BLAZING THE PAST...

Join me in welcoming Ms Tarr as she joins us this week to discuss the debut of Blaze's first historical romance.  Of course, like everyone on the boards, I've order mine and looking forward to receiving it...

ROMANTIC TIMES give BOUND TO PLEASE a TOP PICK 4 1/2 star-rating....

In 1460, the Laird of the MacLeod arranges a kidnapping from the Fraser clan, determined to produce a child that will unite the two fighting families, even if it means chains and unwilling sex. What makes Bound to Please (4.5), by Hope Tarr, a not-to-be-missed book is that the Laird is young Brianna, named by her late father as his successor, and the Fraser she kidnaps is Ewan, the brother to the Laird of the Frasers. The two have a past that binds their hearts as well as their bodies. When they met as teenagers, they vowed to marry each other, and Ewan never forgot. The humor and heart flow in this story, which has wonderful lovers, a complex heroine, a nasty villain and constant turns on the sex roles.

I noticed earlier on Jayne's highlighted thread that Harlequin was introducing Blaze historicals.  And now I've just ran across this blog.

I've always wanted to see something historical come out of Blaze.  The line is so wickedly delicous.  And I while I enjoy the modern backdrops, I also love the romance of historicals, so this should be a great combination.  I look forward to reading your debut book for the line, Hope!  And congratulations on the honors you've received! 

Thanks, Wayne, for the review.  Sounds enticing!

Hope, this book sounds fabulous!  I write contemporaries, but read historicals for pleasure.  (Just finished Loretta Chase's YOUR SCANDALOUS WAYS over the weekend, as a matter of fact. )

Thanks for the warm welcome and hi there Rhonda!  I'm so glad to hear everyone's enthusiasm over Blaze's branching out to include historical settings and storylines.  I started in my pre-teens as a passionate reader of historicals and yes, gothics.  While I also enjoy contemporary books, and of course write them, too, there's just something about an historical that "breathes" romance. 

An historical offers that complete get-away (notice I don't say "escape" because it's more of a mini-break as the Brits would say) that you can't quite get from a contemporary, not in the same way.  Unfortunately few of us have the time to devote to a 900 plus page book like the sagas on which I cut my braces-clad teeth.

So, I'm thinking the Blaze historical offers the best of both worlds.  I'm hoping readers agree.

Can't wait to get this book! Ordered of course on the first of June.  You are one of my fav authors and I absolutely love the Blaze books and the historicals.  I have to choose between the 2 which to buy-can't get them all!  Now I don't have to choose, all in 1 great book.  Is this going to be a regular line of Blaze books or just a once-in-a-while thing?  ksmith

I'm so happy Blaze is doing historicals now too, instead of just contemporay (which is awesome too). Hope more historicals will come out with the debut of this one!

G'morning Wayne, Ladies,

It's our Day Three together, and I just want to say how much I appreciate all your enthusiasm over my Blaze historical debut.  I'll be at this year's Romance Writers of America conference in San Francisco signing copies of BOUND TO PLEASE at the annual literacy charity signing.  Perhaps I'll see some of you there.  I hope so!

While I'm looking forward to writing more Blaze historicals, lot's more, I'll also continue writing the contemporaries, too.  My next one, due out in January 2009 (yikes, '09 already!) is EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE.  Sexy former FBI Special Agent Cole Whittaker, now a private bodyguard, forgets to breath when the "principal" he's hired to escort to Belize and back is none other than Alexandra--Alex--Kendell, the woman he dumped at the airport five years before.  Yes, it's a second-chance-at-love story, my personal favorite, and you can expect all the steam of my usual Blazes ratcheted up to match the tropical paradise setting.

 Questions?  Comments?   Let 'em rip and roll.  I'll check in later today. 

Cioa for now...

Hope 

Hope

How easy or difficult is it to move between historical and contemporary?

wj 

Great question, Wayne.  Actually writing both historicals and contemporaries, sometimes at the same time (I also write S-T historicals for Medallion Press) has proven to be not only easier than I'd expected by also energizing. 

For years I wrote single-title historicals period.  While historicals will always be my first love, I've come to realize I have stories within me waiting to be told that just won't work or at least not work as well in a period setting.

My historicals and contemporaries both reflect me, my voice, but that voice has a different intonation depending on setting.  I've been told, and agree, that my contemporary voice resonates with a funny, sexy, and yes, ballsy vibe.  My historical voice is a bit more restrained, more sensual than in your face sexy, the language more elegant and controlled. 

When I sat down to write my first Blaze, IT'S A WONDERFULLY SEXY LIFE, I thought I'd have to consciously make the switch in my mind, but it turned out I didn't have to do a thing.  My muse not only took over; she had things under total control. 

Me, all I had to do was type. ;)

That's so cool, Star.  I hope you enjoy it. 

Great question, Tracy.  My answer is...both!

To back track a bit, for me the story dictates the setting, including historical time period.  For example, some years ago when I was still writing for Berkley/Penguin, I had this idea for a Pygmalion story, sort of "My Fair Lady" meets "Pretty Woman."  To me, that book absolutely had to be set in Victorian England--not Regency England or Medieval Scotland or turn-of-the-century New York.  I needed factories and coal dust laden air and railways and above all, a huge shism between public morality and private desires.

I've always been a history geek, British history especially, so I started out with at least a thin knowledge base.  That said, as I sat down to write -- to talk about my "process" would be a whole other conversation but suffice it to say I don't go about it like a grownup -- I devised a timeline of key events for the period.  Historical readers are smart cookies.  If you slip up, they always know.  Frequently they call you on it.  You never want to set a book say, during the Great Exhibition and have the characters clueless about that going on or have them launch off into the whirlwind of a New York City social season say, the year of the Great Influenza.

Otherwise, the writing and the research are pretty interrconnected for me.  That's true for my contemporaries, too.  At the moment, I'm revising EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE, my Jan. 09 Blaze.  The hero is a former FBI agent who now owns an executive bodyguarding private security firm.  The heroine is a microbiologist.  What I know about microbes would fit in a thimble with room to spare; ditto for "bullet catching."  So in the midst of rewriting, new twists in the story have meant going back to flush out more details, find more information.  It's like an Easter egg hunt--you never quite know what you're going to find.

Then again, that's half the fun.

 TGIF...

Hope

Hadn't had a chance to comment, however, I did go to your website and read your excerpt when I saw this on our calendar and ordered the book that night. Guess what? My mailman brought me a package today.

I'm partial to all things Scottish as my Grandma was born and raised over there. Plus, I love reading the Scottish dialect. And a Scottish hero just is right in there for me.

Best of luck on this endeavor of yours, I know I plan to enjoy your book--TODAY.

Rae

Years ago, I was in the Air Force and lived in England for a year and a half. My Great-Grandma lived in Scotland at the time and begged me to hop on a train and go over. She didn't understand that being low man on the totem pole meant I wasn't allowed or the wait list was long and distinguished. I regret not trying to get there on a weekend. But, I vowed to get there..."one day".

I've never been to Ireland either. But that's another one for 'one day'. Enjoy your trip!

I wrote a review yesterday for the Book Challenge. You can follow my bread crumbs over. I don't consider myself the best reviewer on the planet, but I hope I did it justice.

I adored this book and couldna put it down.  I hope to see more of these types of books from you in the future. *wink wink*

Oh, and I loved how you finished it. I won't spoil it for anyone else...however, you didn't neccessarily wrap up all the lose ends and there is the potential for the next story to pick up where you left off. Was that illusive enough?

Rae

I was in Vegas for vacation and missed this thread. 

I just ordered the book so nobody give any spoilers when they read it!

BTW everyone, Hope has an awesome website.

I was stationed in England myself for 5 yrs and met my hubby, who was also in the Air Force, there. We spent 2 wks in Scotland but did not see the Loch Ness monster. I do have some awesome footage of a piper playing as he walked through Urquhart Castle. 

Hope, I am not sure you remember, but I e-mailed you about your Blaze Historical and you very graciously e-mailed me back. I am so excited to read your book!

Angel

Rae, many thanks for the review of BOUND TO PLEASE--it's just perfect.

Angel, of course I remember you.  Reader emails are very precious to me.  It may sound corny, but I print them out and save them in a folder for each book.  It means a lot to know that something I've written has brought someone a smile or brightened a day.

Last but not least, Nancy, are you sure your daughter isn't my child?!? 

 (For the record, Macallen single-malt, 12- or 18-year-old, though the 21 year-old is nectar of the Gods).  

I've just ordered 'Bound to Please' today. It looks fantastic! I don't want to read the excerpt because I'll go loopy with impatience to read the rest of the book. When I saw the phrase 'Blaze Historical' I thought, am I dreaming? :) It's a fabulous idea and your story, Hope, sounds brilliant.

Your post about research was very interesting to me as I write historical romance and have found that creating a timeline first makes all the difference, and stops me getting carried away. I'm in love with history, so it's difficult not to! I've just recently learned to do what I call 'functional' research while doing the final revisions on my wip. I go through and see exactly what I need to find out or elaborate on, and try to focus my research accordingly.

This is an excellent book.  All I can say is, WOW!  I hope there are many more to come like this.  I think Blaze should have a line of just historicals along w/ the regular Blaze books.  I can't wait for more books in this line.  ksmith