Historical Titles on Book Lover's Buffet!

I'm so excited that Redeemed is part of the BOOK LOVER'S BUFFET, featuring 175 books for $0.99, with buy links to many online vendors. Some wonderful historical romances are included that you can find here. I'm providing a brief overview of each in the list below. Check them out! I'm sure you'll see some delicious reads you can't resist. And why should you, when they are all 99 cents and calorie-free!??

Rogue's Hostage by Linda McLaughlin
His hostage.  Her destiny.  In the midst of a war that threatens the fabric of her life, Mara finds herself torn between love and loyalty.

An Improper Situation by Sydney Jane Baily
From dusty Colorado to civilized Boston, Charlotte and Reed encounter sinister forces and scorned women. With passions ablaze yet often at odds, they find themselves in a very Improper Situation. 

Wear Black by Eilis Flynn and Heather Hiestand

Death did not end his service to the British Empire. Death is only the beginning...Wear Black 

Regency Romance: To Dare the Duke of Dangerfield - Book #1 Wicked Wagers Trilogy

Spirited heroine, rakish duke, and three wagers that will change their lives…

Tame a Wild Wind by Cynthia Woolf

He’s looking for work not love. She’s looking for a ranch foreman not the love of a lifetime.

To Wed The Earl - Regency Novella

Miss Miranda Price detests her neighbor Edward Havens, the rakish Earl of Edgerton - but when he catches her breaking into his library at midnight, secrets are revealed that will change the course of their lives... forever.

The Escort  by Gina Robinson True love runs deep.

Storm on the Horizon: Kit thinks he’s helping Tatiana to hide her powerful magic from Georgian society, but he’s about to find out her secret’s much bigger than he ever imagined.

An Exotic Heir: Warning--dangerous to your heart: love and revenge in Regency Calcutta.

Ventre a Terre
Rosamund Hilliard, singing for her supper at the grand houses of England, must flee her suitors when her scheming is discovered. 

And, last but not least, Redeemed by Jill Hughey. Can a quiet widow help a damaged, secretive man find redemption?

I hope you'll visit the BOOK LOVER'S BUFFET where you can find a wide assortment of romances across all genres for just 99 cents, plus enter to win prizes!

Who Do I Write For?

Who do you write for?  In the days before ebooks and self-publishing became a valid business enterprise, the answer to that question would be either "INSERT NAME OF PUBLISHING HOUSE HERE" or "I'm not published yet".  Now the answer is not so clear-cut.

I just released Sass Meets Class, a sweet romance set in Arizona Territory.  It is different from my other books in almost every respect and there is a reason which I will get to soon.  First, however, I want to mention what got me thinking about this.

In trying to promote Sass Meets Class, I've been doing some interviews.  This is a pretty thought-provoking activity.  I had to think about when I wrote it (2001) and why I wrote it (coming up) and what inspired me (visiting Arizona).  Where did the characters come from (hell if I know).

Obviously, since I am putting my work out there for purchase, I hope that readers will give my books a try, be happy with what they read, and come back for more.  However, Sass Meets Class is so different from the others that I'm wondering whether readers will feel bamboozled if this is the first of my creations they've picked up and they then go on to one of my spicier, edgier medieval books, Unbidden or Redeemed.

OK, blah blah blah, why did you make Sass Meets Class so different?  

Because I wrote it with a specific publisher in mind.  I had a pitch meeting with an Avalon editor at the 2001 RWA Convention knowing full well they published only sweet, clean romance.  She asked for a full manuscript and I wrote it.  A very long time later it was rejected for having too much stuff about English nobility.  Fair enough.

There is much discussion in the author world right now about traditional versus self-publishing.  I won't even attempt to address the business aspects of it because I am a noob.  I do remember, over a decade later, how challenging I found it to write within the confines of someone else's rules.  Don't get me wrong, I am fond of Sass Meets Class or I would not have released it.  I revisited the manuscript twice before letting it loose in the cyber-world and enjoyed the revision process both times.  However, in this new publishing world of ours, we self-pubbed authors enjoy creative freedom.  Since Avalon didn't buy it, I could easily have dropped in some stronger language and a wedding night scene to make it seam with the heat level in earlier books.  Why didn't I?   I think for these characters in this setting, two impassioned kisses is enough.  I also like that romance lovers of any age, sex, and sensitivity will enjoy Sass Meets Class as it stands.  In a way, it is a marketing experiment to see if clean American historical romance is more palatable to the market than my Carolingian noblemen.

See, there I go with the nobility again....

In the end, with no publisher to tell me different, I have to write for myself with my reader in mind.  Nothing makes me happier as a writer than when other people enjoy my stories.  Perhaps the best way to bring them alive for other people is to make my characters and their challenges ring true for me.

What do you think, readers and writers?  How far from the expected creative road can an author go before you feel you've been led down a false path?