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Guest Launch Party - The Mistress' House by Leigh Michaels

Please give a big Casababe welcome to fellow Sourcebooks Casablanca author, Leigh Michaels; celebrating her new release (and first with SBCasa!), The Mistress' House!

Thanks for having me on the blog today! I’m delighted to put on my Regency costume (no corset, though) and sit down for a chat with Casa Babes and their readers about The Mistress’ House. Have a seat while I pour you a cup of virtual tea and pass the cream cakes.

Though this is my 81st published romance novel, it’s my first-ever launch party. But that’s not the only new thing here.

The Mistress’ House is my very first historical romance, and it’s my first release from Sourcebooks. It’s my first single-title book, and it’s my first sexy romance. And it’s the first time I’ve written a triple story – three heroes and three heroines woven together into a single book.

Whew! That’s a lot of firsts for one story – so pardon me if I hold my breath while I wait for reader reaction.

The Mistress’ House is intended to be a love nest – the Earl of Hawthorne buys the sweet little town house just around the corner from his own Portman Square mansion because it will be a convenient site to stash his mistress of the moment. But the house has an odd effect on people who live there – whatever their intentions are when they move in, they all fall in love.

Here are eight bits of trivia about the Regency period and the book The Mistress’ House:

1. Number Five Upper Seymour Street, where The Mistress’ House is located, was a real address, and during the Regency period there was a house there; it shows up on maps of the time.


2. Today, the street is called Seymour Street, and the Hyatt Regency Hotel occupies the part of the block where Number Five once stood.

3. The term “love nest”, though it’s frequently used in romance novels set in the Regency era, actually didn’t appear in print until 1919.

4. A house like Number Five – which was on the end of a row of houses – could have had windows along one side as well as in the front and back. But because windows were subject to a hefty tax during the Regency period, such a house could only be afforded by a wealthy man.

5. The character of Lady Stone, the notorious gossip, also appears in my upcoming Regency-period books, Just One Season in London (July 2011) and The Wedding Affair (Fall 2011).


6. Perkins, the Earl’s man of business, got his recurring and sizeable role because my writing buddy fell in love with him and kept saying as she read new scenes, “More Perkins! Give me more Perkins!”


7. Regency heroines couldn’t get themselves in or out of their corsets, which were laced up the back. Corsets with hooks, which the wearer could (in a pinch) put on or take off by herself, didn’t appear until the Victorian era.


8. Gentlemen wore buckskins (each leg made of a single deer’s skin), trousers or pantaloons during the day, with boots. Formal evening wear included breeches, knee stockings, and shoes.

Thanks for joining me for this special launch party – and I hope you’ll enjoy The Mistress’ House!

THE MISTRESS’ HOUSE BY LEIGH MICHAELS – IN STORES FEBRUARY 2011
Three beautifully intertwined love stories…

The rules are made to be broken…
When the handsome, rakish Earl of Hawthorne buys the charming house across the back garden from his town home, he never expects the lovely lady he installs there to ensnare him completely…

Again…
After Lady Anne Keighley marries the earl, it seems a shame to leave the house empty, so she offers it to her childhood friend Felicity Mercer, who discovers that the earl’s gorgeous cousin is precisely the man she’s been waiting for…

and again…
Finally, feisty Georgiana Baxter moves into the house to escape an arranged marriage, and encounters the earl’s friend Lord Julian Hampton late one night in the back garden. The handsome soldier is more than willing to give her the lessons she asks for…

There is plenty of gossip, scandal, and torrid speculations surrounding the “mistress’ house”, but behind closed doors, passions blaze…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leigh Michaels is the author of nearly 100 books, including 80 contemporary novels and more than a dozen non-fiction books. More than 35 million copies of her romance novels have been published by Harlequin. A 6 time RITA finalist, she has also received two Reviewer's Choice awards from Romantic Times, and was the 2003 recipient of the Johnson Brigham Award. She is the author of On Writing Romance, published in January 2007 by Writers Digest Books. Leigh also teaches romance writing on the Internet at Gotham Writers’ Workshop. She lives in Des Moines, Iowa. For more information, please visit http://www.leighmichaels.com/.

Comments

  1. Oops, I forgot and brought my own cup of tea to the party, but the cream cakes are lovely, almost as tempting as your tale. Best wishes and happy sales. (By the way, enjoy the extra word count.)

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  2. Congratulations, Leigh! So many firsts! I loved the bits of trivia posted, and the story sounds great. I can't wait to read it. Wow, 81 novels. That's quite an accomplishment.

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  3. Congrats, Leigh! I went to comment earlier, but storms are hitting Texas full force and knocked out our electricity. At one degree chill factor, it was cold!!! Have a great launch!

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  4. Welcome to the Blog, Leigh! Congratulations on all of your firsts with Sourcebooks and writing 81 novels!

    I love the premise of THE MISTRESS' HOUSE and have always been a fan of Regencies. I can't wait to add TMH to my TBR pile...after I finish the RITA entries.

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  5. Congrats on the new release, Leigh! Looks terrific!

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  6. Great tea and cream cakes! I'm hoping that vitural ones have no calories or fat grams! Congratulations and welcome to Casablanca. As an "almost" newby I can tell you the authors here are some great folks.
    Loved, loved the cover and the tidbits! And the cover is gorgeous!

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  7. Hi Leigh! 81 novels?!! Holy smokes. That's amazing. I'm intrigued by the premise of 3 heros and 3 heroines in one novel. I love the idea that everyone who lives in that house falls in love. Very interesting. I look forward to reading it. Best of luck with your launch party!

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  8. Leigh, congratulations on the first of what I hope are many Regencies for you. Love the idea, love the trivia, I'm sure I'll love the books (NOTE THE PLURAL!).

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  9. Hi, everyone! I'm thrilled to be here, especially because there's a foot of snow outside my front door so I was afraid I might have to miss my own launch party because of the weather...

    Virtual cream cakes actually have negative calories, by the way. ;-)

    I love the cover too, and readers have been really enthusiastic about it (especially the hero -- a friend who's well into her seventies took one look at him and said, "He can eat crackers in my bed any night.")

    And yes, there are two more Regencies coming this year -- they're both triple stories and I loved writing them!

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  10. Hi Leigh, I love the tidbits about your book! What a fun concept that a house "makes" people fall in love. Congrats on all your firsts!

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  11. The trivia was so interesting. I learned so much! The Mistress' House sounds like a great read Leigh. Good luck with all of your upcoming releases!

    GeishasMom73 on twitter

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  12. Wow! 100 books! That's inspiring, Leigh!

    I'm working on a book now with 3 heroes and 3 heroines in one story. I didn't know if it was a no-no, but I'm glad to know you're doing it!

    Congrats on the new release and all your firsts!

    Ash

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  13. congratulations on your first release with Sourcebooks, Leigh! The whole series sounds fabulous, and I really enjoyed your post!

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  14. Maybe I'm starting a trend with the triple stories, Ashlyn. The key point, I think, is for all the characters to have relationships to each other -- so it's not just three separate stories but one big story with three parts... if that makes sense.

    Thank you, everyone, for the warm welcome. This is a terrific group.

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  15. Leigh, I am hooked, I am hooked, I am hooked! Welcome to Sourceboks and the Regency! As many in the South say, "You done good!"
    Many congrats and wishing you much success in the new historical you!
    Amelia

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  16. Love all your fun Regency tidbits! Congrats ion your release. #81! Wow!

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  17. Hi, Leigh!
    Congrats on the book, the launch party, and hopefully the end of the stormy weather. I'm out of butterbeer right now, so I'll just toast to you with a cup of hazelnut coffee. :D
    Good luck with the new release!!

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  18. Congrats on so many levels! LOVE the concept of this book. So unique. Sounds like a must-read to me.

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  19. This sounds like such a fun book, and I love Regencies, so I can't wait to read it! Oh, and I'm quite the sucker for trivia, too. I knew that closets were sometimes taxed, but I had no idea about the windows!

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  20. I'd like to live in that house myself -- not the falling-in-love part, because I'm married to my sweetheart of ... oh, let's not say how many years... but the bit about the servants and the green velvet and silk bedroom.

    I'm so pleased that readers are responding to the idea of a triple story -- keeping all the threads going is a challenge but it's also very satisifying.

    And I'd love to grab a sip of that hazelnut coffee to go along with my Earl Grey tea!

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  21. Leigh, what a beautiful cover and the twist about the house is so cool!

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  22. Excellent title for an excellent premise. The Mistress House sounds delightful. Looking forward to you speaking at GRW's Moonlight and Magnolia's this fall.
    Sia

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  23. Excellent title for an excellent premise. The Mistress' House sounds delightful. Aslo, looking forward to hearing you speak at GRW's Moonlight & Magnolia's this fall.
    Sia

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  24. I'm looking forward to Moonlight and Magnolias, too -- where I'll be doing a couple of sessions on writing craft. I'll also be in San Francisco in April for a chapter meeting of SFA-RWA, and in Springfield, Missouri in July for the Ozark Romance Authors conference. I'm really looking forward to all this travel!

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  25. I'm all about sexy single title books:) You're a new-to-me author and while I'm an across the board obsessed reader, historicals are among my favorite reads. The Mistress' House sounds good.

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  26. Leigh, this sounds so delightful. And I am in awe of you having THREE couples in one book. That is an achievement right there!

    Congrats on Book #81. I can't wait to read it.

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  27. Your books look really good. I'm going to look for them on Amazon as soon as I log off here.

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  28. Your books look really good. I'm going to look for them on Amazon as soon as I log off here.

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  29. Leigh, I love the premis and can't wait to pick up your new book. I'll be at the Moonlight and Magnolias conference too - look forward to meeting you.

    Darcy

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  30. Interesting detail about the windows on a house being taxed. In the south's plantations, each room was taxed,supposedly leading to the development of the armoire for storage. Was it that way in Regency England also? Whew! Lotta taxes!
    Thanks for the post Leigh! Looking forward to reading your book & learning some writing craft from you at Moonlight&Magnolias!

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  31. Leigh, beautiful cover! I remember when you were looking for a title for the book. It's great that the book is finally out.

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  32. Thanks, everyone, for stopping by! I'm delighted that some new-to-me readers are intrigued by The Mistress' House.

    I love the format of three couples, three stories in one book -- though I have to admit that after writing The Mistress' House, July's Just One Season in London, and November's The Wedding Affair, it's sort of like having written nine books in 18 months!

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  33. Congratulations, Leigh! Can't believe you have 81 published romances, but The Mistress' House still mark's so many firsts for you. I stand in awe. For me, the best part of any historical is the trivia. It's the details that bring the past into the present and make the story come alive.

    Best of luck and I hope we have a chance to meet at Moonlight & Magnolias this year!

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  34. Cool fact tidbits! Your book sounds so fantastic. Can't wait to meet you at M&M and hear your workshop.

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  35. Congrats Leigh. I saw this book on a site a view months ago and it immediately went onto my wishlist. I can't wait to read it. Looks so good.

    iqb99@yahoo.com

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  36. Now I'm really looking forward to M&M in October -- with so many cool people to meet there!

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  37. I absolutely love the cover. Gorgeous! Can't wait to read it :)
    Lisa

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  38. Wow - I'm sold! This book looks great - I'm going to go buy it now!

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  39. I haven't been to your website in awhile nor read one of your books although I think there is one in my tbr stack. I love historical romance and some other genes too.
    3 heroes and heroines in one book is like three books in one. Congratulations.
    Are you digging out from snow and ice?
    jrs362 at hotmail dot com

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  40. Congratulations on your release Leigh. I have your book on my To Buy List.

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  41. Congratulations on the new release! The cover is great - I look forward to reading it. And thanks for the historical tidbits in your blog posting. I love the Historical element is historical romance. :)

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  42. Leigh, I'm chiming in late but I wanted to tell you I'm so excited you're at Sourcebooks now! Your career makes you a role model for all of us who have a million ideas in our head and wonder how we'll get them all written. I hope you'll share your productivity secrets sometime!
    The book sounds wonderful and I can't wait to read it. Love your voice, and love the "house" idea!

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  43. Hi Leigh, just found this blog so will be checking it every day. Playing catch up right now. Love your post about all of your first. Thanks for sharing.

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  44. Congratulations Leigh! Eighty One published books - WOW! I can't wai to read The Mistress' House and can't wait to hear you at Moonlight and Magnolias.

    Maxine

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  45. Leigh,
    Your new book looks like a great one. We are looking forward to having you a Moomnlght and Magnolias in October in GA. I want hope to get a signed copy of your book.

    Susan
    www.susanCmay.com

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  46. I've been hearing great things about this book and it sounds intriguing. And I always enjoy firsts - it would be the first time I've read you!

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  47. Congrats on all your firsts. It is great you have written so many books and can still have all these first, which I am sure is exciting!!

    This really looks like a good read. I love historicals, so I know I will enjoy it!!

    Judy
    magnolias_1[at]msn[dot]com

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  48. Your book sounds wonderful and I wish you the best of luck with it! Love the cover too.

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  49. Thank you so much, everyone, for the warm welcome!

    My only productivity secret is to keep the rear in the chair -- easier said than done, especially when there are so many handy distractions!

    And I agree that the cover of The Mistress' House is toe-curlingly wonderful... There's just something about a hero in boots... Sigh.

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