THE ICE PRINCE, the newest book in Sandra Marton's THE ORSINI SAGA

Hello, and welcome to the exciting world of the Orsini family!

I began writing about this Sicilian-American family two years ago, though the characters had been in my head longer than that.

A Mafioso Don. His seemingly-compliant wife. Their four sons who despise their father and have made their own ways in the world.

The characters came alive with breathtaking swiftness. I could see them, hear them; I could hardly wait to get them on paper.

I planned four books, one for each Orsini brother. Almost as an afterthought, I decided to include two sisters, mostly to give this powerful family some feminine counterpoint.

I had no plans for telling their stories—and no idea that neither Anna or Isabella would tolerate being overlooked! But as I told their brothers' stories, the sisters began to elbow their way in. And then you, my wonderful readers, took up their cause.

You e-mailed. You snail-mailed. You stopped me at conferences. You said you'd adored Rafaelle and Dante, Nicolo and Falco… and their sisters. You wanted to know their stories, too.

I know you'll understand when I tell you that Anna (and Izzy) were starting to tell me the same thing.

Well, I finally got the message.

The Ice Prince is Anna's story.

Anna's a tough, smart New York attorney. She's also a bundle of conflicting signals. She wears no-nonsense  business suits and killer stilettos. She has a healthy attitude about men and sex but she's not interested in love.

Prince Draco Valenti can't figure her out. The only thing he's sure of is that they're adversaries… and that he wants her more than he's ever imagined wanting a woman. How can that be? Draco is sexy; he's an incredible lover, but he's always been a man in tight control of emotions.

Until he meets Anna.

Their hot, tempestuous affair unfolds in Rome, surely one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in the world.

Draco has a villa on the Via Appia. He has a tough time convincing Anna to move in with him. He knows he's going to have a tougher time convincing her to live with him once they're back in the States. Anna's not into commitment. She's seen what happens to women when they let themselves fall in love with strong, powerful men.

Draco comes up with a plan he's certain will solve the problem.

Unfortunately, he neglects to share that plan with Anna.

And, just that quickly, their affair is over.  Or is it?

Can a fiercely independent woman and a man accustomed to running an empire find happiness together?

Find the answer in THE ICE PRINCE, available right now!

And when you have time, come visit me at http://www.sandramarton.com where you'll find news about me and all my books.

Lots of love,

Sandra
P.S. Isabella's story will be on sale next month. It's called THE REAL RIO D'AQUIA, and I think you'll find it equally exciting!

European Inspiration - Part 1

Hi, Trish Morey here, fresh from six weeks travelling around Europe and home with so much inspiration I could burst and I have no doubt that many of the locations I visited are going to become the settings for some Presents reading to come. So here's a first glimpse of a couple of the fabulous places I visited and some of the sights I saw. Maybe you might recognise some of them in a future Trish Morey story?

First stop was London. What isn't there to love about London? Here's a picture of the Liberty of London Building, a gorgeous Tudor revival building built in only 1924, but from the timbers of two old ships, so it really has a much longer and richer history.

I can imagine a heroine from a Presents novel inside, wandering through the rooms, searching for inspiration for that special piece or fabric with which to redecorate some old family pile in the country, for a reclusive and distant billionaire who is as mysterious as he is strangely compelling...

And here's the tiara she might wear on their wedding day once she's found and melted his heart, a tiara spotted in a shop window and which spoke to me.

Of course, it's been in the hero's family for generations, probably via the Austrian Princess connection (it's amazing what a little imagination can do with a shop window display:))

(And no, I didn't buy the tiara. I was actually afraid what the answer might be if I asked how much.)

Next stop was Tuscany and more fuel for the writer's imagination. The best kind of fuel...

Would this do for a hero's family home? Or maybe the home he was never invited to because he was the illegitimate son? Or maybe he was the housekeeper's child, maybe even the love child of the rich owner?

I love Tuscany (gosh, who doesn't?) I loved the misty sunrises and colourful sunsets, I

loved the local sparkling Prosecco we had with dinner on the terrace on warm autumn nights, I loved the discovery of large frozen octopuses in the supermarket freezer section and I adored the flower and plant stall in the nearby market in Fivizzano.

So much to see and this was just my first week! I will have to come back and include some more pictures in a Part 2 post soon. Meanwhile, I should get in a plug for a story I adore, The Storm Within, coming out in Presents in November (but is probably already on shelf now) in a 2-in-1 with the fabulous and talented Caitlin Crews, and called, A Royal Engagement.

The Storm Within is my first Gothic style story, albeit with a happy ending, but still with so many of those Gothic elements that we've come to expect of the genre - a crumbling castle atop a rugged cliff on a storm-tossed island, dark tunnels beneath the castle filled with ancient pirate history, and a reclusive Count, scarred both physically and mentally. Into this world comes a beautiful young conservator, whose presence on the Island is as unwanted by the Count as the discovery of the pages from the ancient book that has brought her to his isolated Island.

I had a fabulous time bringing these two characters together. I hope you enjoy reading their journey too!

With much love,

Trish

xx

Married in Las Vegas! - Jane Porter

As some of you may know from Facebook and my blog, I got married last month! My surfer guy, Ty Gurney, and I tied the knot on September 17^th in an Elvis style wedding in Las Vegas. We’d originally planned on a small wedding with just a few family and friends but as it happens with these things, it got bigger and better.

Being a romance writer, I love weddings. I write them in my Harlequin Presents, but also love them in real life. I love dressing up and having a party. I love having a reason to celebrate with family and friends and just rejoicing about all the good things in life.

I had so much fun in Las Vegas. I never would have thought I'd do a Vegas wedding but it was perfect! I loved my gorgeous dress and pretty red heels. I loved Elvis singing to us in the little Vegas wedding chapel, and all the fun Vegas themed touches we included for the reception. Ty loves black, and I love red so we combined the colors for a glamorous black and red color scheme. Our cake was one of my favorite things, as well as the a poolside cocktails with the sun setting in the background. It was great to have my family and closest friends there (including the fabulous Caitlin Crews) to help us celebrate the special day.

There’s one more thing I want to share – my new novella, One Christmas Night In Venice is featured as one of the stories in the anthology Mistletoe Wishes. It’s a story set in Venice during Christmas and I had such great fun writing it. I love Venice just as much as I love Christmas. My characters, Domencio and Diane find love together for a second time under the stars in this gorgeous city. I hope you’ll look for it and hopefully enjoy reading it!

Jane Porter

www.janeporter.com

October Releases

Doukakis's Mistress by Sarah Morgan

With her family business in crisis, Polly Prince does her best to keep calm and carry on. But hard work alone can't save her London company from a takeover by the infamously ruthless Damon Doukakis…or her traitorous body from the lethal sensuality of her boss!

As his new apprentice, Polly accompanies Damon to Paris to negotiate the most challenging business deal of her life! Worse still, Polly must at all costs resist Damon in the most dangerously romantic city in the world.…
For more information, visit http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=24488&cid=226

The Kanellis Scandal by Michelle Reid

"It is not wise to make him angry …"
…But Anton Pallis is livid! As the adopted son of the Kanellis patriarch, he's set to inherit the vast family fortune. Until it's revealed there's a true heir—in the rather appealing shape of Zoe Ellis.

Zoe's Greek heritage means nothing to her—and to be involved with the Kanellis dynasty is to be cursed with scandal! Except now, it's pounding on her front door—or rather, Anton is, in all his dark, chiseled glory. And she has no idea what he's going to do next.…

For more information, visit http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=24486&cid=226

The Return of the Stranger by Kate Walker

Standing high on the windswept moors, the lone figure of Heath Montanha vows vengeance on the woman who destroyed the last fragments of his heart…
Lady Katherine Charlton has never forgotten the stable hand with dangerous fists and a troubled heart from her childhood. Now the rebel is back, his powerful anger concealed under a polished and commanding veneer.

When ten years of scandal and secrets are unleashed, with a passionate, furious kiss, Heath's deepest, darkest wish crystallizes: revenge—and Kathy—will be his!

For more inforation, visit http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=24539&cid=226

Stories that Never Leave You - by Kate Walker

When I was eleven, I was  at a very small junior school that was in an old building, where the wiring wasn't very reliable. The was in West Yorkshire where the weather was often wild, and storms could break over the hills with great drama and  force.  One day there was a huge thunderstorm, great flashes of lightning, and the lights in the whole building fused.  We were sitting in darkness, with  a lot of the girls getting scared and screaming when the thunder roared and the lightning flashed. (Not me - I have always loved storms and still do.)

To distract us from getting worried and while waiting for the electricty to be restored, the teacher - a Mr Grogan  - told us to sit quietly and he would tell us a story.  The story he told was a bout a man who returned home to his farm, high on the Yorkshire moors, bringing with him an orphan gipsy boy he has found in the streets of Liverpool . The farmer already had a son and daughter, Hindly and Catherine - and the gipsy boy's name was of course Heathcliff. This story was the beginning of the classic romantic novel  - Wuthering Heights.

I never got to hear the end of the story that day because the lights came back on before my teacher had got past the point where Heathcliff and Cathy fight, and Heathcliff runs away,  to go and make his fortune. I never learned what happened when he came back - because it was  obvious that he did come back - and I always wanted to know.  But of course most of the story of Heathcliff's revenge was probably not suitable for young children.

But the story stayed with me and I wanted to know so much about it.  It was some years later that I found a book on my mother's bookshelf and, opening it, saw the names I remembered so well. I started to read  - and didn't put it down until I had finished. It was an amazing story - but  it never had the happy ending that I had hoped for. 

I've read Wuthering Heights many times again and again since that day. I've studied it at school and at university  and never tired of it. It's a story that never really leaves my imagination, specially as the place I grew up was so close to Haworth village where the Bronte sisters  lived and where Emily Bronte  wrote Wuthering Heights in the parsonage there.

So when editorial suggested a special mini series where Presents Authors took the themes of classics of romantic fiction - Jane Eyre, Emma, Pride and Prejudice - and Wuthering Heights, I was thrilled to be asked to take part in it.  Specially when I learned that the book they wanted me to work on was my own favourite - Wuthering Heights. I've had an amazing time looking back at this great book and  honouring it by using it as the inspiration for my own Presents version of  this amazing story. I've had to make changes of course - Wuthering Heights isn't really a love story. It's a story about passion and possession and  power -  so while all those other books had happy endings already set, I had to create one for my characters. I also had to take wild, willful Cathy and dark, dangerous Heathcliff and give them the happy ever after ending that Emily Bronte's story never had.

I found it a challenge - but I loved doing it. I created the story I had always hoped for all those years ago. I didn't copy or steal from Wuthering Heights, just used the basic themes that are in the book and created a romance that stands on its own. You don't have to have read Wuthering Heights to enjoy The Return of The Stranger - you can read it entirely on its own and enjoy it. 


Last week I was back in Haworth village, talking to The Bronte Society about writing The Return of The Stranger. I met a lot of people there who had never been able to get the story of Wuthering Heights out of their minds too - and I was trilled to find that so many of them felt that way about Return of The Stranger too They loved this modernised, Presents version.  (I'm going to be sharing some of my pictures of Haworth on my own blog soon - and on the I Heart Presents blog at the begining of October.)

Oh yes - and they loved the cover too. I've posted the Presents Extra cover of The Return of the Stranger because that's the one that will be in the shops in October - but I have to share the UK cover with you as well - because  . . . . well - look at it! It's fantastic - isn't it?

I hope you enjoy The Return of the Stranger as much as they all did.

Family - Helen Bianchin

My last release was"Alessandro's Prize" which came out in July of this year.  Northern Italy became the setting of choice ... A little sentimentality on my part as my husband was born in the province of Treviso in northern Italy. I have to admit to admiring the culture, cuisine, fashion; gregarious temperament; above all,  famiglia - family.

Our marriage produced three children, who were aged 3, 5 and 8 years of age when I wrote my first book. Consequently they've grown up with a mother who spent a lot of time initially keying words onto a typewriter, then into a computer.   Even now, my daughter will 'phone me, sigh heavily as I answer, and offer 'you're in the zone, Mum, I'll ring back later'. She can tell just from the tone in my voice?  Really?  Even after all these years when I'd thought I'd mastered the smooth switch from writer to mother?

Perhaps I can lean back a little from the slight edge of guilt that while I was always there for them, in truth I was inevitably a little distracted by the current opus and a hero and heroine who refused to comply with my direction. Sound a little familiar?

At the moment I'm currently working on my 61st manuscript, as yet untitled, which should be completed by November.  The hero is of Greek/American heritage, the heroine third generation Russian on her mother's side, and the theme is revenge. It's sizzling nicely ...

All the best

Helen  

September releases

Too Proud To Be Bought by Sharon Kendrick

The humble waitress and the Russian billionaire…
Waitress Zara Evans doesn't belong in glittering high society. That is until she finds herself unexpectedly at an exclusive party, and manages to captivate the most sought-after man in the room—Russian oligarch Nikolai Komarov.

For Nikolai, there's something about Zara's beauty that makes her stand out from the first-class crowd. Experience has taught him all women have their price, but he has never encountered anyone like Zara—a young woman who is too proud, too independent, too willful to be bought…

For more information, please visit http://www.eharlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=24289&cid=226

The Secret Baby Scandal by Jennie Lucas & Kate Hewitt

The Count's Secret Child by Jennie Lucas
Theo St. Raphael summoning Carrie to his castle means only one thing to her—he's finally ready to accept their baby son. So as she walks up the grand steps, the last thing she expects is to discover that all Theo wants is her back in his bed—and a paternity test!

The Sandoval Baby by Kate Hewitt

For Rafe Sandoval, discovering he has a three-year-old son by his late ex-wife is a shock. Max's nanny, quiet, beguiling Freya Clark, is a godsend. One night, the growing tension between them turns to passion, and soon Rafe discovers he's to be a father again.… This child will have two parents from the start—and Rafe wants marriage!

For more information, please visit http://www.eharlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=24291&cid=226

Maharaja's Mistress by Susan Stephens

Monte Carlo is abuzz with news that Ram Varindha—young, hot and royal—is without a co-driver for the biggest rally event of the year. Though it's been years since she last saw him, Mia leaps at the chance to get up close with the maharaja!

With time to spare before he takes on more serious royal duties, bedding this beauty is top of Ram's list. But Mia has long known Ram's reputation. Is she just in for the hottest few nights of her life, or could her dream of finally taming Ram's playboy ways become reality?

For more information, please visit http://www.eharlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=24360&cid=226