Monday 9 January 2012

Interview and Contest: Mia Marlowe - Sins of the Highlander

Today I have Mia Marlowe over for an interview and at the end you can win her new book, Sins of the Highlander.

Welcome!

1. Could you tell me a little about yourself?
MM: I’m a travel nut. My bags are always half-packed. If my DH has to take a business trip to an interesting place, I’m tagging along to play tourist. When I’m not writing, I’m playing with my neurotic terrier, Mack the Wonderdog, and Prince Harry, my rescue wire-haired dachshund. 

2. Your newest book is called Sins for the Highlander? What it is about?
MM: Sins of the Highlander is about a man’s plan to take revenge for the death of his beloved wife by kidnapping his enemy’s bride right from the altar. However, things don’t go as “Mad Rob” MacLaren planned. Elspeth Stewart is not one to go quietly. We had a wonderful time writing the twists and turns of their turbulent relationship.   

3.  You have written this book together with Connie Mason. Is it hard to write with someone else?
MM: I think it might be hard if I wasn’t working with such a gracious lady. Connie Mason is a romance legend. I grew up reading her books. Imagine what a thrill it is for me to actually work with her now! I’m pleased to share that in addition to Sins of the Highlander, we have another release coming this summer called Lord of Fire and ICe. We’re currently working on our new Regency series called The Royal Rakes.

4.  Why do you think Highlander romance novels are so popular?
MM: I think it’s the accent. I’m such a sucker for a fabulous male voice. Forget Sean Connery’s age. Is there anything better than his deep whisky timbre? If a guy calls me “lass,” that’ll do! 

When I read a Highlander story, I hear the hero’s voice in my mind. Of course, an accent is tough to convey in written form. I avoid odd spellings and try to convey the sense of Rob MacLaren’s voice with syntax and word choices. 

5.  Could you give me 3 reasons why “Mad Rob” is the man to fall in love with? ;)
MM: First, he already knows how to love deeply. He adored Fiona, his first wife. Two years after her death, he’s still crazed with grief. Second, he’s blessed with an abundance of physical courage. Check out this excerpt on my blog where he faces down a wolf pack: http://miamarlowe.com/blog/2011/12/exclusive-excerpt-from-sins-of-the-highlander/ Third, Rob MacLaren really does justice to a kilt. ‘Nuff said.

6. What’s next up for you?
MM: Touch of a Rogue, the 2nd book in my Touch of Seduction series, will come out on February 28th. My hero in this story, Jacob Preston, has the “gift of touch.” When he touches anything metal, he receives psychic information about the item’s owner. It comes in handy when he’s conducting one of his private investigations, but is a bit of a hazard at a dinner party. Silverware is so very chatty.   Here’s a taste of this story: http://miamarlowe.com/books/rogue.php 

7. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers out there?
MM: Join your local RWA (Romance Writers of America) Chapter. If you’re serious about writing, this organization can help you learn the nuts and bolts of the craft, as well as offer insight into the change sea of publishing today. 

I’d like to invite aspiring writers to volunteer for my Red Pencil Thursday. When I have a volunteer, I host an online critique group on my blog for the first 500 words of a story. My queue of victims . . . er, I mean volunteers . . . dried up over the holidays, but I’d like to start up the feature again. The point of this gentle critique is to offer construction suggestions. No snark is allowed. I’ve had writers from every end of the career spectrum in my hotseat, from total newbies to New York Times Bestsellers. More than one of my Red Pencil Thursday volunteers have gone on to be published. If anyone would like to take part in the program, please check out the details here: http://miamarlowe.com/blog/red-pencil-thursday/  

And while you’re at my website, please be sure to enter my contest! The Grand Prize is a new KINDLE! http://miamarlowe.com/contest.php 

Thanks so much for having me here Book Girl!

Giveaway:

Sourcebooks is offering 2 chances to win a copy of SINS OF THE HIGHLANDER. (USA/Canada only.) To be entered, simply leave Mia a comment or question. To get the conversation started, how about sharing your favorite Scottish surname? Mia calls dibs on MacLaren!  

Thanks for visiting with us today!

Ends: Jan 19th

SINS OF THE HIGHLANDER BY CONNIE MASON & MIA MARLOWE – IN STORES JANUARY 2012

Abduction...
Never had Elspeth Stewart imagined her wedding would be interrupted by a dark-haired stranger  charging in on a black stallion, scooping her into his arms, and carrying her off across the wild Scottish highlands. Pressed against his hard chest and nestled between his trong thighs, she ought to have feared for her life. But her captor silenced all protests with a soul-searing kiss, giving Elspeth a glimpse of the pain behind his passion—a pain only she could ease. 

Obsession... 
“Mad Rob” MacLaren thought stealing his rival’s bride-to-be was the prefect revenge. But Rob never reckoned that this beautiful, innocent lass would awaken the part of him he thought dead and buried with his wife. Against all reason, he longed to introduce the luscious Elspeth to the pleasures of the flesh, to make her his, and only his, forever. 

With two clans against them burning for battle, they must find a way to join together—body, breath and soul. Or both will be made to pay for the Sins of the Highlander. 

ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Connie Mason is a New York Times bestselling author of more than 50 novels. She was named Storyteller of the Year in 1990 and received a Career Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews in 1994. She currently lives in Florida. Mia Marlowe is a highly acclaimed new voice in romance whose debut novel, Touch of a Thief, released in Spring 2011 from Kensington. She lives in Boston, MA. Together, they are working on a new Regency romance series for Sourcebooks Casablanca, the first of which will be in stores in Fall 2012. For more information, please visit http://www.conniemason.com/, http://miamarlowe.com/ and follow Mia on Twitter @Mia_Marlowe

49 comments:

  1. Thanks for coming over Mia :)

    And you took Mclaren, nooo, lol. Well I will go with McLachlan, I have always liked that one

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  2. Red Pencil Thursday sounds fab. Though not sure if I am brave enough to enter.

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  3. Right now I would say McCabe and I love the sound of McLaren :)

    I am really digging Scottish Historicals right now!

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  4. I really like Mcleod. I just like how it how it sounds.

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  5. I choose MacGregor. One of the names from a book and that was the first name that popped in my head. It is the name from Paula Quinn's Children of the Mist series. Love this series. I love Scottish/Highlander stories. This one sounds great and would love to win and read.
    My question for you is do you have any favorite authors or books you recommend? Also what is your favorite genre to write?
    Thanks for the giveaway and the chance to win.
    christinebails@yahoo.com

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  6. Loved the interview! I'll claim the surname Campbell...Sins of the Highlander sounds really great. I love the idea of a hero who loves so deeply that he still mourns his dead wife and misses her deeply (especially since in our day and age when people seem to move on so quickly from grief) and that the plan he had for revenge actually brings him the next person he would love.

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    junegirl63 at gmail dot com

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  7. Great interview, I loved your reasons behind why we love Highlanders and why we should love Mad Rob! :D

    Hm... Well, you all have picked great names so far, so I think I'll add... McCallister to the list. Hm. Has a nice ring to it--I think I need to find me a brawny McCallister man to marry now!

    Enjoy!
    TBQ
    http://tbqspersonalbookpalace.blogspot.com

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  8. Thanks, Blodeuedd! I'm enjoying my visit with you.

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  9. Vivienne--Red Pencil Thursday is a very gentle, but honest critique. One of the lovely things about it is the support you'll get from my regular Red Pencil gang.

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  10. Thanks, Felicia. We like MacLaren too.;-)

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  11. Rebekah--I like the way it sounds as opposed to the way it looks. Not "Mic-Lee-Odd" but McCloud...sort of says dreamy to me.

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  12. ChrisBails--When I hear MacGregor, I always think of the children's story--Peter Cottontail and Farmer MacGregor. ;-)

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  13. Great interview! There is nothing so sexy as a man in a kilt! Add the accent and I'm a gonner. My mother-in-law is scottish and her name was Cromarty. I'm going to stray from the 'Mac's and Mc's' and go with that.
    danakburgess(at)gmail(dot)com

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  14. Ooooo I'm in love with these books already with all this talk of accents and sexy Scotsman:) I think my favorite surname would be MacKeltar - I adore Karen Marie Monings Fever and Highlander series, and those MacKeltar men are HOT.

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  15. Mine is Douglas :) Great blog, Mia! :) CJ

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  16. Kilts and accents, yup, I have to agree that's what makes Highlanders so popular with the ladies....

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  17. I believe Weir is a Scottish surname so I'll choose that one. I like it because it reminds me of Freaks & Geeks :)

    ooo being able to pull off a kilt makes him sound very intriguing :)

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  18. I always like McLaren too. My last name was Thomson, my father's middle name was Laird, which was his mother's last name. And my parents were from Scotland, both not far from Glasgow.

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  19. I think right now my favorite is McLauren. :) I have to say that this book sounds wonderful and I love the sound of Touch of a Rogue. I can really imagine how annoying it would be to be bombarded with information by touching things. Are there any other writers/authors in your family? Just curious. Thanks for being here and the awesome post. And a huge congratulations on this newest release!!

    LadyVampire2u AT gmail DOT com

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  20. Oh what name? I'd say McMINE! ;D Love a man in a kilt. *sigh*

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  21. I'm a sucker for highlanders. The accent is great, as is the slange (bonny lass)...lol.
    Nice interview ladies. Sins of the Highlander sounds like juicy romance. Interesting that the two authors wrote it together.
    As for Scottish surnames, I'm liking McWallace (ever since watching Braveheart).

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  22. Hey Mia, I'm back :-). I have enjoyed following your blog tour! I would have to say I like MacLeod, MacKeltar and MacGregor. But then again anything with a Mac in front of it is good for me, expecially if he's in a kilt and speaking in a deep, mellow brogue ;-). I love it when the author puts in the "bonnie lass", "wee", "yer" and a wee bit of Gaelic. I haven't see your book on the shelf yet but it's bound to be there tomorrow.

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  23. I like MacLeod, it sounds so different than the way it's spelled. I like MacLean as well, it always comes a bit differently than it's spelled too.

    Barbed1951 at aol dot com

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  24. I love highlander stories as well. I am always impressed how a good writer can make me "hear" the brogue.

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  25. I would love to read this book. It sounds very good. Tore923@aol.com

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  26. My question for you is: Do you prefer to have a co-writer, or to just have free range with your own idea?
    I have currently been following a writer with the pen name Piper Gow. When she explained the scotish roots behind that name, I was instantly in love! So, for personal reasons, I would pick Gow as my favorite surname.
    Historical fiction is by far my favorite genre and I would love to win this giveaway for a chance to read your work!

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  27. Maria D--There is something appealing about a hero who already knows how to love deeply. Think SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE. I was cheering for Sam to find love again before the opening credits were done rollling.

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  28. Book Queen--Another reason to love Highlanders is that they were sort of the Middle Ages Bad Boys. They refused to knuckle under to English kings and loved a good fight.

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  29. Dana--Sadly, not every man can rock a kilt. My brother-in-law, (God bless him, he's a great guy!) has such chicken legs, I'd shudder to imagine him donning the plaid.

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  30. Jenny--As far as accents go, I really rely on my readers to fill in the blanks. Using non-standard spelling to show an accent always bugs me, so I try to convey a brogue with syntax and word choice.

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  31. CJ--There are lots of great Scottish names that don't start with "Mac"

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  32. Thanks for dropping by, Missie.

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  33. wdebo--Muir is a good Scottish name too.

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  34. Sheila--Laird! What a great name.

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  35. LadyVampire--The only other writer in my family is my uncle. He was an editor for the Washington Post and the Des Moines Register. Now he teaches journalism at a major university. I can't tell you how thrilled I was when he asked me about my writing process at one of our family reunions.

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  36. Naida--The accent is one of the things I like most about Gerard Butler.

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  37. Hi Glittergirl! Glad to have you here. Hope you'll tell your reading friends about my blog tour. ;-)

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  38. Barbara E. --Since Hawaii 5-O started back up, I'm partial to MacGarrett too.

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  39. JM Powers--I not only want to make you hear my story. I want you to feel it too! ;-)

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  40. JulieJ--Even with a co-author, I feel a great deal of creative freedom. Whether writing collaboratively or alone the trick is always to look for the unusual twist or untried angle.

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  41. I can't wait to read about Mad Rob. A Highlander with a thick brogue, kilt and the intensity to love deeply...I'm in love already :)
    I like MacKelter, MacGregor and McLachlan. And then there is Fraser :) Beautiful Scottish Highlanders. My very favorite read.
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

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  42. Thank you all for coming by :D And a huge thanks to Mia :=)

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  43. Twitted about your giveaway at: https://twitter.com/#!/cherrymischivus/status/157111051371036673

    Goodluck to everybody entering!! :)

    Cherry Mischievous
    (non-US/Can)

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  44. I love reading about highlanders. I agree they are the Middle Age bad boys. I am always a sucker for the rebel ;0) I like the surname Macrae or Macmichael. Since my husband has ancestors that were Scottish the funniest surname we have run across would have to be Cockburn (yes, it is really a Scottish surname! Loved the interview and love your books.

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  45. Mackenzie is a fave!
    Woohoo Sins of the Highlander sounds great and Mad Rob, I'm trying not to drool on my keyboard. Scottish, ripped, courageous and knows how to love ... mmmm I want my own Mad Rob LOL.

    Congrats Mia & Connie and PS interview was a lot of fun :)

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  46. I have always liked MacGregor. Fun and informative interview. Can't wait to read this book.

    e.balinski(at)att(dot)net

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  47. winners Jenny Super and Carol L

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