn to both in writing and reading?

That’s a tough question to answer, though I like most anything if the story stems from believable characters. When it comes to writing, I try to write what readers like to read, then put my own twists on them. I think even overused romance plot devices like secret babies and virgin widows can be made into great stories if the characters and their motivations are believable. And I like to try new things all the time. When it comes to reading, I love anything that has a mystery or thriller aspect.

What other genres do you read? Would you like to write in another genre?

When I actually have the time to read, I like anything by Dean Koontz, any Romantic Suspense, and I especially enjoy Harlequin Presents and Silhouette Desire because they’re shorter books and I can actually finish one in a shorter length of time. As for writing… I’m thinking of RS, or a Romantic Thriller, but until I have more time to finish the books I’m contracted to write, they’ll have to wait.

Can you tell us anything about your next book?

Well, I’m in the middle of writing it, so anything can change at this point. But it’s the story of Lady Isabella Summerland (first introduced in THE DUKE’S CAPTIVE) and Justin Marley, Viscount Durham, Duke of Westchester (first introduced in SOMEONE IRRESISTIBLE). He’s shy and retiring, a scholar and anatomist; she’s fun-loving, energetic and gregarious, and thinks he’s boring. The story centers around stolen ancient Egyptian jewels, a Marriage of Convenience, and the mystery of the death of his former betrothed. That’s it in a nutshell. And like I said, any of it could change before it’s finished. It should be published next year, probably just before STOLEN CHARMS and WINTER GARDEN.

I want to thank Adele so much for stopping by and doing the interview. And now that I’ve read THE DUKE’S CAPTIVE, I must go back and read A NOTORIOUS PROPOSITION. What about you, don’t you think that would be just the place to start even though THE DUKE’S CAPTIVE can absolutely stand on its own. Well I do and that’s why today Avon Books is giving away a copy of A NOTORIOUS PROPOSITION. Why not start at the beginning if you can, right? Just comment to enter to win.