Friday, October 5, 2012

Book Tour for Hidden Paradise by Janet Mullany (Author Interview & GIVEAWAY)


Those who love erotica will be thrilled with the book I'm bringing you today. Hidden Paradise by Janet Mullany is full of one steamy encounter after another set in the fantasy world of the Regency period. Janet's here today letting us learn more about her in an interview as well as hosting a giveaway. So let's learn more about Hidden Paradise and the woman behind it....

TSP: How did you get where you are today with your writing career and would you have done anything differently?
JM: I don’t know that I’m any sort of role model! My illustrious career has been characterized by every line I’ve written for ending, and almost every editor moving on, so I must be some sort of catalyst for change. I’m also very bad at networking and social media. I finaled in the 2003 Golden Heart contest which was a bit of a mixed blessing—no one wanted that ms. and I got very discouraged as rejection after rejection thudded through the mailbox four in one day, once. (Now it’s all digital you can boast about the number of seconds to receive an email rejection.) I didn’t have a stack of mss. under the bed to offer as alternatives, but I was busy writing. I sold my second completed manuscript as a result of the Beau Monde’s Royal Ascot contest. I finally realized that I had a very strong voice and I should write what I wanted, and then things started to move for me.
 
TSP: What's a typical writing day like for you and do you surround yourself with any inspirational items?
JM: My writing day is Thursday, the weekday off from my day job, and on that day I make bread, refinish furniture, clean, blog, and do promo. I try to crank out 1,000 words a day and/or set the timer for 20 mins. Fortunately I write fairly clean first drafts.
 
TSP: What can you tell us about Hidden Paradise and which famous people do you picture as your lead characters?
JM: [blurb from goddess fish]. I’m a visual person but I don’t spend a lot of time describing people. I think the fine tuning should be done by the reader. It’s not always that way, though; one of my WIPs stars Johnny Depp and half the original cast of House.
 
TSP: Is this a stand-alone book or will we be revisiting this decadent world in the future?
JM: Stand alone, and I think I’m sort of storied out on this one! Some books you really want to find out what happens to a minor character, but not this one. I don’t think I’ve every yet written a book with a sequel in mind and creating characters for that purpose. When it comes down to it I know their story and I’m no longer interested.
 
TSP: Some of your books are inspired by Jane Austen, what is it about her that appeals to you and how do you explain her continued popularity?
JM: She’s an amazingly accomplished writer technically in the way she handles POV, dialogue, and narrative tricks, and full of wit and grace. (I wish someone would say that about me.) She knows how and when to let the reader fill in the gaps and how to give a vivid impression of a character in just a few lines. I reread her books quite often and I always find something new in them. Film and TV adaptations have increased her popularity and it’s amazing to think that someone, somewhere, right at this moment, is cracking open P&P for the first time and meeting the real Darcy.
 
TSP: Your books have thus far been in the historical genre, are there any other genres you'd like to try your hand at? And what releases do you have scheduled next?
JM: I’d love to write a historical mystery. I’m not quite sure what’s next for me. I’m just emerging from a writing slump and now I want to have fun and experiment.
 
TSP: What affect has the digital revolution had on your career and do you have an eReader yourself? Do you ever see print books vanishing in favor of digital?
JM: I have a kindle and I’ve never read so many bad books in my life! I love being able to read library books on the ereader and it’s great for my commute. It makes me value bookstores and libraries all the more, and although I think ebooks are terrific there will always be a demand for real books.
 
TSP: My blog's all about my favorite things, so what are some of your favorite things/the things you can't live without?
JM: My family, my cat, my friends. Tea. Music, mostly classical. Cooking especially making bread. The smell of the ground as rain starts falling.
 
Thanks so much for having me visit!


CALL IT SENSE AND
 
Sensuality...
 
Louisa Connelly, a recently widowed Jane Austen scholar, needs some relief from her stifling world. When a friend calls to offer her a temporary escape from her Montana ranch, she is whisked into a dizzying world of sumptuous food, flowing wine...and endless temptation.
 
She's an honored guest at Paradise Hall, an English resort boasting the full experience of an authentic Georgian country-house weekend. Liveried servants tend to the every need of houseguests clad in meticulous period costume: snug breeches, low-cut silken gowns and negligible undergarments.
 
It's Mac Salazar, a journalist immersing himself fully, deeply, lustily in the naughty pleasures of upstairs-downstairs dalliances, who piques Louisa's curiosity-and libido-most. He's a dilettante straight out of a novel: uninhibited, unapologetic and nearly insatiable. But Lou's not romantic about this much, at least: Paradise Hall is a gorgeous fantasy, nothing more. A lover like Mac is pure fiction. And the real world beckons....
 
EXCERPT:
 
Lou took a deep breath, enjoying the solitude and silence. She took inventory of her outfit and gathered her fan, gloves and fancy red-and-black reticule. Her remaining silk flowers wouldn’t work with this gown, or her headdress, a small turban which was little more than a twist of the same fabric sewn into a circlet. But she needed some sort of adornment, some bling. She looked at her meager collection of jewelry and picked out the ruby on a fine gold chain that Julian had given her for their wedding. When was the last time she had worn this? At his funeral?
 
For you, Julian, she thought. You should have been here tonight. This should have been our moment, and you would have loved the discovery of the conservatory. You’d be out there with the Paint Boys, bashing off plaster, given half the chance.
 
She threaded the necklace carefully around the turban, adding a few clumsy stitches to secure it with the sewing kit the room provided. By candlelight, her inadequate housewifery would pass and the ruby, a large square-cut stone, glistened. Perfect.
 
A touch of glossy red on her lips and she was ready, and only just in time. She joined a flow of guests down the stairs, where women in gorgeous gowns and men in Regency evening wear or military uniforms mingled. Footmen passed through the crowd with trays of champagne. There was a little more light than usual in the foyer and she guessed the floral arrangements concealed hidden lights. A few flashbulbs exploded as they descended the steps, members of the media incongruous in modern clothing, and a couple of camera crews.
 
A man stepped forward and bowed, dressed in a severe black swallowtail coat and snowy white linen. His evening trousers were black knit that shone with the luster of silk and clung to his beautiful physique, a lock of dark hair tumbled over his forehead. He extended a gloved hand to her.
 
"Mr. Darcy, I presume," she said.
 

AUTHOR BIO & LINKS:
 
Janet Mullany, granddaughter of an Edwardian housemaid, was born in England but now lives near Washington, DC. Her debut book was Dedication, the only Signet Regency to have two bondage scenes (and which was reissued with even more sex in April 2012 from Loose-Id). Her next book, The Rules of Gentility (HarperCollins 2007) was acquired by Little Black Dress (UK) for whom she wrote three more Regency chicklits, A Most Lamentable Comedy, Improper Relations, and Mr. Bishop and the Actress. Her career as a writer who does terrible things to Jane Austen began in 2010 with the publication of Jane and the Damned (HarperCollins), and Jane Austen: Blood Persuasion (2011) about Jane as a vampire, and a modern retelling of Emma, Little to Hex Her, in the anthology Bespelling Jane Austen headlined by Mary Balogh. She also writes contemporary erotic fiction for Harlequin, Tell Me More (2011) and Hidden Paradise (September, 2012).

Website: www.janetmullany.com
Twitter: @Janet_Mullany
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Janet-Mullany-Author/144530775580812
 

**********GIVEAWAY**********

Janet will pledge $1 for every comment made on the blog tour to
Heifer International (which has absolutely nothing to do with the book but is one of her favorite nonprofits), up to $250. Additionally, she'll award the choice of the following eBooks from her backlist to one randomly drawn commenter at every stop: Forbidden Shores (erotic historical romance w/a Jane Lockwood), or Tell Me More (contemporary erotica) or The Rules of Gentility (funny sexy Regency). 
-Giveaway is OPEN TO EVERYONE!
-To be entered, MUST leave a comment, ALONG WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDY.
-One commenter will be chosen from each tour stop, so the more tour stops you make a comment on the greater your chances of winning. A list of all participating blogs can be found
here.
-Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM CST on 10/13.

7 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for having me visit today. I'm at the JASNA conference in Brooklyn, NY at the moment--four days of talking about Austen, bliss! So I'll check back later to chat.

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    1. Thank YOU for stopping by my blog and I hope you're enjoying your conference. I enjoyed your farming tidbit and please share any other fun facts you discover this weekend. Thanks too for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with us readers!

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  2. Thanks for sharing.
    kybunnies(at)gmail(dot)com

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  3. hi Suzie, thanks for saying hi!

    Did you know btw that a water buffalo enables a farmer to plant FOUR TIMES the amount of rice than he could plant by hand? It's a living ruminating tractor!

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  4. Nice inspiration in Jane Austen.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  5. Good morning bn100. I'm absolutely being inspired by Jane Austen today. I'm attending the JASNA conference which is four days of hanging out with people who want to talk about Austen. Bliss.

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