City or Country? Annie West

As you may know, I've got a new book out this month. UNDONE BY HIS TOUCH is a Presents Extra release in North America. Romantic Times gave it a 4 star review, saying:

'Wests' twist on the Beauty and the Beast is an emotionally compelling read.'

It features another of my favourite hero types: intense and passionate. In this case Declan is also wounded - physically and emotionally, which makes opening up to Chloe and trusting in love a big ask for a man used to relying on no one but himself.

I was thinking about the book and how it fits into a couple of different segments with quite distinct features. I'd better not tell you too much about that as I don't want to give any spoilers that might ruin the story for you. But I can say that the different locations, as well as being a simple geographic change, also represent different phases in the relationship between Declan and Chloe.

I didn't plan that, it just happened as I wrote and its only now, looking back that I can see the distinction, which I find fascinating. It's amazing to look back on what you've written and find things you've done instinctively, but which work so well in the context of the story.

The book is set in Australia - partly in the city of Sydney,  near the centre of the city and the harbour, where Declan has an amazing rooftop apartment. The rest of the book is set in the Blue Mountains, a scenic area west of Sydney where small villages rest on a fertile plateau that drops away in an amazing escarpment into rugged wilderness that's World Heritage listed. This photo is taken near Wentworth Falls, looking out across the escarpment. The book opens on a cliff rather like those, while Declan and his brother are climbing together. Declan's house, which I fell in love with as I wrote, is based on some gorgeous old, rambling homes that were built in the mountains over a century ago. I could see one of them as the perfect hideaway for a recluse.

I used two of my favourite places to set this book - places I love to visit for different reasons. That got me wondering about which is better - either for a short break, or to live. Or, to set an intense Presents story.

Do you like the glamour of the big city in your reading or do you prefer the quiet of the country? Do you like to read about the opposite of where you live or doesn't the setting matter to you?

If you want to read more about UNDONE BY HIS TOUCH visit Annie's website or pop over to Harlequin, Amazon, Barnes and Noble or the Book Depository.

A Different Desert Experience - Annie West

GIRL IN THE BEDOUIN TENT, my current book, begins in an isolated encampment in wild, inhospitable mountains. Cassie and Amir spend a week in the most luxurious tent you could imagine - one fit for a king, and later they return to his royal palace. To get the feel of the story right I had to imagine an arid, almost deserted landscape.

Readers often ask how much research I do for the settings of my books. It varies. I often write about places I know or have visited. If it's somewhere I've never been then research, including contact with people who know the place, is invaluable.

This time I can tell you that yes, I've visited a desert. A couple in fact. I've camped out on the fringes of the desert in Australia (yes, we have them too!). I've ridden a camel into the desert in Egypt and walked far enough to learn how difficult it is to trudge through sand. I've felt the blaze of daytime heat and been surprised by the evening chill of a desert night. I've been amazed at the number of stars you see in the desert sky at night. And I've shuddered at the thought of coming across a scorpion.

But it had been some time since I'd been in a desert when I planned Cassie and Amir's story. So when I had the chance on a recent trip to Dubai, I signed up for an excursion to a desert national park.

This was a completely new experience for me. Instead of moving under my own steam or on a four-legged animal we were in a 4WD driven by a man who clearly saw the desert as a playground for thrill seekers. We deliberately veered at improbable angles over steep dunes and more than once it seemed inevitable we'd overturn. Imagine a roller coaster on wheels... It was exhilarating and fun, but I think he was disappointed I didn't scream as the dips and sways grew more outlandish.

We saw a spectacular sunset and had a delicious meal. I hand my hand painted with henna - a soothing, fascinating experience but far too short. We were entertained by a belly dancer and there were, of course, camels to be ridden. And there were lots of us. I had to laugh when I turned from taking the photo of the sunset (above) and clicked this photo of just a few of the many people who'd also booked a desert trip. This was not the setting for a blissfully romantic tryst.

It was a fun, fascinating experience and one I wouldn't have missed. I got to soak up the scent of the desert and feel the prickle on my skin as the night closed in around us. It helped me focus on some of the things I wanted to bring to the setting for GIRL IN THE BEDOUIN TENT and it also reinforced the things that would be different in my story. Cassie and Amir's book would have less people and there'd be horses for transport, not 4WDs. There would be a sense of isolation - the two of them trapped together in difficult circumstances, and despite that, a sense of pure luxury that befits a royal sheikh.

Have you ever been somewhere you'd always wanted to visit? Did you find it just as you expected? Or was it full of surprises, like my desert trip with a thrill seeking driver? Would you rather be surprised or are you disappointed when places aren't the same as you imagined?

GIRL IN THE BEDOUIN TENT is out this month as a Presents Extra release. I'm thrilled to say it's just been awarded a CataRomance Reviewers' Choice Award (yay!) and was also shorlisted for an Australian Romance Readers' Award. You can read an excerpt of it on my website.

A Touch of Luxury - Annie West

Have you ever craved a touch of luxury in your life? A rare treat away from the everyday world of juggling responsibilities? I think most of us have.

Personally I think a little indulgence once in a while is a wonderful thing - a memorable chance to relax and experience something completely different. I suspect it could become addictive except real life always manages to intervene. After all, real indulgence costs. I suppose it's partly the novelty that makes indulgence such fun.

I was recently in London (a huge treat in itself given the fact that I live in Australia). As well as catching up with my editor and some wonderful, wonderful British Presents authors, I also managed to fit in an extra special treat: high tea at Claridges, one of London's most prestigious hotels. I'd read about the place in books for years and wondered if it would be up to expectations. Browsing the website it looked terrific but in reality it was even better.

The red brick facade is pleasant but doesn't really give an inkling of what's inside, though the very smart and friendly doorman was a bit of a giveaway. Afternoon tea was served in a lovely, bright, elegant room. Service was impeccable and the staff were fantastic. Nothing was too much trouble. I didn't get to pour my own tea - not once in several hours, and though they were at hand and very attentive, they didn't intrude and were delightfully friendly. The food was superb, the setting fantastic and the result - sheer pleasure.

Whiling away an afternoon indulging in a quintessentially English pastime - afternoon tea, was a perfect way to spend my first afternoon in London. As well as tea there were sandwiches (of course) - Scottish salmon, cucumber, ham, etc, etc. There were perfect scones, both fruit and plain with house-made jam and clotted cream (my fave!). Then there was the tray of...I don't dare call them anything as ordinary as cakes. Yes, there was cake with rich chocolately layers. But there were tarts with fresh fruit, macaroons stacked with raspberries dusted with sugar and the most amazing tropical fruit dessert. The sad thing was that despite multiple offers, we were just too full to have seconds!

As well as being a terrific treat, the experience was perfect fodder for the author in me. Just thinking about the people who take such service in their stride as a matter of course set me thinking about new stories. As for the setting - I suspect something like it is going to appear in a future book.

In the meantime my current book THE SAVAKIS MERGER, is out now in North America as a Presents Extra release. It features a couple who've lived with luxury, though neither is exactly what they seem. I wondered when I wrote my heroine, Callie, if readers might find it hard to identify with a woman who had a wardrobe stacked full of designer gowns. I needn't have worried. So far reader feedback has been terrific. Maybe it's got something to do with the fact that those gowns come with memories she'd rather avoid, and a future she's trying to build which is as far away from A list glamour as she can get. As for Damon, he might look like he was born and bred to a tuxedo but nothing could be further from the truth. It was fun writing a story where the outward trappings of wealth hid so many secrets. Here's a taste:

From untouchable socialite...
Only hours ago she was a wickedly tempting, sexy stranger. Now Damon Savakis knows who she really is - Callie Manolis, society ice-queen and duplicitous niece of his arch enemy.
...to his unwilling mistress!
Yet when Callie's avaricious uncle loses the Manolis money, she becomes the bargaining chip in the Savakis merger. Damon is unprepared for her bravery, poise and purity in a world full of greed. Once she's paid her dues in his bed he'll make her his willing bride for free.

To find out more about the story, read an excerpt or some reviews of it, head over to my website.

In the meantime, since I've been talking about luxury indulgences, I'm wondering what your perfect luxury indulgence would be. Something big or something small? Is there a special treat you've always wanted to try?

That First Romantic Kiss - Annie West

I have a new book out this month. PRINCE OF SCANDAL is a twist on the Cinderella theme. A long lost princess holds the key to inheriting a kingdom. A handsome, ruthless prince is determined to secure his birthright, and the safety of his subjects - by marrying a stranger.

Raul, my prince with a past, is determined to get his own way and can't understand why his chosen bride would object to a marriage that brings her wealth, status, security and all the luxuries of life, not to mention a handsome, charismatic prince into the bargain! But Luisa has other ideas and they don't include tying herself for life to an arrogant if gorgeous aristocrat who's far too used to getting his own way.

As I wrote I began to wonder what sort of first kiss this pair would have. Would it be a chaste salute in front of a huge congregation and the world's cameras on their wedding day? Would it be a tentative caress? Would Raul decide to seduce his bride in order to make her more amendable to his plans? Would Luisa kiss him to prove the point that there was no attraction between them and marriage would be a mistake? Romance writers can spend a lot of time mulling over a kiss. On the left is one of my favourites, from the TV adaptation of 'North and South'. That Richard Armitage definitely knows how to kiss! That kiss was so long coming, so slow in the build up, and full of delicious anticipation. Here's another sort of kiss entirely, not quite so chaste, but with definite possibilities!

In the end Raul and Luisa's first kiss happens in a gorgeous, romantic place: aboard a private boat cruising through Paris at night. Their conflicts haven't been resolved and disagreement rather than romance leads to that first kiss. Luisa takes Raul to task for his high-handed ways, telling him in no uncertain terms that he's not a man she wants to marry. She wants a man she can respect and love. A man who makes her heart race...which is when Raul decides to show her he's exactly to the man to make her heart race and more. But instead of that being a victory for him, it becomes a turning point as he realises what he feels for her is more complex that he suspected.

Raul's mouth claimed Luisa's, pressing, demanding, till on a gasp her lips parted and he took possession.
Too late he realised his mistake.
The spark of indignation that had urged him to silence her grievances flared higher. Hotter. Brighter. He tasted her and heat shimmered, molten in his blood. He delved into her sweet lush mouth and discovered something unexpected.
Something unique.

If you want to read more about PRINCE OF SCANDAL, including background on how I came to write it, reviews and a longer excerpt, visit my website at http://www.annie-west.com/ Or you could buy it at Harlequin, Amazon or the Book Depository.

Is there a screen kiss or a romance book one that stands out for you? Alternatively, do you have a romantic kiss story of your own you'd like to share? Even a suggestion on the perfect location for a romantic first kiss.

Annie will choose at random one person from those who leave a comment to receive a copy of PROTECTED TO THE PRINCE - a linked story to PRINCE OF SCANDAL, or if they already have that book, a surprise gift.

Excerpt from the title: Prince of Scandal by Annie West. The excerpt is posted by arrangement with Harlequin Books SA. ISBN: 9780373130108 Copyright ©: 2011 by Annie West.

Out on a limb...

Annie West here. Have you ever felt out on a limb? Stressed by forces you feel you have little control over and forced to consider options you'd prefer to avoid?

If so you'll have some sympathy for Antonia and Rafe in my Presents release this month. They say that writers, particularly romance writers, like to put their characters in terrible situations and then watch how they deal with them. In this case it's true. I confess. Neither Rafe nor Antonia were happy at the beginning of this book. Both faced stressful situations , the sort that bring out the best or worst in people Both found ways to get through them and redeem themselves. Because of that I love the US title RAFE'S REDEMPTION because it really gets to the crux of the story (in the UK this story was called THE BILLIONAIRE'S BOUGHT MISTRESS) .

Rafe is a man behaving badly. OK, I know sometimes we expect alpha heroes to do that, but he has his reasons - a mix of revenge on the man who destroyed his mother and the desire to stop him from ever harming anyone again. He's single minded in his pursuit, so single minded that he doesn't stop to consider the impact of his actions on anyone else. Frankly he's not seeing the big picture and that's what he has to learn before he can be redeemed.

That's where Antonia comes in. She's got problems of her own. Problems she can't walk away from, not if she's to salvage her recently dead father's reputation. As she loved her parents dearly and can't bear to see them wrongly maligned in public, there's no question that she'll turn her back. Then there's the small matter of a debt to be paid.

Rafe makes her an offer that every instinct, every feeling rejects. Yet logic, and the need to do the right thing for those she loves, means she has to consider the unthinkable - living with Rafe while he flaunts her as his lover in order to fulfil his plans for revenge.

I wondered when I began writing this whether Antonia was in such a position of weakness with all her choices taken away from her, that she'd turn into a wimp that no one could like. I needn't have worried. She leapt onto the page and found wonderful, inventive ways to stand up for herself in the face of what initially seemed overwhelming odds. She did it so well that she showed Rafe the error of his ways - absolutely necessary for his redemption.

Here's what a few readers have said:

"...a fabulously sensual Modern Romance that will keep you turning the pages late into the night with its captivating blend of drama, passion, intrigue and romance." (Cataromance review)
"How do you do it - make a man a woman should hate into someone you want?"
"OMG I finished reading Rafe and Antonia on Monday night and I LOVED it. Really, truly I loved it - this story is my idea of what the perfect Presents story should be."

It seems I love a story where hero and heroine have to face the unthinkable - or at least a situation they'd prefer to avoid. Can you remember a story where the hero/heroine had to face the worst scenario imaginable ? If not, could you suggest one? I'll give a copy of one of my backlist books to someone who leaves a comment.

If you're interested in Rafe's Redemption you can find details on my website or even better, order it from eHarlequin (it's only available there - in either paperback or ebook form).

Covers and Content

There are lots of exciting moments in a writer's life. Having the book come together just as you'd hoped. Days when the characters spark with life and teach you things you didn't realise about the story you thought you knew so well. Opening your email to find a message from a reader who loved one of your stories. And, seeing the cover of your next book for the first time and (hopefully) falling for it.

Many writers have input to their covers but I'm not aware of anyone who has the final say in what their book will look like. That's in the hands of art departments and marketers. Personally, I find myself holding my breath when I open the box I know has my new title in, after all this is someone else's interpretation of what your story is about. That story you worked on frenetically for so long, and lived day and night.

Recently, when I opened a package with my first (UK) editions of PRINCE OF SCANDAL, I was thrilled. I love the colour scheme (especially the touches of red), I love the intensity of the couple staring into each other's eyes (so like Luisa and Raul, it reminded me of a number of scenes from the story). I particularly enjoyed the feel of elegance and a hint of royal glamour, since this was the story of an ordinary girl (a dairy farmer in fact) who enters of marriage of convenience with a prince. I did wonder for a moment or two how Luisa's blonde hair had morphed into what appear to be lovely long, dark locks. I did ponder the castle so beautifully lit to gold (I'd imagined an alpine setting perched high on a mountain). But the feel of it, and particularly the intensity of that look between Raul and Luisa was spot on.

Then just a couple of days ago, I found the North American Presents cover of the same book. The cover gods must have been smiling on me for I love that cover too. Again, Raul and Luisa are embracing, and Raul is looking darkly handsome. This cover doesn't have the same focus on the royal theme in the book (no castle in sight) but I smiled when I saw it, as the cosy wood panelling and the sense of intimacy in the room, remind me of that intensity between the couple in the story. Even surrounded by courtiers so often, and with the eyes of the public on them whenever they step outside, what sticks in my mind is the intimacy that grew so quickly between Luisa and Raul, and I feel this cover captures that perfectly. Maybe it's coincidence but I enjoyed the fact that it hints that they manage to turn a royal castle into a home. Plus the model for Luisa is just as I'd pictured her!

That's not always the way. Take Rafiq in THE SHEIKH'S RANSOMED BRIDE. Handsome as he is, the model for this cover lacks one thing Rafiq had - shoulder length black hair (usually hidden or tied back, except in the bedroom). I assume the decision was made to give him short back and sides because that might appeal to more readers. I understand that and it doesn't bother me, though it did make me grin, especially when I saw the Russian edition which had the same illustration, but with the addition of a long mullet - superimposed long dark hair to go with the short cropped sides.



By contrast, here's the same book in manga (comic book) edition. This is my first English language comic book - just out! This Rafiq has long hair and is certainly dashing. The illustrations inside focus a lot on the theme of his pirate ancestry which is lots of fun. I think the cover captures beautifully the whole exotic Arabian Nights feel of the story and I know I'd be tempted to pick it up and browse on the basis of that. For me it's fascinating to see how two such different interpretations of the same characters and situation still manage to evoke certain similar themes.

Do you have a favorite cover? Favorite styles of covers? Do you buy on the basis of a cover? I'd love to hear what other readers think and I'll forward a selection of signed cover flats to one person, chosen at random, who leaves a comment.

If you want to find out more about the books mentioned here, you'll find details and excerpts on my website. PRINCE OF SCANDAL is released in May (UK) and mid July (US), while the comic book of THE SHEIKH'S RANSOMED BRIDE is available now from Amazon in 2 parts.

Thank you everyone who stopped by and who left a comment. I've drawn a prize winner and it's JENNIFER TANNER. Congratulations, Jennifer! If you send me a message at annie@annie-west.com with your postal address I'll send your signed cover flats on to you.

Perfect Time for a Royal Romance

You guessed it, my February Presents Extra is a royal romance.

Being Australian, I was particularly fascinated several years ago when an Australian woman, Mary, married a Danish Prince. Now she's Princess Mary of Denmark, leading the sort of life that gets featured in glossy magazines here and, I assume, all over the world.

There's something about the pomp and ceremony of a royal wedding, the glittter and excitement and, above all, the Cinderella factor when an 'ordinary' girl marries a royal, that is absolutely fasincating. There's the dress to ponder over, the pageantry, the guest list of celebrities, the chance to spot any young, handsome, unattached minor royals waiting for their own Cinderella (I know there aren't many but who cares about long odds?).

Imagine my pleasure when I discovered the release of PROTECTED BY THE PRINCE slots in nicely to the approaching royal wedding in the UK. Thank you Kate and William! I couldn't have timed this better. It would be nice to think I had an inkling that wedding bells would be in the air when I planned this story, but it's just serendipity.



Serendipity had a lot to do with this book, with so many wonderful experiences feeding into my research. There was a marvellous day spent with fellow Presents author Abby Green in Dublin, which included a visit to the old library at Trinity College. That place is amazing, and the visit helped me create my heroine, Tamsin, a book curator and expert in old languages. There was a visit to see crown jewels on a day when it wasn't crowded (yes, really!) and the staff were particularly helpful. A visit to a fabulous gothic cathedral full of stunning stained glass just as the clouds cleared and washed the interior with the most gorgeous light. Christmas night markets in Austria and Germany alive with the smells of mouth watering food and the sounds of music and laughter. There were castles perched on high mountains and a fabulous night spent in a tower room looking down on the Rhine. There was even a sleigh ride on the clearest day imaginable, after fresh, deep snow had fallen and the alps looked unbelievable. Well, yes, our sleigh ride wasn't like Tamsin and Alaric's - there were several of us in the sleigh and I wasn't being whisked off to an isolated mountain lodge for royal seduction. But the tinkle of the bells (they really do tinkle) and the swish of the sleigh and the sparkle of the snow were completely magic.

However, it was Tamsin and Alaric who made this royal romance such fun to write. He is handsome, debonair, charming and troubled, weighed down by the ghosts of his past. She's hard-working, almost reclusive and determined to concentrate only on her work of preserving old documents, rather than let herself fall for another charming man who can't be trusted. She's not glamorous. She wears dowdy grey and brown, she hasn't a high heel to her name and she shuns male attention. Fortunately Alaric can see beyond the surface and is intrigued by what he finds. As for Alaric - sigh. Well, let me just say I had a wonderful time with him. Here he is as seen through Tamsin's eyes at their first meeting:

He could have been Prince Charming, standing there in his elaborate hussar’s uniform, her discarded shoe in one large, capable hand. A bigger, tougher Prince Charming than she remembered from her childhood reading. His dark eyebrows slashed across a tanned face that wasn’t so much handsome as magnetic, charismatic, potently sexy. Like Prince Charming’s far more experienced and infinitely more dangerous older brother.

I was thrilled when PROTECTED BY THE PRINCE received a 4.5 star review from Romantic Times: With genuine chemistry and vulnerable characters this modern-day fairy tale delights from start to finish. I hope you enjoy it too, along with the other Presents and Presents Extras this month. For more about the book, visit my website. To celebrate the fact this is my first post on the fabulous new Harlequin Presents Blog I've decided to give away a backlist title to one person chosen at random from those who leave a comment. Just tell us one time serendipity or coincidence gave you or someone you know a lovely surprise.