WH Smith blog about the enduring power of Romance

W H Smith have published my blog for them about the enduring power of Historical Romance or why I love Historical Romance as part of their Celebration of Romance season.
You can read it here.

Cover reveal for Summer of the Viking

What do you think?

Romance Unlaced: Spinster Heroines

TAMING HIS VIKING WOMAN had a nice mention in the USA Today blog Romance Unlaced blog. The subject was spinster heroines.
You can read the blog here.

Feburary Good reads giveaway for TAMING HIS VIKING WOMAN

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Taming His Viking Woman

by Michelle Styles

Giveaway ends March 09, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Taken by the Viking out in Brazil

One of the great joys of being published with Harlequin is its global reach.
This month marks my books being published in a new country -- Brazil!
The book in question is Taken by the Viking and I am thrilled.

HISTÓRICOS 153 – CORAÇÃO BÁRBARO – MICHELLE STYLES

Um ataque viking… Um invasor honrado… Uma nova vida como amante dele!

HISTÓRICOS 153 – CORAÇÃO BÁRBARO – MICHELLE STYLES

Eles haviam dito que vieram em paz, mas logo Lindis farne estava em chamas. Annis de Birdoswald tentou fugir, porém não conseguiu escapar dos guerreiros do Norte. Haakon Haroldson, o viking sombrio e arrogante, sequestrou-a e a afastou de tudo o que ela amava. Agora, Annis precisa escolher entre continuar uma prisioneira ou viver uma vida de prazer ao lado desse poderoso invasor.

You see the full entry here

 If you go on the Brazilian Harlequin website, Taken is up on the rotating banner and says firdt in a series. So fingers crossed that they will do more of my Vikings!

Excerpt for TAMING HIS VIKING WOMAN

Harlequin now provides longer excerpts.
So if you want to read the  full first chapter of TAMING HIS VIKING WOMAN you can do so here

Heathcliff in editorial cat mode

Heathcliff wants me to write, rather than to mess around on social media.

Goodreads giveaway for Taming HIs VIking Woman

Because Taming His Viking Woman comes out on 20 January 2015

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Taming His Viking Woman

by Michelle Styles

Giveaway ends January 20, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Out with 2014, in with 2015

The end of 2014 flew past. Instead of being on the computer, I rediscovered the joys of doing a jigsaw puzzle with my children. Very therapeutic.

It has been a year since my fil decided to take an overdose and thereby ended up living with us. My mil had been taken into a care home a few days earlier. At first I thought it was remorse but knowing my fil better, it was just that his empire had crumbled.

My fil continues his hermit ways. Despite my asking, he showed no interested in attending any parties or events to do with Christmas or New Years. Of course my dh and I were the ones who were look at strangely when people asked why he wasn't there. I am learning to just smile and wave.
This morning, after taking him to the village to his *supplies* -- various sweets and crisps (he is 81 after all), I was treated to a tirade about elderly men and the way they move slowly and waste the shop assistant's time.
It was all my daughter and I could do to keep straight faces.

He at least now has tins to keep his supplies in. This was after my youngest dispatched a mouse who was discovered sheltering behind the bookcase in the hall. He wants the supplies in his room in case he feels hungry. He now realizes that mice get hungry as well.

Over Christmas I read Bede which has helped with the latest project. Context is everything.
And I have been exercising. It keeps me sane.

The Who Hit 50 at Newcastle

Last night, the dh and I went to the Metro Arena to see one of the all time great rock and roll bands, legends in fact.
Pete Townshend can be forgiven for wearing track pants and a leisure wear type top when he can play the guitar so fantastically. Roger Daltrey may be older and greyer but his smile still shines. And his eyes. Plus he can still belt them out. He wore an untucked denim shirt  and jeans.
They started with  Can't Explain and did Magic Bus for the 'encore'. It was good to see to see that they didn't bother to leave the stage but just played it.
By the courtesy of technology, past performances from John Entwhistle and Keith Moon were worked in seamlessly.
Townshend is a grumpy old man but he can play the guitar. No smashing up of guitars but he did slam one down in disgust. The guitar techie rapidly brought another.
I was so pleased they played Pinball Wizard and the Kids are alright. 2 1/2 hours of the Who without a break. It is the Who hits 50 tour so they played their hits from years gone by which was totally fine by me.
This is the last tour for Daltrey and Townshend. After it, they will retire -- something they repeated several times. I believe in the last date is 26 June 2015 in Hyde Park. Each venue has a different support act before the Who came on. Newcastle based Makimo Park played last night and were excellent but not a patch on the Who. The difference between excellence and genius, I suppose.  But I do need to get the dh some of their stuff as it was very listenable to. He had heard them before on Jools Holland and so was pleased to see them live.
As ever at these concerts, the crowd has aged with them.  Lots of Who memorabilia and thicker middles. Although I stood for the entire concert, some seemed to struggle.
It was another one to tick off my list (Jackson Browne was ticked off last month). And I am so very pleased I went. My ears may take awhile to recover though. And unlike the Jackson Browne concert, the Who were not conducive to plotting. It was more letting the wall of music surround me.

Excerpt from Taming His Viking Woman

Because it will be published in February 2015, here is brief excerpt from Taming His Viking Woman:

“Sayrid, I marry a woman, not a man. Find a dress.”
Sayrid stared at Hrolf uncomprehendingly. “A dress?”
“You do own a dress…don’t you?”
She released a breath and offered a prayer up to all goddesses in the Aesir and Vanir. At last, a way to postpone the evil day with dignity. Somehow she’d discover what he truly wanted before she started believing that he wanted her. She could use this to buy time and find a solution to the mess. It wasn’t over until the ceremony was done.
“My best dress is at home. What a pity. We will have to name another day when I can be attired in the sort of clothes fit for a sea-king’s bride.”
“Borrow one.” A glint showed in his eyes as he raked her form. “Or come naked. But I marry a woman. Today."

Thoughts Tracy Anderson Method Y3

Right I am in Year three Month 8, the last two days.
Things are going slower because I took the decision (or rather my body did!) that 6x a week of both the MS and DC was  too much. I have gone to 5x week for the MS and DC plus a longer DC session on the sixth day. The seventh day remains a rest day. And my body has thanked me.
#Months 7 - 9 are no joke. I am finding them very difficult. there is no added equipment but TA is really working you.
I am still undecided about Year 4. I have heard rumours that it is v hard -- thigh weights and back weights. Plus the usual problems with discs not working etc.  And I am pretty satisfied with my body now.  I do have three years worth of workouts that I can repeat.
As I have still have awhile to go on Y3, the ultimate decision is a ways off.
The editing is not the best on 3.3 but the exercises do get  into my muscles. I can feel it in my abs.

It remains one of the stress busters I know and my life is currently full of stress.

Sometimes you have to just roll with the universe

Yesterday, I realised what the universe was saying to me.
I accepted the message back on 23 October when I went for the pixie cut but now the universe had a different message.

Therefore I am stopping my Nanowrimo project as it doesn't suit my current needs.
That being said, I did learn a lot.
1. Caffeine free makes me efficient.
2. Limiting social media until after I have done my words makes me efficient.
3. I like to go back and tinker after I have written a few chapters.
4. My best time to write is early and then by about three my head spins.

So while this one at 23k will be living on my computer and nowhere else, I'm glad I did it.
And self-knowledge is priceless.

What I will be focusing on is a brand new project which is a departure for me but something I really want to write and in the way I want to write it.

NaNoWriMo and revisions

I started my month's challenge of writing with all guns blazing and managed 17,500 words in 6 days which is great for me.
Going  caffeine free obviously works ( darn it)
Then last Friday morning my revs for Summer of Her Viking Warrior hit. They were doable -- lots of consistency and clarity questions. So I put the Wip to one side and worked on the revs.
I have finished them now and sent them back to my editor. I have also done the Art Fact Sheet. So fingers crossed, I have made this book strong enough. It is one which is close to my heart.
So now it is back to the NaNoWriMo and trying to get it done. It is a bit of shift gears and remember where I was moment. But I have time to reach 66 k by the end of the month -- she says optimistically.

Selfie for Fall Back In TIme

This is me with one of the books which made me want to write Historical Romance. It is one of my great comfort reads. These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer.

Fall Back in Time Event

This is happening tomorrow:
Hopefully lots of people will join in!

NaNoWriMo and me

November is nearly upon us and this in the writing world means National Novel Writing Month. It is all about writing the first draft of a novel in a month. (Not the draft you will submit but the first draft -- they are vrey different kettle of fish).
I have agreed to take part with two others from the Pink Heart Society. So I have gone and actually signed up for NaNoWriMo  It is only 50k.
This is slightly huge. Mostly I get a rabbit in the headlight feeling when I say something about doing a novel this quickly. But I am putting this on record as I want to get this novel done and dusted. I want to get back to writing several thousand words a day.
The main caveat is that IF my editor gets back to me with her thoughts -- that one takes precedence and all bets are off. Summer is under contract after all and I write for money. It is my day job.

So I am going to start the manuscript which comes before the M&B that I originally thought I would write at the beginning of the month. Basically the characters decided it for me and I am not a writer to allow good narrative action to go to waste.

So right now, for the next 5 days (I have to start writing on 1 Nov) I have to make sure my planning is up to scratch. I am more a pantser in many ways but there are certain bits which need to be done.
Updates will be forthcoming.

Please wish me luck.

Cover reveal for Taming His Viking Woman

I know I should be less bouncy than I am and do AN event but I am far too excited!!!

The sea-king's warrior bride 

Legendary shield maiden Sayrid Avildottar will marry no man unless he first defeats her in combat. And in powerful sea-king Hrolf Eymundsson she has finally met her match. 

Hrolf may have won her lands—and her body—but can Sayrid welcome a stranger to her bed? The world of fighting is all she knows! With a husband intent on seducing his new bride, perhaps, just this once, Sayrid will discover that surrender can bring the greatest pleasure of all… 

"Maintains the myth while adding sexual tension, nonstop action and spice." —RT Book Reviews on The Viking's Captive Princess

As a side note I appear to be channeling pixie cut hair and so no prizes for guessing how my hair is going to be cut come Thursday.

Delving into the 7th century

Yesterday saw the release of my Victorian trio -To Marry a Matchmaker, Compromising Miss Milton and Breaking the Governess's Rules in the North American market. Cue banners and trumpets. I have waited a long time for this to happen.
Currently I am working on two projects while waiting to hear my editor's thoughts about Summer of Her Viking Warrior. The only really successful approach to keep the Crows of Doubt at bay is to write another book or several books. IN short to become excited about something else.

My first project is a historical fiction project set in the 7th century. It is on an epic scale and requires an epic amount of research.  I need to get things straight in my head. There is much which has been lost and will probably never be found. We are not talking 7 kingdoms but many kingdoms and the written historical record starts about the time I want to focus on. Fascinating but frustrating. Where precisely was the decisive battle of Degsastan which put an end to Dal Raidic ambitions in England for over 130 years... It will be interesting to see if I can bring it to life.

My second project is a more conventional M&B Viking set historical but this time in the Western Isles. I loved visiting Islay in September. Very little remains of their Viking heritage (apparently Colonsay is much better) but it is utterly fascinating.  The Vikings did not just raid, they came and stayed. And the land being the land, it grew into their very souls and the Vikings became Gallowglass -- foreign Gaels.  It is where the term Galloway comes from.
Somerled who wrestled the Isles from the King of Man (and Norwegian control) was  at least half Norse. It is thought with a Norse mother and a Celtic father (some dispute this saying he was fully Norse).
The full integration of the Western Isles into Scotland didn't really happen until after 1607. Some might it never has as the Western Isles maintain their own identity.
It is when you are there that you can a sense of the Sea Kingdom that once was.
But again it is not a very well researched time.  I think mostly people prefer to concentrate on the Celts or Gaels, forgetting that the Vikings did really shape Scotland.
And I have to keep remembering that Scots in the 9th century meant Irish, not where we think of it today.

And the kilt or short kilt was invented in 1707 by Thomas Rawlinson, an Englishman who had moved his factory up North to back take advantage of the fuel. However his workers were getting too hot and discarding their Great  kilts. or getting burnt. So the short kilt was a compromise. It proved so popular that it soon took off. The great kilt dates from the late medieval period. Apparently one battle was known as the battle of the shirts as it was too hot to fight in the Great kilt and so they were discarded.  I am afraid the mental image amused me.

US Cover for Breaking the Governess's Rules

And this is the US cover for Breaking the Governess's Rules. More of a Regency feel than an early Victorian but still a decent feel about.

‘How delightful to meet you again, Miss Louisa Sibson.’

Jonathon Lord Chesterholm’s eyes bored holes into Louisa Sibson’s back. The former fiancée he’s thought dead is very much alive…

Louisa has rebuilt her life, after being dishonourably dismissed from her post as governess for allowing Jonathon to seduce her. Now Louisa lives by a rulebook of morals and virtue—the devastating Lord Chesterholm will not ruin her again!

But Jonathon will get to the bottom of Louisa’s disappearance – and he’ll enjoy breaking a few of her rules along the way…!