New York magazine, smut and The Viking's Captive Princess

My brother in law let me know that the New York Magazine has done an article on *smut* aka the Romance genre for most normal people. At the end of the article, they have a flow chart to help the novice smut reader find the right book. If you don't care about demographics, want your romance set in the past, at sea and wearing a Viking helmet, they reccomend The Viking's Captive Princess.
As I do like the cover, I was pleased to see it there. Luckily despite it being out several years, it remains available as an ebook.
The article amused me, particularly as there is no getting around how popular the genre is.

Video Review of Viking's Captive Princess

A very lovely reader let me know she had done a video review of The Viking's Captive Princess. It was a wonderfully sweet thing to do and the first time it has happened to me. Luckily, she really liked the book. So thank you very much. I am very honoured.
Anyway, in case anyone is interested:

Goodreads giveaway of Viking's Captive Princess

After the success of the A Question Of Impropriety  Goodreads giveaway, I am doing another giveaway through Goodreads. This time for The Viking's Captive Princess.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Viking's Captive Princess (Mills & Boon Historical)

by Michelle Styles

Giveaway ends November 30, 2010.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

And by popular request, I included a few more countries in the giveaway. At the moment once I get my author copies for Impoverished Miss, Convenient Wife, I plan to do another Goodreads giveaway and if your country isn't listed, let me know and I will try (but can't make any promises...)

Currently thinking about revisions and how I am going to make the changes.

Made my deadline

I have sent the full of my Sinai one off to my very lovely editor for her thoughts. I expect revisions as I firmly believe that every manuscript can be made better with an editor's eye.  I do really believe in this story and think that once it is done, it is going to be absolutely fab.

One thing that was different about this book is that I finished it several thousand words short. By the time I had done the edits, I had add an extra 10k to the story. If I had made that word count in the first place, I would have been cutting furiously. So it is a lesson for me. I actually found this to be true of the Online Serial as well. I finished under the word count and trusted myself to layer in the emotion etc that was in my head and not on the page.

I will get my newsletter out in the next day or so and have decided it will be a pitch type contest (ie the middle paragraph of the query letter). I promise to comment on all entries... More in the newsletter...

Both A Question of Impropriety ( on eharlequin) and  The Viking's Captive Princess (on Mills & Boon) are on sale today. You can browse The Viking's Captive Princess here  and read the first chapter of A Question of Impropriety here.

Viking's Captive Princess in Italian -- Il Segno del Peccato

IL SEGNO DEL PECCATO


di STYLES MICHELLE

Scandinavia, 796



Thyre e Dagmar non possono fare altro che riservare un'accoglienza calorosa all'equipaggio dell'imponente imbarcazione nemica arenata sulla spiaggia. La tradizione prevede anche un tributo un po' particolare, una notte d'amore tra l'erede legittima dell'isola di Ranrike e il comandante della nave. Dagmar però è innamorata e chiede alla sorellastra un favore enorme: sostituirla nel letto di Ivar il guerriero. Thyre, determinata e indipendente, accetta, forte del fatto che l'atto si svolgerà al buio. Ma il mattino seguente Ivar la smaschera davanti a tutti e la costringe a fare una scelta tanto coraggiosa quanto pericolosa, che segnerà un nuovo capitolo nella sanguinosa lotta tra fazioni vichinghe rivali.

Note; the Italians chose the right picture! I am very pleased.

Winner of the VCP contest

The first name out of the hat was Joanne Cleary.

The answer was the windows!  The Spanish version also used the wrong picture and you can see why my senior editor was apologetic. It is a very lovely rose garden...but somehow I doubt Ivar and Thyre would have seen it. My sr editor knows that the readers of Historical do notice things like that and it does bother her. It is one of the reasons why she is such an excellent senior editor.

The feel of the cover is wonderful (mostly I notice the couple, philistine that I am!) and it does capture the feel of the book.  And I do like the new M&B look. I saw the new Historicals out in Tescos yesterday and they were screaming  Buy me! Lovely jewel like covers.

In other news:
Today is my workshop in Knaresborough for New Voices. I really hope it goes well and that the people who go enjoy it.

My editor was in touch yesterday. She has okayed my ideas for the second book which is exciting and is looking forward to seeing my partial of the first book in the new contract. I have promised it for next week. It will get there. My editor is lovely and I do like working with her.

Viking's Captive Princess UK cover and contest

I finally got to see the UK paperback cover of the Viking's Captive Princess. I love and adore the new look of M&B Historical. However, as my  senior editor warned me, someone in the art department called up the WRONG version of the picture. There is a huge anachronism on the cover. It is even worse on the hardback version. The US version has the correct picture. My senior editor has been hugely apologetic as she is a perfectionist. She did try to have it fixed and  the error is less obvious but the error remains.

If you can spot the mistake, email me  with VCP contest in the subject line and tell me what the error is to win a signed hardback copy of  The Viking's Captive Princess.  It is first name out of the hat.  Contest closes 31 August 2010. Void where prohibited.

Back from the Sinai and other things

I have arrived home -- sunburnt, with a streaming cold but throughly relaxed. Egypt, in particular the Sinai Penisula was a wonderful experience from snorkelling with sea turtles and Moray eels to riding a camel into the desert sunset to dine with Bedouin and visiting St Catherine's. More on this later when I have downloaded my photos and sorted my thoughts. We all survived...no one was sold for camel and no one had difficulties in the water. The Egyptian men (they are almost exclusively men) who work in the tourist industry that I encountered were for the vast majority kind and helpful. I can thoroughly recommend Classic Collection as their service was excellent ( second to none actually, particularly at the airport arrivals) and the Hilton Sharm Waterfalls.

Yesterday, Compromising Miss Milton became available on the M&B site. You can read the first chapter. I like the cover...which is still not up on Amazon.

I also like the Australian cover for my new 3 in one. It is interesting that the Vikings are emphasised!

Finally I want to send congratulations to all the Rita finalists, in particular my dear friends and fellow Harlequin Historical authors -- Michelle Willingham for her fantastic book Taming Her Irish Warrior , Elizabeth Rolls, Deb Marlowe and Amanda McCabe. I think it is the best showing that HH has ever had. I saw that Carla Capshaw is up for the best debut with The Gladiator which I did enjoy very much. I am so pleased that I shall be going to Nashville as it will be wonderful to see these writers get to shine.

The VIking's Captive Princess in Spain -- Una princesa indomable

La batalla que se libraba era para conseguir su corazón El peligroso guerrero Ivar Gunnarson era un hombre de acción, más que de palabras. Sin apenas tiempo para pensar en amores ideales, se apropiaba siempre de cuanto quería, y la princesa Thyre no iba a convertirse en una excepción a su regla. Misteriosa y seductora, Thyre despertó el deseo de Ivar desde el instante en el que puso sus ojos en ella. En medio de un sangriento conflicto entre facciones vikingas, ella se convirtió en cautiva del curtido guerrero, pero su espíritu era indomable…

Read more here

The Viking's Captive Princess is out this month in Spain. I am thrilled.

I have discovered that A Question of Impropriety/Compromising Miss Milton/The Viking's Captive Princess will be the 3 in 1 offering in Australia in May. I wonder which cover they will use!

In writing news, I finally turned in my ms TPE and have started the Roman Undone. Can I write short? We shall see.

Two lovely reviews

A very good way to start the New Year was to discover two lovely reviews of The Viking's Captive Princess -- one on cataromance and the other on the Pink Heart Society Review. Julie Bonello puts a lot of effort into her reviews and has reviewed every single one of my books so I was curious as to what she might think.

So I was very pleased to read:

Clear a space on your keeper shelf because Michelle Styles has penned another winner! The Viking's Captive Princess is another captivating tale from this wonderful storyteller featuring a heroine to admire, a gorgeous Alpha male to adore, a fantastic cast of fully-fleshed supporting characters, searing emotional intensity, dramatic action, powerful romance and wonderfully rendered historical detail which never interferes or overwhelms the story.

Thank you Julie for making my day!

My regime continues. It is the early days before a habit is established and after the initial enthusiasm vanishes that are the hardest. The newspapers are currently full of good advice. One current theme seems to be -- do not diet but savour your food. Eat slowly. If you feel you must eat cake/drink alcohol/have cream do it on a specific day. For example Wednesdays and Saturdays as then you are never waiting too long for a treat and are less likely to binge.

The kittens are can be seen by the above picture are in a playful mood. They are currently conducting a war on my legs. Thankfully this period of absolute playfulness should be short lived.

Mouse wars and a lovely review

The number of exterminated mice now stands at 10. I suspect there are more mice, partly because I saw a tail disappearing when I opened the door this morning and spotted exterminated mouse number 9. Peanut butter. Peanut butter. Peanut butter (and not storing the bloody bird seed in a non secure container!) will be the way to beat this infestation. The ultimate mouse destruction machines should be arriving within the week. Various kitten type things have bought in readiness.

My morning was made by a lovely review from Pearl at Realms on Our Bookshelves. She said:

It was a story of seduction, duty, family-intrigue, secrets, politics, trust and passion, with a great plot that was revealed gradually, with strong characters that held my attention firmly, with the right amount of battle and action and with a courtship brimmed with adversity that made the HEA that more welcome and appreciated.
Though this book was a category romance of less than 300 pages, it totally didn’t have that feel, it was well rounded, well crafted and complete. Hence, praise to Michelle Styles for the delivery of another entertaining, solid Viking story and giving this historical romance lover an escape in the form of a few pleasurable reading hours.
You can read the full review here.

As regular readers of this blog know, VCP was a tough book to write so I am very pleased that Pearl thought the experience pleasurable.
Now all I have to do is finish my current mess in progress and make it even more enjoyable!

The official publication date for The Viking's Captive Princess

Today is the official publication date for The Viking's Captive Princess. I know it has been out in the US retail shops -- in time for the Thanksgiving shopping frenzy. But now all the ebook shops have it as well. So if you want to downloaded on a Kindle or nook, you can.
Also I have done an interview with Darlene of Finding the Write Words. It should be up soon.

For me, I am drinking coffee, wrapped in a fleece blanket (hard frost on the ground) and working on my next manuscript that was due 31 October but I was able to put on hold until I had finished my revisions. I had a quick reread and it is not as bad as I feared. I will have to do some tweaks but it is a fun story. At the moment, I do not think there are as many problems, but one never knows. Lately I seem ever likely to go off on tangents.

The Viking's Captive Princess Available from eharlequin

The Viking's Captive Princess is available from eharlequin from today -- either in print or as an e-book. It is the quickest way to get your hands on a copy. It will out in the shops in North America at the end of the month and as a kindle, nook (Barnes & Noble's new device) or available from other e-book stores on 1 December.

You can read an excerpt here.

The Rpmantic Times review for The Viking's Captive Princess

The Romantic Times released its December issue and reviewed The Viking's Captive Princess.

It received Four Stars and Kathe Robin said:

She (Styles) maintains the myth while adding sexual tension, nonstop action and spice.

Given all the pain that I went through with this book, getting a review like this means that I was right to do it. It is all about trying to get the book to deliver the best story possible.

It gives me a spur to try to get the current one the best it can be! Because for me, it is not about resting on my laurels but about trying to improve. I have definitely not mastered that mysterious medium called historical romance yet. So today is yet more bleeding on the page and trying to make sure the light romantic touches are there.

Viking's Captive Princess -- books arrive

One of the great things about being a published author is when your box of books for that first edition arrives. No matter what you have thought of the book, it reads differently in print.

For me, I love the cover. The inside print cover is slightly different from the cover on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. It has a yellow tinge and is darker and looks far more sensual.

There is no inside front cover picture. This is fine.

They used the quotes from the RT about Taken by the Viking and Viking Warrior, Unwilling Wife for the inside praise bit -- always good for my ego. The December RT comes out at the end of the month and fingers crossed!

Then I sat and read it. It reads fine but the paper is thinner and the font slightly smaller I think. Anyway, it is about 20 pages less. Hopefully it does give a big read though. I want it to be a fitting book in this...If people want more Vikings from me, they will have to write to Harlequin and ASK. At the moment though I am enjoying writing early Victorian/Regency.

My revisions are coming on. It is more like how did I think it was good when I first put it in?

The Viking's Captive Princess cover

The cover for The Viking's Captive Princess has shown up. Isn't it lovely? I think Judy York who did Taken by the Viking must have done it as it has the same sort of look about it. But it does not really matter as the cover is one of my favourites.

One thing I am very glad about is that the artist remembered to include Thyre's dimple in her chin. It plays a part in the story.

Anyway, I think the cover gives the right mood for the story.

Also you can see the new Harlequin Historical ident to the top left.

Upcoming releases update

Right I have just found out that Compromising Miss Milton will be a May 2010 Mills & Boon Historical release. The hardback comes out in March 2010.

Sold & Seduced will be a February 2010 Harlequin Historical direct release. This means it will be available from eharlequin and as an ebook. The back cover reads

In just seven days, she will beg for his kiss!
Lydia Veratia made one mistake – and now her freedom is forfeit to the man who all Rome knows as the Sea Wolf. Sold into marriage, the one thing over which she still has control is her own desire. So when Fabius Aro offers her a wager – if she doesn’t plead for his kisses in the next seven days, then she will have her independence – Lydia thinks it will be easily won.
But Aro is a dangerously attractive man. And Lydia is finding his lips more and more tempting…

and you can read the excerpt here.

There is still no news as to when The Viking's Captive Princess will be released in the UK.

Blurb for The Viking's Captive Princess

Because I asked, my very lovely editor has sent through the blurb for the VIking's Captive Princess. It really does capture the essence of the book.

“No one touches my woman. She bears my mark. I claim her.”

Dangerous warrior Ivar Gunnarson is a man of deeds, not words. With little time for the ideals of love, Ivar seizes what he wants – and Princess Thyre will not become the exception to his rule!

Mysterious and enchanting, Thyre rouses Ivar’s desire the moment he lays eyes on her. With Viking factions engaged in a bloody feud, Thyre is yet another captive this hardened warrior conquers – but to be king of Thyre’s heart will entail a battle he has never engaged in before….

I know the editors work very hard to perfect their blurb writing and it is such an art form.
My fingers are firmly crossed for the cover...

The VET -- shots the second time.

Tess & Hardy were surprisingly well behaved at the Vets. Hardy did not treat us to his woe is me song as I drove there and neither was car sick. Fingers crossed that they become good travellers.
At the vets, they encountered a greyhound and its worried owners who collecting the greyhound, a lady collecting medicine for a neighbour's dog, a cat and its owners, and a jack russell puppy and its carer (the grand daughter owns the dog but the grandmother looks after as the girl's father is not fond of dogs). They were most interested in the cat and the puppy. The jack russell even though a week older was much smaller.
Ten days and then they can go out and about. It is a matter of balancing their mental health and need for socialisation against their physical health. But it is good that they met a few more people and animals.
After fourteen weeks apparently it is harder to socialise but not impossible.

Oh the Viking's Captive Princess has appeared on Amazon.com. This is great news but I have not seen the copy edits yet (despite asking). They should be coming soon. Amazon will have the cover before I get it (probably in about 2 months) and then the quickest way to get a book will be through eharlequin. But it is always a special moment when it appears on Amazon.

The Viking's Captive Princess

Ivar's story has finally been titled -- THE VIKING'S CAPTIVE PRINCESS. The title really works for the story so I am pleased. I can't wait to see the blurb my editor works up either. And eventually the cover... It will be published in the North American market in December 09. There is no word on when it will be published in the UK but I am sure my editors will let me know.

My editor has also said that the Governess needs a few more tweaks. As I really want the intensity of characterisation to be there and also because we agreed a linked book AFTER I turned in the revisions, I am pleased to have another go and will take the opportunity to make it really sing. They are supposed to arrive before Easter. So I am keeping myself busy with the paranormal which refused to go away. But my deadlines do whisper to me...