It’s Reigning men!

Hi Rae,

Thanks so much for the welcome. I'm thrilled to be here at eharlequin to promote this series and connect with readers.

I've always been a reader who loves series, too, and I often stockpile books so that I can read connected stories end-to-end, though I'm hoping readers will be so excited about "Reigning Men" that they can't wait until December (which is when the third book, THE PRINCE'S HOLIDAY BABY, is scheduled for release) to get started on this series. (Book 2, THE PRINCE'S COWGIRL BRIDE, will be available in August.) 

The idea for this series actually came when I was listening to the soundtrack to Bridget Jones' Diary--I love the Gerri Hallowell's (sp?) version of Raining Men!--and I just thought "wouldn't it be fun to write a series about 'Reigning Men'?" Thankfully, my editors loved the idea as much as I did, and here we are . . . (okay-I have a pop-up blocker that I don't know how to disable, but there should have been a smiley face there.)

I haven't seen anything like this on eharl yet.  I love group participation.  And how wonderful of you to open up your series in such a fun way.  It sounds pretty cool.  Do you have your series completed, or are you still working on it?

  I thought it was interesting also that you mentioned how you were inspired by listening to the music of a 'Bridget Jone's Diary'.  I posted a blog about connecting music with writing and received quite a few responses from other authors.  I find myself inspired by music, and apparently so do many others.  Isn't that amazing?  But then, I think that most author/writers are also interested in many of the other arts as well. 

I sincerely admire you for resettling yourself into the writer's sphere after being involved in the justice system.  I think there's nothing in the world that can compare to the dreams, hope, and love involved in writing!  To me, reading is the most enjoyable experience possible, and to provide that venue for others as a writer makes you a sort of heroine in your own right.

I, for one, can't wait to read your series! 

No one has ever called me a heroine before . . . I am so incredibly flattered, and a little worried about living up to that kind of billing :-) But I can agree that, as a reader, I always admired those who wrote the stories and I do hope that my books will similarly inspire others to follow their dreams--or at least give them a few hours' escape from the real world. 

It's so true about a writer's inspiration coming from so many different sources, particularly music and art. For me, it can be a line in a song (or a title, as with Reigning Men) or a picture that makes me wonder about--and want to tell--the story behind it.

And you're right--there is nothing that compares to writing. It was always my first passion and I'm so thrilled to be making a career of it--not to mention that working from home lets me spend more time with my kids (although they would disagree about that when a deadline is on the horizon) and I don't have to wear panythose or heels!

As for those deadlines, I have just finished the third story in the Reigning Men series (although I won't say the last, because I'm hopeful that if the series does well my editor will want to see my ideas for the next trilogy.  THE PRINCE'S ROYAL DILEMMA introduces three minor characters who are already demanding their own stories!) and will do the final read-through and get it on my editor's desk by the end of this week.  

Good to "see" you again. Thanks for your post--I'm so pleased to hear that you're enjoying THE PRINCE'S ROYAL DILEMMA. And yes, the brothers are the heroes in the other stories . . .  (Hey, I switched computers and can use the smiley faces now!) 

What a great story idea, Marcy. The other thing that always amazes me is how a group of writers can take the same line/idea from something like a song and come up with completely different characters and slants for their own stories. Maybe there are no new ideas--but there are always new ways to write them! Good luck with the story . . .

Brenda, those two would be like oil and vinegar, but what an amazing salad they would make!

Jayne 

Love it. Hope you're still tossing today, Brenda. I love it when ideas come out of the garden. '-)

Rae

I love your play on words here and your idea for a series. I'll be looking for them.

Loved your newest story!  Can't wait to read the rest of the series.  Though these books may be short in volume (I wish they were longer so I could get into the characters' heads even more and they could have even more adventures!) they sure are big in story:  sexy heroes, sultry heroines,  unique plots, and now you've added your own "Paradise" setting.  Keep up the good work and I hope we'll get to read the second series of Reigning Men very soon! 

Life is just too busy sometimes, isn't it? I can always tell my life is out of control when my to-be-read pile starts to tip over, because whatever else I'm doing, I always try to make time to read but right now, the pile is definitely tipping  Anyway, I hope you find a chance to put your feet up and relax with a good book soon . . .

As for sharing anything else about the series . . . well, I don't want to give anything away but I'd be happy to answer any specific questions anyone might have.

Looking at Gabby's most recent column, I can say all of the REIGNING MEN heroes are, of course, true princes in every sense of the word  Of course, they have their questionable moments, as all men do . . . and because there wouldn't be any stories otherwise.  (Can you tell I love these emoticons?)

Hi Brenda!

What a fun idea for a series!  Gabby sounds smart and funny.  I'm going to order it today--am looking forward to reading it outside in my backyard, since it's finally starting to warm up here in Toronto. 

Kate 

Thanks for popping in  but if it's warm in Toronto, you're having better weather than we are . . .

Anyway, I hope you will enjoy REIGNING MEN, though to clarify, Gabby is a fictional character created for this forum who doesn't actually appear in THE PRINCE'S ROYAL DILEMMA or either of the subsequent two stories, though I am thinking she might get one of her own . . . of course, I'll have to talk to my editor about that

Hello Brenda,

Congratulations on your newest book!  I'm off to Jolly old England on Monday.. maybe I'll meet one of your reigning Princes while I'm visiting!  In the meantime, get your writing hand practiced up... I've got a heck of a pile of books piled up!  See you when I get back!

Affectionately xo M

Hi Brenda:  Just wanted to say how much I've enjoyed this forum.  Love reading the comments from your readers and Gabby has definitely captured my imagination with her witty advise column.  Definitely fodder for the mill here ( I, too, have discovered the joy of  emoticons.  Too bad you can't use these in the actual stories in case we get confused-which of course, we never would as your characters are so well defined).  How did you come up Tesoro del Mar and how do we get there?

Thanks for your post, SMAY. As for getting to Tesoro del Mar, the only way to do that is (conveniently) through reading the REIGNING MEN series.

As I have never been to an actual Mediterranean island (although I keep dreaming!)--and since I didn't think it was right to create a political coup to put my royal family in power even if I had--I decided to make one up. Ahh, the joys of writing fiction--perfect settings, perfect weather, perfect men (DEFINITELY fiction  ).

I picture it being close to Spain (with strong Spanish and French influences in its history and culture) and surrounded by turquoise waters. And, of course, it is a country with a long and interesting history--most of which never appears in any of the stories.

It's funny how, as writers, we create these elaborate backgrounds in order to better understand our characters or settings and then the reader never even gets to see them--although hopefully some of it is reflected in the greater sense of depth from having gone to that extent in the planning/development stage of the story. 

For example, the reader learns early on that Prince Rowan's brother, Prince Julian, and Julian's wife, Catherine, died in an explosion on their yacht. This throws Rowan's life into complete turmoil as he now must come back to Tesoro del Mar to take over as prince regent--and guardian of his brother's three children. But the reader never learns why Julian was wearing the crown in the first place--where was his father--Prince Eduardo?

Well, Prince Eduardo was actually assassinated by a man he'd appointed to a minor government position in order to appease the anti-royal group known as the PLT (People for the Liberation of Tesoro del Mar). I thought this was interesting background and potential foundation for so many issues/concerns but, in the end, it didn't take the story in the direction it needed to go. And so, while it was necessary background in that it put Julian in power when he was killed, it's a story that never gets told to the readers--until now

Thanks so much for your post . . . and further sparking this discussion. It has been a lot of fun

Thanks for picking up the book, Kate. I hope you enjoy it.

And for anyone who doesn't know, Kate is a master at setting, and you should check out her recent "Klondike" series from Harlequin Historicals. KLONDIKE FEVER is the latest (I believe), but all of the stories are fabulous reads--with very sexy heroes

Thanks, Brenda. It's been fun!

Marcy