Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

As rewarding as it is, writing can be stressful. Not, for the most part, the actual writing, but there is so much about the business of writing that isn't writing! As in every business, things don't always go your way and sometimes it's nice to do something distinctly NOT business oriented. Like read a good book outside of your genre of writing. Recently, I began a murder mystery blog. I've always loved to read murder mysteries, especially 'cozy' murder mysteries. What are cozies? Well, I'm glad you asked. According to Wikipedia, " Cozy is a subgenre of crime fiction whereby sex and violence are downplayed or treated humourously. The term was first coined in the late 20th century when various writers produced work that tried re-creating the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. " Think of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple as one of the foremothers of the cozy murder mystery protagonist, though the modern incarnation is just as likely to be a thirty-so...

When I first started writing romance the internet was a fresh new world, full of unfulfilled potential. We knew it would be useful for research eventually, but I don't think anyone could ever have pictured the absolute explosion of social networking that has now occurred, and how it complicates our world. Writers, for the most part, really enjoy connecting with readers and other writers. Many of us work lonely hours at the computer with nary a sound but the neighbor cutting his grass or the birds chirping outside to disturb us. It is lovely to hear from readers, and I value the many supportive emails I receive and I'm happy to answer questions. That is the personal touch. But in the larger internet world, we interact in a bigger global sense. Social networking. We all do it, I'm doing it now by writing this blog. But I thought I would share the ways I network, and ask a little about how you all do the same. First, I blog here, and I have my own blogs, two of them now. I am ...

When I was first a glowy-eyed new writer (back in cave days, when I did not have my own internet connection - heck, my first novels were written long hand and transcribed on a typewriter by a better typist than I) I didn't really think about research as I sat down to write my first Regency romance. After all, I'd read every Jane Austen book there was... many times over. Also, I'd read hundreds of Mary Balogh, Jo Beverley and Mary Jo Putney novels. (Among other fabulous Regency writers) That was enough, right? Well, I rapidly found out it wasn't that easy. When my hero went to light a candle, how did he do it? With a match? When were matches invented? And that lord... is he a marquess, an earl, a viscount? What would others call him? Who would be introduced first, a lady to a lord or vice versa? I made a whopper of a mistake in titling my first book, Lord St. Claire's Angel, as it was kindly pointed out to me by a knowledgeable reviewer (who liked the book anyway) th...

Today is Victoria Day. When I was a kid, Victoria Day (officially the Monday before May 25th) was the start of summer and signalled that school would soon be out. (And that my birthday was coming!) It meant fireworks and hot dogs, a long weekend, nice weather, tulips and freshly mowed lawns. But we all knew what it meant, too. It was a celebration in honour (using the Canadian spelling today!) of Queen Victoria's birthday. Today, though we still call it Victoria Day, it is as often called May Two Four, as if it is a case of beer. (It is supposed to be officially held on May 24th, but that never happens!) Canadians are very fond of beer, so a long weekend to celebrate it... it's a natural fit. But there has always been some agitation to change the idea of the day to something more reflective of our growing multi-culturalism. Many Canadians feel that we should not be celebrating something so very English as the birthday of a long-dead English monarch, given that we are a coun...

The Zodiac & Romance Yesterday's one year anniversary blog post got me to thinking about birthdays and anniversaries, all those signposts that we celebrate annually. And it reminded me that when I wrote my character descriptions for Lady Anne Addison and Lord Anthony Darkefell, I very deliberately chose birthdates for them. I don't know if I believe in astrology or not; I'm on the fence simply because though I am deeply skeptical of all things 'paranormal' (now you see why Lady Anne is the way she is) the traits seem so darn true to form. I am a Gemini (my birthday is coming soon!!), and the description for Gemini includes these traits: "Using their communicative skills, Geminis adapt to any situation they encounter... Geminis have clever tongues and develop an amazing ability to obscure the facts with stimulating and imaginative chatter." In other words, I 'fictionalize' a whole lot! That's me. Gemini's tend toward the writing and publ...

I am a romance writer . I am a mystery writer. The two sides of me have been battling for years and finally had it out, once and for all, when I was planning Lady Anne series. Which would win? Well, oddly enough, they decided to share a series, and the end result was Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark , Book 1 of the Lady Anne series, now available. I wondered from the outset whether I was taking a chance. Would romance readers embrace the mystery elements that are a strong thread in the series? Would mystery readers get impatient with the strong romantic undertones? Would paranormal fans be put off by the rationality of my heroine? Would readers of historical romance be offended by the gothic and paranormal touches that enliven the novels? In other words, was I trying to be too many things to too many people? I threw caution to the wind because ultimately, I came back to the central core of my beliefs about writing. I’m your average reader, in a lot of ways. As long as I write what I...

Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark is now available! I'm so pleased with the reviews this book, the first in a series, is getting. Publisher's Weekly says: Simpson (Awaiting the Moon) launches her Lady Anne historical mystery series with flair. Read through this blog and then comment to win yourself a copy! A couple of years ago I was happily writing paranormal romances, werewolves mostly, with a fallen angel thrown in for contrast. Paranormal is great stuff; you can make anything happen as long as you offer a good explanation and stay consistent. Who can tell you that your werewolves can’t transform any old time they want, not just at the full moon? But I'm a natural born skeptic. If someone told me there was a werewolf in the next room, I’d say, “Get me a leash and a pupperoni, ‘cause I’ll bet my argyle socks that werewolf is a husky or a malamute!” So… that’s where Lady Anne began, to be honest, with me, and my natural skeptical sarcasm. However… the Lady Anne series ...

I’ve always been fascinated by the role of secondary characters in novels. What would Jane Austen’s Persuasion be without Sir Walter Elliot and his overweening vanity? Or Jane Eyre without poor, dear Helen Burns, or lively Adèle? Those characters live to serve, in a way. In the best sense, secondary characters provide more than a placemarker, or merely someone for the hero or heroine to talk to. They should mean something to the plot, and they should reflect bits of the primary characters, exposing their strengths and weaknesses along the way. And so I thought I’d reveal a little about the secondary characters that people Lady Anne and the Howl and the Dark , and the next two installments Lady Anne and the Ghost’s Revenge & Lady Anne and the Gypsy Curse . Many secondary characters in ‘Howl’ are, I realize, missing someone who has died or disappeared. ( Hmm, funny how things can occur to the writer only after they are done writing the books! I never thought about that before I wro...