Contact email: mesreads AT gmail.com
###Winner Announcement Posts are linked here.###

GIVEAWAYS ARE NOW LOCATED ON THEIR OWN PAGE - CLICK ON TAB ABOVE; Giveaways also linked on right sidebar.
Showing posts with label Lord and Lady Spy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lord and Lady Spy. Show all posts

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Lots of September Winners Plus Replacements

I apologize for the late winner announcements from the late August/early September giveaways. I just couldn't pick winners while on the ship internet.
I have also used Random.org to pick two replacement winners. 

So here we go - CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS!
Thank you everyone for entering.

Replacement Winners:
Venetia  Review Copy:  Sarah E.


Tears of Gold ARC Copy: Krystal


The Vampire Next Door  ARC Copy: June M


The Lady of the Storm   ARC Copy: Brittany


September 30 Winners
Lonestar Secrets  My Copy: Margaret


Midnight on Julia Street  ARC Copy:  LuAnn


Kingdom of Summer  ARC Copy:  Lisa Richards


Lord and Lady Spy - Two Copies from Publisher:  May and winnie

ALL WINNERS please fill in the Winner's Acceptance Form so I can mail the books out or let the Publisher know for mailing.  Please reply within 72 hours! 

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Q&A Interview with Shana Galen, Author of Lord and Lady Spy

Today I welcome Author Shana Galen, Author of Lord and Lady Spy, for Q&A Interview at Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf:


First let me say thank you for this very fun read! I have read some of your backlist books too and I enjoy your writing style.
1.     What makes a romance novel a great love story?

SG: Thank you so much for having me here today, Martha!

A great love story is all about the characters, in my opinion. Rhett and Scarlett, Jamie and Claire, Han and Leia. These characters have personalities that jump off the page (or screen). I have a little note on my desk that says, “It’s the characters, stupid!” Plot is all well and good—and kind of essential—but a great plot populated by flat characters does not make for a good or even a great book.

I guess I can agree as I have read good plots where the characters were flat and didn’t make it work as well as it could have.
2.     Who are some of your favorite authors to read and did any of them inspire your writing?

SG: There are so many authors I love to read. I enjoy historicals by Julie Garwood, Marsha Canham, Julia Quinn, Sophie Jordan, Ashley March, Robyn DeHart, and Sarah MacLean to name a few. I like contemporaries by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Nora Roberts, Janet Evanovich, and many more. Julie Garwood and Marsha Canham are definitely my biggest inspirations. I love Garwood’s humor, and no one does historical adventure romance like Marsha Canham.

I love Garwood too and several others you mention.  I will have to try Marsha Canhan.
3.     Do you have any hobbies or live interests that influence your writing?

SG: No, but I have a few that take away from it! I have a toddler, and she’s pretty much my full time job outside of writing. I also enjoy reading and being part of a book club, singing with the band at church, and I just started a fitness boot camp. But that’s more torture than hobby.

Ah yes - other real life activities, especially a toddler, can certainly take time away from writing.
4.     How do you find/develop your characters and their personalities?

SG: I’m not a writer who does a lot of agonizing and soul searching at the beginning of a manuscript. I have an idea, and I have two characters I sort of know, and I just start writing. I find it stifles me if I think too much about a story when I begin. There’s time for analysis later. The main thing is to get some words on paper.

As I write, I come to know my characters. Writing their words and their thoughts as part of the story helps me discover who they are, what’s important to them, and what they want and need. At a certain point in the manuscript I feel like the characters are friends and can go back and refine the beginning of the book and layer in more character development. Sometimes I have a good sense of character early on. And sometimes it takes longer. I was 45K words in to my current book before I realized it was the hero’s book and what he needed. Let me tell you, once I figured that out, the writing wasn’t such a struggle. Until then I just kept on going, hoping it would eventually come to me.

Lord and Lady Spy was that kind of book as well. I wrote 50 pages, and then I didn’t know what to do. The book wasn’t working. It wasn’t until a couple of years later that I realized the deep underlying issue keeping these two apart. That’s when I finished the book.

That sounds like a system that would work - defining the character and building from there.
5.     I have to ask: Was this story influenced by a certain movie?

SG: Why, yes! Yes, it was. Mr. and Mrs. Smith was the catalyst for Lord and Lady Spy. I was watching the movie and started thinking, what if the year wasn’t 2005 but 1815? And what if the characters weren’t assassins, but spies? And I went from there. I was so intrigued by the idea of a married couple not knowing the other spouse’s real identity. I had to write it. It took me years, but here it is! And the book really isn’t much like the move.

You are right that Lord and Lady Spy is deferent than the movie. I enjoyed the comradrie and team work of the book much better than the antagonism of the movie.
6.     What is something your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying?

SG: Oh, Sophia would never say, “I give up.” She would never admit defeat. Personally and professionally, she is determined and relentless. She will complete her mission at almost any cost.

Yes - that determination is clear in Sophia’s personality!
7.     Which scene do you like most and would never cut?

SG: My favorite scene in Lord and Lady Spy is the scene in Adrian’s brother’s garden where he and Sophia compare battle wounds. I knew I would have to have a scene like that, if I wanted to have some fun with the Mr. and Mrs. Smith connection. That scene, when I finally got to write it, was so such a joy to work on! It’s funny, poignant, and sexy.

That is a fun scene and turns even sexier. J
8.     Is there an ancillary character you had the most fun with?

SG: I had a lot of fun with Blue, who is another agent both Adrian and Sophia have worked with in the Barbican group. I have a whole back story for him in my head. He’s led a very interesting life! I’d love to write another book and feature him more prominently. He’s not a hero, but he’s a fun secondary character.

Blue was an intriguing secondary character and I would like to read more about him. This book seemed like it ended at a good spot for a sequel and I hope there will be one.
9.     Do you have any strange habits when you write?

SG: Not really. As I said, I have a toddler, so I can’t afford to make sure I have the right drink or candle or music. I just have to write when I can. In fact, I’m writing this at 6:15 a.m. because this is when I have time today! I will say that far too often I’ll get stuck on a page and click over to the internet to check Facebook or Twitter. That’s a really bad habit.

We can spend way too much time on the social networks if we aren’t careful but for an author today it is a necessary promotional tool.
10.  What do you hope your readers get out of your books?

SG: I want people to enjoy them. Sometimes I get letters from people who have read my books when they’re in the hospital with a sick relative or when their husband is overseas with the military, and they say they laughed or forgot their troubles for a little while. That’s what I hope readers take away from my books—laughter, adventure, and romance.

Wonderful objectives and you succeed at them.
11.  If you could have readers finish a sentence what would it be.

SG: I know why I read historical romance. I love the escape and the past seems like such a glamorous time—the ball gowns, the carriages, the dances and dinner parties. I always wonder what readers enjoy the most. So I would ask readers to finish this sentence: My favorite thing about historical romance is*******

Great question!
Thank you for sharing with me and my blog readers.
Martha

Lord and Lady Spy
LORD AND LADY SPY BY SHANA GALEN – IN STORES SEPTEMBER 2011

No man can outsmart him...
Lord Adrian Smythe may appear a perfectly boring gentleman, but he leads a thrilling life as one of England’s most preeminent spies, an identity so clandestine even his wife is unaware of it. But he isn’t the only one with secrets...

She’s been outsmarting him for years...
Now that the Napoleonic wars have come to an end, daring secret agent Lady Sophia Smythe can hardly bear the thought of returning home to her tedious husband. Until she discovers in the dark of night that he’s not who she thinks he is after all...

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shana Galen is the author of numerous fast-paced adventurous Regency historical romances, including the Rita-nominated Blackthorne’s Bride. Her books have been sold worldwide, including Japan, Brazil, Russia, Spain, Turkey, and the Netherlands, and have been featured in the Rhapsody and Doubleday Book Clubs. A former English teacher in Houston’s inner city, Shana now writes full time. She’s a wife, a mother, and an expert multi-tasker. She loves to hear from readers: visit her website at www.shanagalen.com or see what she’s up to daily on Facebook and Twitter.

Book Review and ARC Giveaway: Lord and Lady Spy by Shalen Galen

This is a fun and entertaining read.
Lord and Lady SpyBy Shana Galen
  • Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (September 1, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1402259077
  • ISBN-13: 978-1402259074
Genre:  Historical Romance
My Rating:  4.5 of 5.0
Product Description:
No man can outsmart him...
Lord Adrian Smythe may appear a perfectly boring gentleman, but he leads a thrilling life as one of England's most preeminent spies, an identity so clandestine even his wife is unaware of it. But he isn't the only one with secrets...
She's been outsmarting him for years...
Now that the Napoleonic wars have come to an end, daring secret agent Lady Sophia Smythe can hardly bear the thought of returning home to her tedious husband. Until she discovers in the dark of night that he's not who she thinks he is after all...
Review:  This has likeable characters with a good plot.

Lady Sophia is an unremarkable, rather mousey, lady of the ton. But that is just a disguise so no one will suspect that she is an intrepid, intelligent and intuitive spy for the Crown.  She hasn’t had a lot of time for home and husband since she has been busy on her missions. Besides she has had her own heartaches at home.

Lord Adrian appears to be the normal Englishman spending time at his gentleman’s club and other manly pursuits. The truth though is that he has been off on his own missions spying for England. He married Sophia thinking that she would be an easy woman to leave at home. He thinks she is busy with various community causes.   Although they have passion, Sophia closed him out of her room and personal life.

Imagine their surprise as they meet each other when called to a clandestine meeting with their superior.  Sophia has had fantasies of meeting the incredible Agent Wolf who is now revealed to be her own husband.  Adrian knows that Agent Saint is one of the top spies of the Barbican group and he never suspected it might be his own wife. 

Sophia and Adrian have been told separately that their services are no longer needed since the war with France is over. They each wonder what they will do with their lives. They are asked to investigate the recent murder of the prime minister’s brother.  Whoever discovers the murderer first can have the one open position back with the elite spy group.

Even though they are competing for the same position, Sophia and Adrian find that their skills compliment each other. Not to mention the extreme passion that is renewed, especially when Sophia sheds her meek disguise and begins to reveal the true beauty she is. But can they trust each other to really share the clues? More importantly, can they trust each other to share their hearts?

This book is full of fun dialogue and plenty of action.  I loved how the two spies discover each other’s skills and reveal their fears and needs. The sexual encounters are steamy but nicely full of warmth and love.  Although this story has some similarities to the movie of a similar plot, the presentation is decidedly different. This book is presented with a view to developing team work and there is much more warmth between Sophia and Adrian. The book ending leaves the story open for a sequel and I would love to read more.  
###


Thank you to Sourcebooks for providing this book for reading and review and for providing two copies for Giveaway!
TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY:

1. Visit the Author's website and tell me something you found interesting.This is required for entry.

2. For two extra entries, comment on the Author Interview.

3. For another two entries, complete the Author's sentence at Interview Q11.

4.  For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.

5. For two entries, blog, facebook, tweet (any of those networks!) about this giveaway and tell me where you did.

It isn't necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.
(Eight total entries possible.)

THERE WILL BE TWO WINNERS!
* This contest is only open to residents of US and Canada.
* No P.O. Boxes Please - for shipping reasons.
* Limit one win per household.
* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on September 30 , 2011.
The winners will be randomly selected from all entries.
WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED on October 1- 3 and will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winner's form linked in the announcement.

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails