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 I am excited to announce that TORTURED, my dark ages medieval is now available for Pre-order at Barnes & Noble.com and Amazon.com. There is a discount now if you preorder!! Further fun-- and if you check my news page at www.amandamcintyre.net , you'll see my new " Quarterly "Love to Read" Contest featuring a gift card from BN.com this time around! Yay! Kristi is a techy wiz! Pictures are back at the manor!! Let me know what you think! Amanda Tortured Trade paperback featuring Sierra, Dryston Publisher: Spice Pub. Date: August 01, 2009 ISBN-13: 9780373605330 384pp True to its name, this book is a complex story with all the intrigue, passion, romance, and angst, not to mention a rough and tumble journey to that coveted HEA. I hardly ever take the direct route;) So, finally, posted here first at the LIT manor,-- an exclusive preview excerpt from Tortured.Excerpt: Sierra’s eyes were riveted to the Roman’s face, his sturdy jaw clenched as he endured without a sound, the pain to his body. With an exasperated sigh, Balrogan tossed the torch into the pit. “I will have to think of something else, milord. He is stubborn this one.” Lord Aeglech stared at the prisoner a moment, before he raised his hand. “Take him down,” he barked, “and bring him to me.” The Saxon king breezed by her with his guards close behind. He glanced back before ascending the narrow stairs. “I will have need of you, wealh. You know what to do.” “Aye, milord.” She lowered her gaze to the floor. Sierra’s body trembled at the thought of seducing this man. She feared his power over her emotions she thought long ago dead. Carefully, she reached up and swung the cage.  “Be watchful of that one, mouse, he may spit poison.” The executioner chuckled as he prepared his next device. “We’ll see first if this will persuade him to speak." He raised a handcrafted piece that can slowly sever a man’s fingers one at a time. The Roman’s expression remained unchanged as he stared at Sierra from his bat-like position. His face was not that of a farmer, or peasant, not as she was used to seeing. He had a warriors face, proud, rugged, stoic. His eyes, though shadowed from the torture, shone with silent strength. Her gaze drifted to the tight line of his mouth, pursed with determination. A mouth she ventured could command an army as well as command a woman in bed. For no reason that she could think of, she spoke aloud. “Lord Aeglech would not want to be kept waiting.” She imagined she saw a glint of challenge behind the prisoner's turbulent eyes. He was different, strong, unafraid, her vision of a true warrior. Most men, when faced with Balrogan’s forms of persuasion were eager to offer information and, so too, beg for mercy in the process. In three days, this Roman had been through numerous forms of torture without once having wavered. There was nothing innocent about him, only a powerful resilience seething beneath a warrior’s body. A power she was dangerously drawn to. Balrogan offered a muffled sound under his breath. “Perhaps you are right. He should be intact for whatever the king has in mind for him.” Since the Roman’s arrival, Lord Aeglech had received confirmation that the Roman-Briton, General Ambrosis and his army were traveling from Rome into the provinces just north of the Saxon stronghold. Given Aeglech’s paranoia, combined with the seeds she had managed to plant thus far in his mind, it was clear that he was preparing himself for a confrontation. Still, Sierra believed that the Saxon king was bored with the pillaging and conquest of common folk. She believed that he longed for an opponent worthy of a good fight. Perhaps that was why he had not yet ordered the death of the Roman prisoner. A creak of the cage jarred Sierra from her thoughts. The Roman’s gaze met hers and a shiver skittered up her spine. The image of him with the woman appeared in her mind and she I instinctively took a step back. This time she did not imagine seeing the corner of his mouth curve into a wicked smirk. Sierra swallowed a pang of pure desire as she sensed that he was able to look deep inside her, as if reading her thoughts. “I am on my way to the buttery,” she said to Balrogan, unable to break from the prisoners captivating stare. “See if the blacksmith is finished with my blades, Mouse,” Balrogan ordered without looking up. Years of having her around to do his bidding made the request easy. She glanced at the guard who maintained his post at the dungeon entrance. “Aye, milord.” Tearing her eyes from the Roman, she hurried out, taking the steps with care as she held up the hem of her gown. The image of the woman's face as the Roman pleasured her taunted Sierra. Her sighs burned in Sierra’s memory, the sight of her back arched, knees spread, her fingers digging into the Roman's dark hair. Never had she experienced what she sensed in that Celtic woman’s soul and it both frightened and intrigued her. And ever since she tasted its imagery, her hunger for the same elation grew. The woman in Sierra’s mind wore a look of joy on her face that she do not understand. More disturbing, perhaps, was that it made her realize that her life had become as cold and inhuman as Lord Aeglech. At the top of the stair, she heard an anguished male cry rise from the room below. Apparently, Balrogan had changed his mind about letting the Roman keep all of his fingers. Amanda
 Good morning! I'm just finishing up my first cuppa, pushing hubby and children out the door for the day! (Yippee for mopeds!) They say its going to get warmer here today-a whopping 55! Not exactly beach weather, but for early spring in Iowa, not too bad. The bright side is that next week I head south to Orlando!! Now to figure out how not to scare the Florida natives with my extreme, white skin! But today, we set our minds on the northland, eh? And the mecca of quality reading, Harlequin Enterprises! Joining us for a second day, is Spice/Mira editor, Lara Hyde! Woohoo <><>clapping<><> Oops, Lord CM is still asleep! Sssh! Hi Lara, hope your baby girl is doing better! Today I would like to focus a bit on the mechanics side of the industry. First, I'd like to ask, what advice would you give to an aspiring author who wants to get published with Harlequin/Silhouette? Lara: Do your homework--check out the writing guidelines for the various series and imprints on the www.e-harlequin.com and follow them! Read other books published in that genre. Also, get your manuscript proofread and, ideally, "edited" by a trusted critique partner or even a paid freelancer before sending it in. There is nothing more distracting than a submission that comes in full of errors. Besides that, just send us an exceptionally written, original story that we can't say no to! Amanda:I heard an editor once state that he's waiting for that book about "Scottish Ninja Warriors" to land on his desk. That unique book that is going to blow him away. Do you have any "wishes" of what you would love to see come across your desk? Lara: Hmm...that's a dangerous question! LOL Actually, I've never really thought about it. Authors are always surprising me with their originality...someone will suggest an idea for their next proposal or I'll come across a Spice Brief in my in-box, and I'll be like "Wow! I really want to read that!" but it's not necessarily something I would ever have thought of. But the premise is really second to the characters. If the characters are rendered realistically and the emotions between them can heat up the page or get me to cry--that's what I wish for. Amanda: That's what is so amazing about Spice to me. You keep a pretty open mind when it comes to unique story lines. It really gives the author the giant box of crayons to choose from;) That said-in the current economy, what can authors do to help promote their books? Lara: Authors should take advantage of any self-promotion opportunities there may be, including offering to do readings/signings at local libraries and bookstores, maintaining web sites and doing book giveaways, etc., mass e-mailing fans about their new book, entering contests and contacting reviewers and local media. Amanda: Most authors now spend equal amount of time promoting and writing. It makes sense to partner with the publisher in this endeavor, after all. That , to a certain extent is something I have seen more and more authors take hand in and I think that's a good thing! In your opinion, what is the greatest change in the writing end of the industry in the last ten years? What do you see as being the biggest change in the next ten? Lara: Wow. Seeing as how I've only been in the industry for seven years, I'm hard-pressed to say, but I do believe that we've seen a relatively recent explosion of new venues for writers to be heard. With the economic downturn of late, some traditional publishers may be cutting back on the number of new books they acquire, but now there are also e-publishers, print-on-demand publishers and blogs. All kinds of ways for authors to get their stories out there and potentially develop fan bases before they are ever traditionally published. I see this phenomenon as something that is going to continue to grow. Amanda: It boggles the mind to see the changes in even the last seven years! The education and market awareness of e-books, a resurgence in audiobooks,the creation of multiple handheld readers and iphones that download books, places that offer the classics for download. Personally I have always thought an untapped market of readers were the college students. With nearly every one of them having computers or easy access to them, the potential is endless! Lara, thank you so much for taking the time from your busy schedule to be here. We appreciate you allowing us to pick your brain a bit and here more about one of Harlequin Spice/Spice Briefs lines. Viva la' Spice! Viva la' Harlequin!
 Today we are happy to have visiting us at the manor a gifted , intelligent woman that I am proud to call friend and editor. And yes, she is fresh, vibrant and gorgeous, but we don't hold it against her;) I speak for Charlotte, Kristi and myself when I say her vision and encouragement has not gone unnoticed. A rare gem among today's editors, we warmly welcome Lara Hyde to the Manor. She was hoping that Lord Craven-Moore might offer to make her blueberry-banana pancakes in his skivvies. Spoken like a true Spice editor;) To all who leave comments, I am giving away some yummy Spice Brief mousepads for as long as they last! Grab your coffee , tea, or soda and join us for part I of our visit with Lara Hyde. Amanda: Good morning, Lara! (we'll dispense with the our usual Bawanna for today;) Your picture is gorgeous! Darn it! Beautiful and brainy to boot! *sigh we love you anyway ;) Why don't we begin with a little bit about you and how long you've been at Harlequin? Lara: I've been with Harlequin for almost 7 years. I studied journalism in university and worked on the production side in television after graduation, then went back to school and got my teaching degree. After a stint teaching abroad in South Korea, followed by teaching night school English, I realized teaching wasn't my passion. Harlequin was looking for a proofreader at the time, and I jumped on the opportunity to get my foot in the door of a publisher I had always dreamed of working for. In between proofreading and my current position as Assistant Editor for MIRA/Spice, I worked for nearly 4 years on Harlequin American Romance and Superromance. Amanda: Harlequin is so well known and respected in the romance industry, I can understand your desire to work there! This year Harlequin celebrates its 60th anniversary! That is an amazing accomplishment! Further I note that earnings for Harlequin/Silhouette remain constant and/or have shown improvement, in spite of the recent economic blight. Harlequin /Silhouette provides such a broad variety of lines-do you feel this diversity is part of Harlequin's long-running success? What else would you say continues to work for Harlequin/Sil? Lara: Absolutely--the variety of lines of imprints that Harlequin publishes is incredible. Harlequin is all about staying relevant and giving readers what they want to read. That means continuously revisiting our current products and launching new products where there is a demand. Because the name Harlequin is synonymous with romance, many people are amazed to learn that Harlequin publishes everything from traditional romances to mainstream thrillers to literary fiction and erotica under its various imprints. Of course, when it comes to series romance, Harlequin is #1, and series readers know that when they buy that Harlequin Presents or Silhouette Romantic Suspense, they will get the happily-ever-after ending they are looking for. And I think that promise keeps them coming back. Amanda: I'm sure our readers have their favorites. I personally love the diversity of Harlequin /Silhouette lines and the fact that they are always open to growth and researching what readers want. In your experience, what would you say are the tried and true lines and what is new at Harlequin? Anything new coming down the pipeline? Lara: Well, the tried-and-true lines like Harlequin Presents, Silhouette Desire, Harlequin Historical and Harlequin Blaze aren't going anywhere. And then we have the more recent lines and imprints like LUNA (female-focused fantasy), and of course, SPICE, that offer something really unique. As for new products, we've got Harlequin Teen launching this August, and Nocturne Bites (short paranormal e-books) and Harlequin Historical Undone (short historical e-books), which are following in the footsteps of the Spice Briefs program, which is the erotica e-books program I have the pleasure of being involved in. Amanda: E-Books and "going green" is a very big step for many pubs these days as well as the devices for reading e-books like Sony's E-Reader and Amazon's Kindle. Hopefully, the move toward e-book will help in offering books to a whole new generation of readers! Is Harlequin/Silhouette planning to offer all of its backlist books in E-Book format? Lara: We are currently in the middle of releasing a large number of titles in backlist throughout 2009. Since it is difficult to know where to start/stop, so we are using customer requests, sales history, volume of titles by an author, connected editorial etc….as our guidelines. We actually just released 50 titles in March and will be releasing another 85 in May. Our goal is to meet as many of our customers’ needs in eBook format as we can, so it will an initiative that will continue beyond this year. Amanda: The possibilities are endless certainly! I am impressed the more I hear about Harlequin and its goal to retain its traditional works as well as offer amazing new lines and even non-fiction! The challenge is there to authors and editors alike to find the stories that will please readers on all levels of the reading palette! And I find that challenge very exciting! Harlequin has its two sides, category and single-title. You currently edit for the single-title Spice and Mira lines at Harlequin. Have you edited for the category side of Harlequin? How is that the same? How is it different? Lara: I edited a number of American Romance and Superromance novels before moving over to the single-title side. I loved working on series! The editing process is virtually the same; the only real differences are the length of the books you're editing and, of course, the subject matter (my current MIRA authors write ultra-gory, serial-killer thrillers). I really enjoy working on Spice because many of the stories (particularly the historicals) are wonderful romances at their core, but they are edgier and less predictable than category romance. And the authors who write them are really fun to work with! Amanda: I love less predictable ;)especially if it involves steamy romance!;) So, I'm curious, what does an editor read for pleasure? Lara: Oh, all types! Lately I've been reading a lot of non-fiction memoirs about quirky families and dysfunctional childhoods, like THE GLASS CASTLE by Jeannette Walls, and RUNNING WITH SCISSORS by Augusten Burroughs. I can't seem to get enough of those. Amanda: Which conjures up a whole host of questions that I will ask in my second half of our visit with Lara, come tomorrow! Meantime, please feel free to ask Lara questions or tell her what you as readers would love to see in your reading!! I'll see if I can hunt down Lord C. M and bribe him into putting on his silk boxers. Usually he simply tosses on his silk robe and a wicked smile as he prepares our breakfast;)
 Charlotte, Kristi and I want to remind everyone of the special guest we have coming to the manor and staying with us for a couple of days! Harlequin Spice/Mira Editor, Lara Hyde will be sharing about herself, her work, and what it's like to be an editor for the oldest of all the publishers--60 years young this year! Join us for this special guest! For aspiring authors, this is your chance to ask questions. For our readers, this is your chance to tell an editor what you'd like to see, and what you enjoy reading! The festivities will begin Tuesday morning! Come by and join us for a cup of coffee and a chat with our Harlequin editor, Lara Hyde!
 So, spring is here, or at least I keep telling myself that as I sip my morning coffee and watch the snow fall outside my window! Blech!!!!! The ground is white with the S%^&,err I mean fluffy stuff. I find myself going back to Saturday when it was sunny and warm enough to have one or two windows open, and to don my beloved flip flops. This morning I'll be scraping the windshield. That's April in my neck of the woods I'm afraid. We typically hunt Easter eggs in the snow, and those beautiful pastel colored dresses for little girls are typically worn beneath snow boots and a winter coat. Booooo!!! But April also means, daffodils (bought a couple of bunches this w/e) and their yellow cheeriness instantly lit up the house. April also means that I will have a bit of time to read for pleasure. I do have deadlines, but if I stick with my daily word count, the deadlines should allow me some free time for reading. These are the books I've picked this month!!!!!  Sins of a Wicked Duke, Sophie Jordan. Well, I love Sophie's writing, and I've had this book for about a week now. I'm going to start it today. It's a historical and I'm chomping to get back to a good historical.  Larrissa Ione's Desire Unleashed, I love her Demonica series, and can't wait to read this one!!! Sexy and hot and dangerous!  And last but most certainly not least is JR Ward's Lover Avenged. I cannot tell you how much I'm eagerly awaiting this book. I have a bit of a problem with the brothers if you know what I'm sayin'. You thought Lindsay had a problem with opium, yeah, well that's me with the brothers. I luuuuuuv them. I think Rhage, V and Phury are my favs, but I'm anxious to read Rehv's story. He's sexy and bad, and I like those combinations!!!!! I'm also hoping for a bit more romance in this book than the last two she wrote. I'm a sucker for those early books when the romance was really the focus. So, what books or book are you anxiously waiting for, or reading? Or, a you possibly doing a re-read? Enquiring minds want to know, and possibly my TBR pile!!Happy Monday!
 Introducing Helen, Grace, and Sarah Jane, my "muses" for my upcoming Spice historical. More on them as we progress with writing...but wanted you to meet my inspiration for each. I awoke with every good and noble intent today to announce the title decided upon by my editor, her boss, and the marketing persons at Harlequin Spice. Then the day went to heck in a hand basket..so here I am,the afternoon sun waning in my office window and I'm wondering where did this day go and thinking how many miles I have yet before I sleep!;) But first things first...all your entries were wonderful and for any author reading through them, surely should have picked up some great ideas for stories! As Genella pointed out, if she had a book written for every title, she'd have shelves full! I'm the opposite--titles throw me, hence the reason for your help!;) Long story short...the editors carefully looked through the list and decided frankly that they saw great cover art ideas with the title, simply stated-"The Muses." I was not sure at first I agreed, given all the titles that I really liked, but their conceptual ideas for the cover art and the fact that this is about the women and their experience with bad boy, rebel artist, Thomas Everett Rodin, I began to see their vision. Simple in this case, is better. Which means...no one came up with that title. Pish posh* On the up side, Harlequin Spice has never made a bad cover yet that I've seen and I have full confidence that this one will be just as incredible as the rest! However, as promised..I am going to award a conciliatory prize. Each of the ten (11 if I count Sophie) bloggers that participated are going to receive a full-color , glossy cover flat of our upcoming Winter's Desire anthology;) That is Lisa, Caffey, Amy, Genella, Sarabelle, Raneria, Cecile, Lea, Jane, Ms. Moonlight! email amanda@amandamcintyre.net to give me your contact info. My sincere thanks to all who participated, I hope you had fun and and trust that you all got to experience what it is like sometimes to rack your brain coming up with a catchy title! LOL Not my forte'! But you all are pretty darn good at it and I bow to your expertise! I am giving special thanks in my acknowledgements to the blog support crew of Lust in Time--you guys are the best! Much love and heartfelt thanks, Amanda
 Just in time for Wicked Wednesday, I received my newest cover--for my Edwardian-set October 2009 release, A MIDNIGHT CLEAR (Zebra Books). It's pretty hot, I think! But what I really love about it is that it really captures the tone of the book, which is a little darker and angstier than my previous historicals. I also love that it shares similar elements with the WINTER'S DESIRE cover--the moon, the bare branches, the darker palette. And I'll be the first to admit--I *love* gold foil lettering! Here's the back blurb: HE WAS HER FORBIDDEN FANTASY... Miranda Granger arrives at the spectacular seaside resort The Grandview Hotel to spend the Christmas holidays, hoping it will be just the tonic she needs to forget her scandalous past. But when she crosses paths with Troy Davenport, the alluring stranger she met aboard an ocean liner, Miranda fears she will repeat the mistake that almost ruined her reputation many years ago. SHE WAS HIS GREATEST MUSE... Troy Davenport has been struggling to paint the stunning woman he encountered by moonlight on the ship's deck. If only he could meet his muse again. When he learns she's staying at The Grandview, it takes a great deal of convincing to let him paint her. But once he begins he realizes he wants more than to capture her unique beauty on canvas. When they surrender to an all-consuming passion, Troy's past threatens to tear them apart--unless a Christmas miracle can save their love. So....what do you think??
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